[make: Aquarium Birthday Cake ... ]

"So, Tias ..," I asked.  "What kind of cake would you like this year?"

"Um ..," he replied with his eyes searching the top of his brain.  "OH!! I know ... an aQUARium cake!!"

Oh.  Brother.

How does one do such a thing?  ... well - here was my attempt!!  And I say "attempt", because the blasted thing kept wanting to fall over.  And the icing was messy, and I was getting frustrated, and and and ...

I am faaaaaaar from a cake decorator, and should probably put in the towel and buy a decent cake made by so many of my good friends ... but - for me - my cakes are kinda like the Christmas ornaments kids make.  You know?  The ones that look really homely, but you love 'em just the same?

Yup.  My cakes are just like them.

Thank goodness they taste good and I don't have to look at them very long ...

So.  An aquarium cake ... hmm.   I decided to bake 2 9x9, cut them in half and stack them, along with one something-by-something specialty cake that I cut in half as well ... I did vanilla and chocolate cake ... 

... I stuck bamboo skewers through them, to help ensure they wouldn't fall over.  More on that later *sigh*. 

I whipped up some buttercream frosting ... and tinted it blue, for the "water".

And my elementary-style-I-only-have-so-much-time-to-do-this-frosting ... Looks like my 3 year old did it *laughing* ...

Then added details ... notice the rack in behind - help it from toppling over.  

... and then.  Things started getting lop-sided.  UGH.   So - out came a box to lean it in ...  that was after it fell over ... twice.  And then, in the car on the way to the party ... oh the drama.

... and then the writing ...  see?  It's the "leaning tower of ... aquarium?".  *laughing*

Such a sad little cake.

And at the party?  Every kid wanted to know if they could have the "fish".  Oops.  Needed 20 of those, instead of 5.

So - Mattias LOVED it, my friends smiled with me ... and the moment was ... perfect.

... you can tell that it's been through a rough-go.  The icing stopped sticking *laughing harder*.  Oh, this cake ... I will be old and in a home, remembering this blasted cake.

PHEWF.

One cake down, one to go.  Katia's first birthday is next week ... the theme?  Ladybugs.

Here we go again ...

Have a great one!!