The hardest cakes to do for me are birthday cakes and boy's cakes. I think I'd rather do a wedding looking cake for birthdays. Is that abnormal, weird or just plain odd? This was a challenge because I had to do something more kid friendly. Do you think it is suitable for a 1 year old celebrant?

I actually didn't have time to plan for this cake because I just realized it was a friend's step son's birhday the following day. I basically did everything from baking to decorating in less than 24 hours.

I'm somewhat PLEASED with the results bu I'm not happy with the tree because I didn't have the ingredients I'd usually use. OH MY CAKES! The tree just bother's the HECK out of me. It looks so...ugh. What do you think?

It's the last cake in my photos.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1463134

I think it's fantastic for a little boy and not "wedding-y" looking at all. What I like is that the little boy isn't going to care one bit what it looks like but I think you'll impress the parents and family with a cake like this. I don't think they would be expecting it and the teddy bears and pine tree are great. I don't see a thing wrong with the tree but I understand when you have a vision in your head and it doesn't turn out like your vision it can be frustrating. No one else would know that it's not what you wanted.

I don't have kids so I have issues with kids' cakes, too, and finding cakes suitable for boys can be difficult at times. I have found some really nice cowboy themed cakes in the galleries, tho, that would be wonderful little boy cakes, but I see those as more for a little older child than a 1 year old.

Super job - they'll be thrilled (at least they SHOULD be)!!

That cake is gorgeous. I think the tree looks terrific. It's always hard to be objective when we can see what we intended in our mind's eye and it's not what others see on the finished product.
I don't think it's odd to stick with what you know; I think it's human to want to stay in our comfort zone and thereby perfect our own 'style'. If you were completely unwilling to try anything new, you might want to question that, but you're obviously not! And look at the fabulous results when you do a birthday cake. Remember that the 1st birthday cake is only for the parents, the child has no preference one way or the other. And your teddy bears are fabulous; I tried doing one for the first time last night (just for practice, using aine2's instructions) and it was a disaster! haha.
Good luck getting to grips with kids' birthday cakes, you're definitely on the right track!
Emma

I know exactly what you mean... after last weekend's BRAIN cake for a 7 year old boy, I have decided that the event date is no longer the most important question to me, but rather, "IS IT FOR A BOY?", and "WHAT IS THE PARTY THEME?????" LOL Between snakes and dragons and Baku-whatever, I am so done with the boy cakes! Sport themes are one thing, but Pokemon and Star Wars have been retired in my baking kitchen! Even my son has run out of ideas when it comes to getting the creative juices flowing for masculine ideas. Camo can only be popular for so long!

I just love the girlie-cakes and all the sparkles and curls and ribbons they can handle.

I always laugh when I do a baby shower cake for a baby boy because I know that someday in the future that mommy-to-be might track me down to make that baby a big-boy cake! Aughhhhhhhhhh~

Huh?

Thanks and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one. The girly cakes are the best to do and actually more flexible. It's like dressing a little girl.

Jamie, I took the post down a while ago because I re-uploaded the picture. I put the original post now though.

Ohhhhh, got it! I thought it was something controversial or someone edited what you wrote!

I think the cake is really cute! But as a momma of three boys, it's a little odd choice for a boys first birthday cake. I'm surprised that with all the boy stuff out there you had such a hard time coming up with something. Boys are just as easy to come up with stuff as girls are.........but then again I'm the mommy of three boys so it might just be easier for me...........but do know I do think your cake is really cute........

I really love the cake. It could be used for some many different events. Your cakes are very elegant. I am real tired of the cartoony cakes. I prefer cakes like this. I wish more people would ask for them. How did you do the tree? I really like it alot.

That is such a posh little cake. OK so it's not so little. It's so classy looking. A refreshing change from the sesame street stuff. Think the Rich's vrs the Joe's. LOL

It's a very nice cake. I could see it being perfect for a Christmas birthday.

For a first birthday, as a mom I would go for the brighter colors, just because as babies my kids got excited about bright colored things...but again, it's a really lovely, elegant cake.

Are you complaining about your cakes AGAIN?

First off let me say the cake is beautiful (tree and all!) and I think your friend's going to love it. Having said that though if it were me and I was doing this cake for a younger child I'd have chosen something more colourful. Maybe the bow/bears? I know it looks more realistic the way it is but the fact is younger children do enjoy the more "cartoony" look.

If you made a cake like that for me Rylan I'd love it! Maybe one of these days eh???

It looks wedding-y to me. It's pretty, but I do see wedding cake.

If someone comes to me looking for a kids cake if its a really basic design I send it to someone else I know who does the most amazing kids cakes. I'm also very hesitant when doing kids cakes because I dont make any money off them. Its true! I put in the the same hours as a wedding cake but have to work for half the price, my ingredients arent cheaper because its for a toddler! But I still put in all the modelling work!

And I'm just not that good at them! Give me a wedding cake and I'm there, celebration cake? I'm all yours!

But a cake for a 2 yr old when all you want is a slab cake with 3 different coloured buttercreams and a car on top? Sorry.... I'm booked...

(mind you this woman called me in feb for this cake and I took it because it was a cake for 60 people which then became 10 a week later and the party is in October!! Not only did she book me 8months in advance but she changed the design 3 times, the serving size twice and would email me, text me to tell me she emailed me, then call me if I hadnt replied to her text.
If she's like this now imagine what kind of mumzilla she's going to be!!

In the end I had to cancel her last week, My mother isnt well and I need to look after her for a while. She didnt seem very happy gave me the..." but I booked you months ago this is very unprofessional etc" I then made her feel like right crap because I told her exactly what was wrong with my mother.)

So now, I will be very hesitant on doing kids cakes from now on!

Sorry for the mini Hi-jack but I've been wanting to b***h about that woman for a week!

rylan: cake is "unique" for a boy's cake -- and that's a GOOD thing!

---

and I HATE!!!! doing girl's cakes -- go figure esp. if it means pink!

to each his/her own

Stunning cake overall - but have to admit - i looked for a touch of blue - i guess thats the way society has groomed us - blue for boys / pink for girls -

Love the *wrap* method - and again your work is so neat.

WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS ......how did you get the tree to look like that - its brillante.
I don't know what you didn't have on hand that you would normally use - but personnally, your on a winner..

Bluehue

Hi everyone. Thank a lot for the nice words, I really really really appreciate it. Oh and no, I wasn't complaining about my work hehe.

For the cake, I actually didn't use the traditional blue or bright/primary colors because I wanted to do something that isn't expected. I wanted to think outside the box but in a very different way. I totally agree that I'd have a wider imagination on boy cakes if I had a son (too bad I can't concieve one).

The trees, I would originally melt chocolate or marshmallows and mix it with cornflakes and then paint it green. Since I didn't have the ingredients, I just melted leftover green and brown fondant in the microwave until soft and then mixed in the cornflakes.

Roweena, I guess she was too picky. I'm actually like that to my web designer hehe.

Very clean work Rylan. I wish you would post an actual pic instead of a link though - makes it easier to see (for those with slow loading computers) If you need to shrink it, there are several free sites you can google to do it. Not my choice of color for a one year old, but it is very "Rylan" style!

You did a wonderful job. Technically well executed, clean, precise.

Its a very sophisticated cake. Not everyone will love it but if its suits the recipient's (or his mom's) aesthetic then that's all that matters.

I love making boy's cakes because i only have sons. I love making girl's cakes because...I only have sons. Pink, blue, purple, orange, red, white, brown, gaudy, muted, elegant, loud...I love em all!

Having said that I refuse to use copyrighted figures/images on cakes and I hate doing sheet cakes. I love grand, elaborate cakes. Much like you rylan. Since moving to a new country, I've become even more uber exclusive. My clients are by referral only and whilst they can tell me their ideas, the final design is a surprise for them and sometimes even for me. Never had one negative comment yet, touch wood.

I see you being as "picky" as me. And if you're loving it, as I am, then wonderful!

First - your cakes are wonderful.....I try to get a theme or hobby from the client and work with that. I've done a few modeling of shaped cakes, used rice crispies treats for cakes, and it's getting easier to do stuff for boys........cars, trains, etc.....Girls, young or older, you can do the all the bells and whistles.

it's whimsical and lovely ! i have lotsa grandkids and they have no opinion about their cake until they are about three.

my first grandson had his first birthday this summer and i was delighted to pile on snakes and bugs as my first seven grandbabies were girls and i was tired of barbie cakes.

grandma hadn't had her coffee when she wrote that! i made the snake/bug cake for my 2nd grandson. i had six granddaughters and 1 grandson when the 1 year old was born. i've had another granddaughter since then thank you very much!

I agree that 1 year olds have no idea what's going on ... the cake is really for the parents.

But my 2-year old grandson got a mickey mouse cake for his birthday last may. Daughter brought grandson to the shop recently and when they pulled up, he pointed to the shop and said, "mickey mouse cake!"

Thanks for all the input. I feel better knowing that this is "kind of" like the cake for their parents.

I love your cake,its very classic.I get that most people like bright colors for first birthdays,but this is the perfect cake for a boys first birthday.It all depends on the parents taste.