Our first birthday cake: A Family Affair

In choosing the theme for our son's first birthday, bunny theme came easily, as he loves a TV show for kiddies with bunnies in them, and his bunny soft toy. As part of our family traditions we also made the decision to attempt a home-made birthday cake, involving him more and more in the future, in making the cake.

[caption id="attachment_229" align="alignleft" width="300"] Small circles cut from fondant.[/caption]

Dad was tasked to make the flowers and as this was new, well, dad winged it. Cut round circles, and then formed the flowers with hand and knife. Rings for self-made flowers. The initial flowers looked fairly good, but we found a flower cutter and made some blue flowers with it from fondant.

[caption id="attachment_233" align="alignnone" width="474"] Pink hand-made flowers and blue ones from cutter.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_232" align="alignright" width="300"] Making bunny that crawl into cake[/caption]

Mom was tasked to make the bunnies and started with the first subject, the backside of one crawling into the cake. Also made from fondant, with pink rolled out cuttings for cushions of feet and toes.

[caption id="attachment_228" align="alignleft" width="300"] Main bunny body and feet[/caption]

 

As mom is new to this as well (christening cake does not count as mom bought the cake topper for that cake), mom winged it as well.

 

[caption id="attachment_230" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Main bunny completed[/caption]

We built two of these and glued the body parts together with egg white. These two turned out to be morbidly obese.

Mom eventually baked, and baked, and baked to produce the body of the tree trunk which consisted of four round chocolate cakes. Dad was left with the responsibility of plastering the tree trunk with icing sugar. He had lots of experience with this process as he plastered and painted the house outside recently. Boeta then still had to have a piece that he could own and mom therefor baked a batch of cupcakes. By the time we decorated these, we were exhausted!

[caption id="attachment_237" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Second bunny with party hat.[/caption]

Dad also constructed the gifts, party hat, soccer and rugby balls.

[caption id="attachment_239" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Side view of final cake.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_238" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Front view of cake.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_203" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Video picture - first cake![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_245" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Cupcake went down well![/caption]

Eventually after watching the process unfold over three days, Boeta could finally enjoy his own cupcake.

This was truly a family bonding experience, mom and dad enjoyed it thoroughly. Ready for next year!

Note: For ideas on bunnies and other figures we used pinterest, a wonderful tool for ideas.