[cakes: Super Mario Bros Birthday Cake.]

I thought I had gotten out of it.  I mean, I DO like to build cakes for my kid's birthdays ... but this year, Mattias was heading to a Laser Tag play-place and they had a Dairy Queen Cake as part of their package.

I just assumed ... 

Yeah.  No.  He wanted a cake ... to which he told me the morning before the party.  In fact, this cake thing has become such a tradition, he actually said that he wants me to make him cakes until I die.

EEK.

So ... I got to work.  My first step was asking what he wanted.  "A Super Mario Brothers birthday cake ..." he smiled.  

Um.  Right.   SUPER.

I hit the computer and checked out what all the other birthday-cake-makers were doing.  And honestly?  Almost every one that I saw were professionally made.  SLIGHTLY intimidating, for sure.

Ah well ... it's just a cake, right?  "I'll give it a go," I thought.

So ... I baked the cakes, and plotted my plan.

I decided to make a "Toad" character (he's the mushroom, apparently - and let's be honest - the easiest of all the characters to make!).  And I like blue ... so blue frosting it was.  Mmmm.  Frosting.

It was almost 11pm when I started ... and as you WELL know - I am NOT a cake decorator.  I would be horrified if you looked to closely ... I am a cake builder.  And a mom who just tries her best *wink*.

I needed a base for the mushroom.  I pulled out a cookie cutter and attempted to punch out a circle from the loaf-pan cake ... 

I love butter-frosting (which is the blue, of course) ... but I bought some fondant to make the Toad Character with ... just 'cause.

I tore of a chunk, dyed it red ... made the top.  Tore off another piece of white fondant, rolled it - cookie cuttered circles.  Tore off another little bit of fondant, dyed it black ... made the eyes.  Grabbed the green sprinkles ... 

Another chunk of fondant, rolled, and the "clover-leaf" cookie cutter with the bottom part cut off became the clouds ... 

It was midnight now ... 

But THIS is my favourite part ... adding the details.  I combined brown and green dyes (thanks Mrs. Elementary School teacher for that knowledge many moons ago) ... used a brick-stencil-press ... boom.   Grabbed another chunk of fondant, coloured it yellow, cookie pressed a star.  Drew some eyes with the edible-black-marker I have.  

Made some gold coins from the leftover yellow fondant for the one star *grin* ... Created a white-fondant banner to write on ... made a 3-D "8" because I had some left over from the mushroom ... and used a "scribbler" to write Happy Birthday ...

I then found a bag of silver balls from many cakes ago ... lined the bottom edge.

BOOM.  

Done.  Not perfect.  But DONE.  It was almost 1am by this point ... 

The next morning, the boys were GIDDY with anticipation.  I had hid the cake, because I'm smart like that.  I had them get on the couch and close their eyes (they chose pillows instead) ... and I placed the cake on the table.

 This is when it's ALL worth it ... 

 And Mattias was a HAPPY little guy ... yay!!

Happy birthday (um, in August) Mattias.  And thank you for loving my love-language to you ... thank you for appreciating the small things in life and for loving my cakes no matter what they actually look like *grin* ... 

 Man, I love him.

Have a great one!