This is a story about a pumpkin cake. A cake that was born in the mind of a busy mama months ago. This week she finally sat down and made the cake. All went as planned until she decided to leave it overnight instead of taking pictures right away. Later she would find out that that was a bad idea because the cake would fall overnight.
She, well, I tried to salvage the best pictures I could the next day but it wasn’t quite as cute as the day of. Above is a crummy picture I took from my iPad that evening when I finished the cake. I sent it to a few blogging friends to get their feedback on it before I left it alone for the night. I had no idea it would be the best picture I would get of it. *sigh* The next morning I wanted to cry.
You see, the cake I made wasn’t any old cake, it was a cake with a mound of whipped cream icing on top of it. The directions say to serve right away or up to eight hours later. I knew better than to leave it for 12 hours. I knew better! I guess baking and decorating a cake with a three year old didn’t leave me in the best state of mind for logical thinking.
Despite the sad outcome of the cake I put enough effort into it that I wanted to show it to you anyway. Plus, it’s a great reminder that bloggers aren’t perfect! Sometimes it’s okay to reveal that, right? 🙂
My idea for the cake cake from the Miette cookbook, which I have to stop and say is absolutely adorable and full of useful tips for creating gorgeous cakes!
Here’s a picture of it after it slumped a bit. It’s the best picture I could get considering the circumstances.
Here’s the whole process of the cake in case you’d like to make one yourself. Don’t forget to serve right away or within 8 hours! 🙂
You can see here how the icing slumped along the sides. All in all, it was still a really delicious cake that made my daughter and I made together. I guess that’s not too bad.
Are there any baking projects that you would like to complete this fall?
Daisy says
This is really beautiful! I would love to make one of these for my son’s class. They are really into Halloween and love pumpkins.
Kelly Hutchinson says
Oh my goodness that is not only cute but looks yummy. I am not great at using fondant, so I am not sure if I could pull this off or not.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
That is SO darn cute. I would almost feel bad eating it.
Deb www.debcb.com says
Love the cake. So clever!
Jennifer says
Well, that’s just about the most creative cake I’ve ever seen. I love it!
Courtney says
That is so cute, I almost wouldn’t want to eat it. Almost. I still would…
Paula says
I think it is still adorable, even the day after. What a cute cake for Halloween and the fall!
Stacey - Travel Blogger says
That is amazing. Cakes like this always amaze me. It seems like it would take so much skill to make this.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
Wow that is a cake??? It is so neat, looks like it belongs in a contest winning 1st place! You are very talented!
Ashley says
Aww, thank you. You are too sweet!
Shauna says
Oh my goodness, this looks and sounds delicious and so easy to make. I have never made anything like this and totally need to try it. Thanks
Ashley says
Yes, you should! Fondant is just like play clay…just a bit firmer.
Dee Mauser says
Hey, although your icing slid down the sides, you still did a fabulous job with that fondant. It is such a pain to work with.
Emilie says
I completely understand! I had a similar fail when I made my nieces birthday cake. I used two different cake mixes which didn’t stack well AT ALL. But I didn’t have time to start over so I had to roll with it. It is so frustrating when you spend so much time trying to make it beautiful, but it ends up with imperfections. Still, your pumpkin is adorable! http://www.babylovingmama.com/2013/02/ballerina-birthday-party-tutu-cake.html
Ashley says
Your cake was adorable!!! I thought it was perfect. I love the added tutu – so cute!
Cathy Mini says
Little pumpkin cake!! This is so adorable!! I love this–totally perfect anytime between October and November.
Amy D says
I think this cake turned out really nice! The fondant looks so smooth!
Nolie says
This is such a cool cake! It would make a great dessert for Thanksgiving. It’s super fancy!
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos says
That is one awesome cake, great job! Smoothing fondant isn’t easy, you make it look so easy!
Anne-Marie @ This Mama Cooks! On a Diet says
You did a beautiful job with the fondant. I guess you needed a hardier icing to hold up to that heavier than it looks fondant, like the kind made out of vegetable shortening and powdered sugar. (Been there and done that!) Your next cake will be even better!
Ashley says
Yea, this icing is fabulous (who doesn’t like whipped cream?) but it’s not meant to last long. That’s a great idea, I definitely think I should use a firmer one next time if I don’t plan on serving it right away.
Kristin says
This is such a cute cake. You did an amazing job. Great share.
Dawn says
You’re being WAY too hard on your baking skills. That cake looks amazing! I mean, that took some serious skill.
Ann Bacciaglia says
I think you cake turned out fantastic. I would love to try to make one. It looks delicious.
Kristin Wheeler (@MamaLuvsBooks) says
WOW! This pumpkin cake it AMAZING!!! Totally pinning!!!
Ashley says
Thank you, Kristin! 🙂
Liz Mays says
Slumped or not, I still think it’s incredibly impressive. Love the whole concept!
Ashley says
Oh thank you! 🙂
candice says
i wish i had time to make this for my daughters party this weekend. adorable is right!
Ashley says
Aw, thank you! Have a fun party!
Tiffany (A Mom's Take) says
I’m so impressed with that pumpkin cake, it look so real. I’d be afraid to actually cut into it and eat it. It’s way too pretty to eat.
Dominique says
I still think it turned out super amazing!!! And I love that you got to bake with your daughter <3