Back to the Drawing Board

I made my nephew's cake yesterday....

I needed something that would a) be very quick and easy to do ('cause of my other cake commitments) and b) would still be appropriate.

Well, Alex eats more than anyone else I know. He's going to be 14 tomorrow, is skinny as a rake, yet can eat my 16½ stone husband under the table... and then still ask for more! It's just not fair! LOL!!

Anyway, I decided I'd do a cake depicting food. A spaghetti and meatballs cake came to mind. I don't know why, but it did.

So that's what I made. I used Ferrero Rocher chocolates for the meatballs, pale yellow royal icing for the spaghetti (piped using a number 3 nozzle) and a pouch of raspberry coulis for the tomato sauce.

It looked fantastic... Until about 20 seconds after I took a photo of the cake. The sauce started to dissolve the royal icing.

By the time I got the cake to Alex's house last night, it looked more like someone had thrown up on a plate, rather than spaghetti and meatballs.

Poor Alex. This is the first time I'd made him a cake (I haven't made one before - our birthdays are on the same day, so I don't usually fancy baking on my birthday, LOL!!)

Now, I admit, I did rush this cake. I was so short of time. I don't know if I'd been able to leave the royal icing to set, whether it would have made a difference? Somehow, I don't think it would. Maybe, if there's a next time, modelling paste would be better than royal icing? A heck of a lot more work though, using the sugar shaper gun! Or someone else suggested colouring some piping gel and using that instead of the raspberry coulis. Maybe that's the way to go??

Anyway, pic of the cake is on my blog, and on my website. And on Facebook, LOL!!!!

Suzanne x