Saving Money by Decorating Your Own Cakes

Little Miss Sunshine just celebrated her fourth birthday, and like the previous few years I made her cake. I could have spent a lot of money buying one, but why? Now, I don't claim to be a professional at all, but I do enjoy it. I'm learning new things and saving money.

For LMS's second birthday, I made a Finding Nemo cake.  That was a lot of fun, but all the icing work made my hand cramp.

Last year I made a castle cake to go along with the Cinderella theme. This one got away from me a bit and didn't turn out quite how I originally planned, but it still turned out well. I was planning and preparing a birthday party and a graduation party at the same time, so I had to know when to say when. That's something I'm working on- trying to squash my perfectionist tendancies and not stressing when things aren't exactly how I planned.

We had a graduation party for Mr S the same day we had LMS's birthday party. I made a cake for that one also. We had a lot of cake after these parties....

I also made these little chocolate hats out of Reese's cups, Ghirardelli squares, mini Reese's Pieces, and a dab of frosting. So easy, and so yummy!

I really like how fondant-covered cakes look, so this year I decided to give it a go. I made a simple purple polka dot cake and was encouraged by the result. I made a marshmallow fondant, then colored it with different amounts of purple coloring. I really like how the cake turned out- the only thing I'd change is to buy a small round metal cookie cutter to cut the polka dots. I used a knife and traced around a pill bottle, which got the job done, but wasn't as precise as I'd like. I love the shades of purple- so pretty!

One draw back of the fondant is that it doesn't taste good. I keep seeing people say that marshmallow fondant tastes better than regular fondant, but I wasn't impressed with the flavor of the marshmallow fondant. LMS ate half the fondant on hers, Mr S and I peeled it off. If anyone knows of a fondant that actually tastes good, let me know! I think I'll try adding some flavoring to the fondant next time.

While I did spend money on the materials and supplies, they cost less than a store-bought sheet cake, and significantly less than a specialty cake like the ones I've made. Are my cakes perfect? No. But just because a professional makes them, doesn't mean they look professional. Don't believe me? Check out Cake Wrecks.

Since we're now gluten free, the cake I made was gluten free. While gluten free bakeries are popping up all over, their products aren't cheap. By making my own gluten free cakes I save even more. My birthday is coming up in June and I'll be able to do some more experimenting. I'll try some flavored fondant, more precise cake shaping, and cookie cutters for shapes. I love learning new things!