Dora, Dora the Explorer!

Birthday cakes for my niece have become something with lots of meaning for two reasons.  

1) Her second birthday cake (Winnie-The-Pooh cake I made September 2009) was the first one I made. Ok, well I made several cakes before hers, but her Pooh cake was my first step into the world of cake decorating as I attempted by first carved and large cake (Her cake was so big that the 30something people that attended her party, barely put dent in the cake). This year's cake marks my first year of really cake decorating and it has been so much fun! Her Winnie-the-Pooh cake really helped me get my name out there and I am so thankful for that!

2) Isabel and I now LOVE to bake cakes together! We wear our aprons as I measure the ingredients and she helps add them into the mix.  She's beginning to learn and remember all ingredients in cakes and she's great at tasting the icing when it's done! She didn't help with her birthday cake, but that made it all the more exciting for her when she saw it completed! 

Izzy had a Dora themed party and asked for a "benilla" cake with "tocolate" cupcakes. Yes ma'am! My sister bought the figures and of course they had to be princesses.  This was one kid's themed cake that I did not have to research.  After coming home from work for lunch everyday and watching kid's tv shows with Izzy 3 out of the 5 days, I know Dora real well! Her show is always about getting somewhere and having "the map" show her how to get there.  "The Map" always uses 3 clue words to help Dora and Boots.  This cake map had 3 clue words too... flowers, bridge, castle! The flowers were made out of royal and butter cream icing, the bridge from fondant, and the castle out of rice crispies covered in fondant.  After making such a large cake last year, I needed to tone it down a little to a 12" square cake with a dozen cupcakes.  Izzy was so excited about her cake that when every guest entered the house, she first showed them her party dress and then the cake. I love her!

Happy Birthday Izzy (my munchkin and princess)!