Ladybug Cake

Hey look, I made a cake! I know it’s been a while and it feels good to be back.

As you may have figured out, it was for a first birthday. The cake itself wasn’t too complicated, but this was one of my more pleasurable cake decorating experiences in a while. Sometimes I forget just how much I really like making cakes. I love the detail and the precision and mostly the creativity. Also, it didn’t hurt that I have a captive audience watching my every move. Maybe this is what it’s like to be on one of those television cake shows.

I started this cake with two round cakes. The bottom cake was about 2 inches tall and the top cake was closer to 4 inches tall.

I then free-hand carved the cake into a dome using a very large serrated knife. If it’s possible to have an out of body experience when carving cake, I had one. The consistency of this cake was perfect for carving. The joy. Oh the joy. It was perfect.

Then I iced the dome.

Finally I began the decorating. The head is actually just a huge blob of black fondant. It was just the easiest way to do it. This is also where the constant commentary and interest on my cake decorating started by an unruly group of Settlers of Catan players in my kitchen. It was hilarious, entertaining, and made the whole process a whole lotta fun.

That’s Winston. I think he might be my biggest fan.