In all likelihood, there comes a day when you turn to your child and ask them what kind of birthday cake they’d like. And they answer “Red.”
Or blue, or pink… or a yellow duck looking at a purple cat. You get the point. (This conversation actually took place, by the way. Last week was that day. Hudson wants a red cake. Blech.)
So whether it be superhero-themed or Hungry-Caterpillar-inspired, you need a bright, kid-approved, hand-staining (and you-know-what-staining) cake. With Spider-Man—and firefighters, and talking trains, and other color-filled—parties on the horizon, I realized I needed some strategies for making colorful desserts look and taste good. Red, as you probably know, rarely tastes good. (Recall that this was my attempt at a vaguely red firetruck last year.)
I enlisted the help of a talented friend, Emily O’Donnell of Bake My Day, to teach us all a little bit about how to make those extra-indulgent, designer (i.e. expensive) cookies that children love, and stocked up on some Spidey-themed decorations—so that they won’t even notice that the cake and the cupcakes are actually… gasp… white! Lips sealed.
Read on to learn the basics…
Emily rolled out a basic sugar cookie dough and cut out creative shapes before baking. (Here’s a recipe.) She shared an awesome tip: Print out images to use as templates in place of a cookie cutter to save money!
The cookies have to then cool completely before the first layer of icing is added.
Using Royal Icing (just follow the directions on the back of a package of Meringue Powder), she starts by outlining a design in black. That outline dries for 24 hours before the colors are added. You can keep adding layers of color, but you need to wait in between each layer. It takes a while, but then you can store the cookies in an airtight container or favor bags and be far ahead of the game—no night-before, rushed frosting debacles.
Still, Emily cautions that Pinterest has the effect of make everything look easier than it is, so “just have fun. Kids don’t care if you have crooked lines, frosting falling off the edge or slightly burnt bottoms.” If you decide to do it yourself, just go for it! Give yourself plenty of time. Practice with some different icing tips on waxed paper (you can place your template image directly beneath so that you can see it through the paper) until you get a more steady hand.
And I can imagine that it would be easiest to start with less familiar images so that you have a bit more freedom to play around.
Cupcakes, she noted, are often the easiest dessert to attempt on your own. “Most parents have what is needed to make a cute cupcake at home already. Even if the cupcake ends up being flat or the frosting doesn’t swirl correctly, cute cupcake liners or toppers can save them.” (Another tip: “Wilton Color Cups keep their color whereas lots of liners will lose theirs.”) Emily used the same Royal Icing to create these cute toppers—you create layers of color, exactly as you would do to decorate a cookie, only atop waxed paper instead. So clever!
It was so rewarding to see how bright and fun the cake looked with Emily’s cookies inserted. (Just add sticks!) Emily made a basic white cake, doubling the recipe, and this frosting. You could easily cheat on the cake, though—a store bought sheet cake, a boxed mix with homemade frosting… or make the cake and cheat by buying the cookies!
Do consider the heat if you’re throwing a summer party: Keep the cake in the refrigerator until about an hour before you need it, then insert the sticks and let it come up to room temperature.
Scotch makes the cutest Washi Tape and I had to exercise restraint not to use it on everything. It was perfect for finishing off the cake.
Finally, to tie it all together, I found some Spider-Man gift wrap at Target and cut letters out of foam board and gift wrap to hang a special message up on the wall.
I love how it all turned out! Nothing feels quite as special as a big, over-the-top cake on one’s birthday. (And thanks to Emily, there was no bitter red aftertaste to speak of.)
Still, in a few months I’ll revisit the cake question with Hudson…
With the exception of the flowers and the cake, everything pictured came from Target—which proved to be a great one-stop shop for everything from the Spider-Man toys and gift wrap to baking supplies and table linens:
Pictured: Balloons (most local grocery store florists will inflate for you), Striped Paper Straws, Tote Favor Bags, and Striped Favor Bags are all from the Spritz line at Target // Washi Tape // Tall Cake Stand // Trays // Playskool Spider-Man toy // Child-sized Red Solo cups
Also pictured, available in-store at Target: Plates, napkins & forks // Candy vases and colored gumballs // Threshold Tablecloth // Spider-Man Stickers // Spider-Man t-shirt (similar) // Spider-Man Thermos (similar)
P.S. Hudson’s first birthday! And coming to terms with a future of superheroes.
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