Cutesy Cake

BEACHY KEEN: We're busy with a number of projects at MPA, but the top of the 'must do' list yesterday was finishing a birthday cake for a turning-two-year-old.

This is our third project for the nonprofit Birthday Dreams. They're a nonprofit "dedicated to bringing joy, hope and dignity to homeless children with the gift of a birthday party."

Our cakes usually skew older and less cutesy, so this was a bit of a stretch for us.

We used crushed vanilla wafer cookies to make sand. The water is buttercream. 

We used gum paste and fondant to fashion swimsuits for Teddy Grahams. Their towels are marshmallow fondant. Annabelle made some gum paste shells, as well. The beachballs are gumballs covered in gum paste. A few gummy sharks and fish are on the scene, too.

CJ helped with the bulk of the baking (a triple layer chocolate brownie cake), while Annabelle had a big hand in decorating. 

We hope the toddler and her family enjoy the creation. It weighed a ton when we were done!