Princess Castle Birthday Cake with Butter cream

This year's birthday cake creation was a Princess Castle Cake with it's size based around being plated on a cake stand.  

The butter cream was one I had used for many years, but when it made, I wasn't sure if I would have enough to cover the cake.   I used a trick my Mom had always used for her layer cakes which was spreading jam between the layers.  It was interesting to hear those at the party reminisce on the use of jelly or jam between the layers after one of the guests won't eat the cake because of the jam.  This also lead to memories of money hidden in birthday cakes. 

Butter Cream Icing

• 1/2 c shortening
• 1/2 butter
• 1 T milk

Beat together, then add

• 4 c icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Add more milk to get the proper consistency

The cakes had been frozen which makes it easier to apply a crumb coat of icing.  Again, being concerned about the amount of icing and that the party was that morning, I applied a thinner coat as I thought of the Naked Cakes or those that have minimal outer layer of frosting that are so popular presently.  I must say I did feel better after decorating this cake as I usually cringe at the amount of sugar and fats applied on the cakes as icing! 

Not only did my design revolve around the cake stand, it also had to be transferred to my son's home.  A long wooden kebab skewer worked well to hold the layers together along with the glue of butter cream on the plate and between the layers along with the jam.

My son dished out plates of hot croquet monsieur, a baked ham and cheese sandwich which disappeared quickly. 

The pink stripped marshmallows were a big hit as then everyone had a marshmallow. This was always a problem when I made cakes for my kids' party using marshmallows for Ernie or Bert's eyes! 

The best part was watching my grandchild examine the cake very closely and the thank you  after!  A success! 

The pointed cones were frosted and rolled in red sugar sprinkles.  Gummy bears had been placed inside the cones, but to my disappointment did not fall out as expected as even in such a short time, they had absorbed moisture from the cake and stuck to the cones.  It was still a surprise to the kids, although not as impressive if the candles had rolled out of the cones. One needs to use hard candies for this. 

The craft was an painting  a small canvas to take take home and a group effort to paint a large canvas for the birthday girl!