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I did not make this cake
As some of you know, I have discovered in the past year or so that – despite my aversion to cooking of any kind – that I enjoy baking and decorating cakes. For Christmas I asked for more decorating tips and other cake-baking implements, and among other things I got a cake turntable, a cake leveler (to trim off a cake and make it flat on top), and a couple of theme decorating books.
I am not an expert by any means. I’ve never taken any decorating classes, and I don’t make
No, not my work
anything from scratch. Not yet, anyway. But my family knows I find it fun and relaxing, so they’re willing to go along with it. They even request theme cakes, AND actually eat them.
In my head I can make rosettes and fondant figures (I mean, heck, I watched Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes), but in actuality I’m at the cutting the cakes into fun shapes and slathering them with frosting level. But again, while I have aspirations to improve, I’m mostly doing this because it makes me happy. And believe me, no one’s more surprised that I’m baking things than I am.
I made this one
So far I’ve made an orange grub and dirt cake for my nephew, a wolf head for a friend, a failed fondant-covered monstrosity, a roast turkey chocolate cake for Thanksgiving, and a bear for my other nephew. This year I’ve been tasked with making, and I quote, “a snake about to strike a mouse” cake. That one’s going to be a challenge.
Do you have a hobby that makes you happy? Are you any good at it, or does that even matter? Do you like to bake? Does anyone know how to make “a snake about to strike a mouse” cake?
49 Comments on “Patty Cake”
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I am good at reading, cuddling cats, sleeping, baking (when the mood strikes) and several other hobbies like quilting and crocheting. To my way of thinking as long as you are enjoying yourself then you will get better with practice.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 5:50 am.
I hope you’re right about that, Kelly! *g*
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:43 pm.
Love your new hobby! Very cool reason for pursuing it.
I used to play the piano just for my own satisfaction and entertainment. I wasn’t that great at it and had a limited repertoire but that didn’t matter. However, in 2010 I donated the spinet size piano I had because I just wasn’t playing it enough to keep moving it from apt to apt.
No, I have no idea how to make a snake/mouse cake but I do know how to eat one. Good luck.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 7:47 am.
I always wish I’d learned to play the piano, just to say I could. Thanks, Fresh!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:44 pm.
I am very good at reading, traveling, baking pies. My homemade pie crusts are very flaky. I don’t know how to make a snake eating a mouse cake nor do I think I even one to try to eat one. I really really don’t like snakes. I don’t know who made the one in the picture but it looks way to real for me.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:18 am.
Mmm, pies. *g* Isn’t that snake cake crazy, Sandi?
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:46 pm.
The snake cake is a worry!!
I like to knit, sew, crochet & embroider.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:58 am.
I wish I had some talent for either crocheting or knitting, Mary!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:58 pm.
Love the wolf! I have never seen a snake striking a mouse cake. My one foray into cakes was making a baseball mitt with baseball cupcakes. I was pretty proud of that but not proud enough to keep baking. Not my thing either.
I do enjoy crocheting and have made some very nice things. But I don’t get to do it as much as I used to and can’t do it as long these days because I’m tiring out my fingers on the keyboard.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:12 am.
I admire anyone with the skill and patience to crochet. I can’t even make a knot, Lori!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:48 pm.
I make many knots. Not that I mean to . . .
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:51 pm.
I have 2, I bake from scratch (but don’t decorate) and do triathlons
Fun, stress relieving activities!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:15 am.
Wow, from scratch, Jen? You’re my hero.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:50 pm.
I love your cake! It’s fun!
I like to bake, but as I’ve stated before, brownies and I are not sympatico. As I’ve stated before. Almost done, Almost done! Burnt!
I like making mini machines of mass destruction. Little popsicle stick trebouchets, onagers, catapults. They’re fun and they make me smile.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:31 am.
Pesky, your mass destruction machines sound awesome. And very stress-relieving. *g*
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:51 pm.
I have nightmares about snakes, Suzanne. I will now know who to blame when I wake screaming tonight.
So never in my wildest dreams would I even phathom a snake cake. *shivers*
My hobbies are gardening and reading. I have to admit that I am pretty good at both! As far as baking… I used to but gave up most of my sugars so now I don’t hardly bake at all. I am way to lazy to look up low sugar desserts and try them. Somehow when the sugar is gone so is the taste and fun! You are doing a great job though! Good for you!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:46 am.
Sorry, Kelly! I’m not a fan, either, but the nephew is. My mom’s a gardener, too, and nothing makes her happier.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:53 pm.
This is food as art, and I find it very impressive. Go, Suzie!! What a great hobby—-everyone gets to enjoy it right along with you!
My hobby is making things pretty. I know it doesn’t sound like much of a hobby, and I can’t even remember how it started, but I have a mania for making things pretty. And so I do.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:13 am.
I can’t imagine anyone better than you at making things pretty, Claudia! I wish I had half your fashion/decorating sense.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:57 pm.
I loan it out on demand.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:49 pm.
And we all appreciate that, too!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:30 pm.
My hobby is collecting hobbies – and I am very good at it.
I love the “learning something new” part more than anything. Some I go back and keep doing and some I do once then am ok moving onto something else, but with all, I do it for a little while, then find something else to do then come back to it at some point.
I do love to bake, though I have still not really tackled it at high altitude – I don’t need a bunch of baked goods hanging around with a diabetic who has a giant barely controlled sweet tooth. I have done a fondant cake, it was fun, but I don’t like fondant – so I want to try making my own to see if it tastes better. I am more of a cookie decorator than a cake decorator.
Not sure on the snake and mouse cake, but sounds like a fun challenge!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:43 am.
I didn’t like the taste of the fondant either, Sheridan. Collecting hobbies seems like a good idea, and a good way to find something you really enjoy doing.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:59 pm.
Suzie, snakes dont’ bother me, so I admire your works of art. My attempts at cake decorating haven’t always come out as desired, especially the roses. I did make gourmet cheesecakes once upon a time. I remember an Amaretto one that was quite delicious. I do make some pies although I’ve gotten away from making scratch crusts. I know that’s cheating, but I use my daughter’s kitchen and there just isn’t room with the two of us in there.
Although I would love to find a group for bridge, my babysitting duties wouldn’t allow me to play regularly. So reading and music are my two main hobbies now. I did finish a book that I hope to get published. It would no longer be a hobby. If I did get published, I couldn’t write reviews any more for RT.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:31 pm.
Ooh, gourmet cheesecakes, Donna? Mmm. Reading, writing, and music makes you kind of a Renaissance woman, doesn’t it? Awesome!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:01 pm.
Love your wolf cake! I enjoy baking a lot. Cooking as well. My family is pretty happy with my cookies, cakes, and I made cinnamon rolls at Christmas that were awesome (but so sweet!). I’ve had hits and misses with cooking but still enjoy trying new things. Book group is coming next week and I’m planning on trying out a new soup recipe and baking some rolls to go with it from scratch (with help of breadmaker). Do you have a breadmaking machine, Suzie? Bet you’d enjoy using that.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:33 pm.
I haven’t ventured into rolls or cookies yet, Christie – you’re way ahead of me!
If I had a breadmaker I think I’d look like Jabba the Hutt. *g*
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:02 pm.
Photography and gardening are my hobbies. There is nothing like a fresh off the vine tomato. I have to watch my 3 yr old granddaughter when she visits or she will strip all the cherry tomatos off the vine and eat them.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:57 pm.
Lol, Pamiam. I love both your hobbies!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:03 pm.
I’ve many different interestings, including cooking (I like to try new recipes, which I think drives my family nuts. They’ll like one, but then, I can’t remember where I got the recipe, and we’ll never have it, again.), some baking, making things look pretty, and of course, jewelry design and making it.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:26 pm.
You have way more talents than I do, Janae!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:32 pm.
But you write better books than I could ever write.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:29 pm.
Great job on the wolf cake, Suzanne! As you all know I manage a bakery for Walmart so cake decorating is a big part of my day job. In fact when I was in grad school about 30 years ago I made our grocery money decorating cakes for events on campus – football games, frat parties, etc. Some of those cakes were rather risque, but a girl has to eat!
My hobbies, when I am not writing (which isn’t often these days!) are quilting, cross-stitch, tatting, net darning and knitting. I also collect Regency research books, but that is more of a necessary obsession than a hobby!
You might want to check out cakecentral.com for some ideas on your snake striking a mouse cake.
If I got this request at work (after my decorators screamed “We’re going to do WHAT?”)I would find a photo depicting as close a depiction of this image as possible. I would then utilize at least four 8 or 10 inch cake layers stacked in a sort of spiral to simulate a coiled snake. You can buy plastic notched dowels at cake supply places (or at wilton’s website.) Those dowels can be inserted into all four layers to provide stability. You will also need to make liberal use of icing to “glue” those layers together. Then freeze the entire thing and once it is frozen use a sharping paring knife to carve out the middle and sculpt it into the coiled shape.
For the mouse I would use cupcakes. Making a cupcake “critter” mouse is easy using two cupcakes and again, lots of icing.
The toughest part is going to be the snake’s head. I would suggest using a smaller layer – perhaps a 4 inch layer. You might want to carve the head and neck out of the 4 inch layer, freeze it, then place it on the cake and dowel it down then ice the entire thing.
For the scale effect use a point tipped spatula (again you can get them from Wilton cake supply places)
That’s how we’d have to do it as we don’t have access to bundt cake pans at work.
Check out Cake Central’s site. They have other methods for creating this cake.
Good luck and post photos!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:32 pm.
Thank you, Louisa – I’m going to print this out for reference.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:34 pm.
You go girl! Hobbies are a great stress reliever. I am a “Craft Queen” as my friends have named me. I do them ALL. I’ve made “fisherman knit sweaters” while watching TV; “counted-cross-stitch” on just about everything (sweatshirts, daughter’s jumpers & socks…); embroidery; scrapbooking, candle making; seamstress; crocheted eyelash scarves; fabric painting… I love to craft and teach it to others who don’t think they have a creative bone in their body =)
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:48 pm.
Glittergirl, eyelashes have scarves? *g*
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:35 pm.
They were the “hairy” scarves that were all the rage a few years ago. They were quick and easy to knit if you knew what you were doing but not something to learn to knit on.
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 4:27 pm.
I have had a variety of hobbies over the years— needlework, knitting,sewing, gardening, cooking. Then one of them—writing—sort of took over my life so now I don’t think I have anything that qualifies. I think yours is great, and the cakes look really well done. For the snake striking, I think you need to work it out so only its head is raised off the cake’s top, or you will have big problems.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:00 pm.
Thanks, Madeline! I’m wondering if I can sculpt a log and then buy a plastic snake. *g*
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:36 pm.
I am really good at writing poetry, I started when I was 16 years old & pretty much haven’t stopped. I have to be in a certain state of mind & heart to do it, though, & it has to be really quiet so I can get into my zone. Even what I write on is special, “my purple poetry pad” & my purple pen. I love writing anything, it relaxes me. I have also been teaching religion for 33 years, being with the kids & sharing my love of God with them just does something to me that nothing else does. As far as baking goes, I can get into that, too, & I am actually pretty good at it. When I lived with my mom, I’d stay up until all hours of the night & into the morning doing it. I live in a small apartment now with a kitchen the size of a postage stamp, so I don’t really bake any more. I miss doing it.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:11 pm.
I admire anyone who can write poetry, Maria. I’m good at writing bad poetry, but that’s as far as it goes. *g*
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:37 pm.
I really excel at writing bad poetry. It’s my gift to the world.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:32 pm.
This has been interesting to read…. By the way, check out Cake Wrecks… and Bakerella…for some inspiration…
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 5:06 pm.
I’ll do that, CateS. Thanks!!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:37 pm.
My daughter and I bake and decorate.Yes we make from scratch but my daughter has food allergies so we no choice.For my bday on Sunday (23) she made a coca cola cake .It look like a ghost was pouring my coke on the cake.I was so surprise and it tasted great.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:53 pm.
Whoa, those are some really impressive cakes And yes, I’m including your wolf cake in there–you’re so artistic! I am not. If I ever tried to make a wolf cake, he would have three eyes and a crooked nose. And probably stuff oozing off to one side. So I am seriously impressed!
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:31 pm.
I like to cook but I generally don’t cook from scratch. I’m a Sandra Lee kind of cook. I enjoy piddling in my yard, decorating my home, and my favorite hobby is reading.
Good luck and continued enjoyment with your baking.
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:31 pm.
The cakes are beautiful, but my experience is that those types of cakes are not very tasty.
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 12:11 am.
I like making wreaths. I used to make some and sell them during little craft fairs when the kids were little and they needed people to fill the tables, but I haven’t done it in a while. I have been tempted to make homecoming mums the last few years. My daughter and I both worked in a floral department and made a lot of them. They take some time, but it’s very easy, and you can make a TON of money around homecoming doing it. I know that some of you may not have heard of it, but here in Texas, guys get their gals a homecoming mum to wear on homecoming day during football season. Usually the bigger and more obnoxious the better.
I remember my senior year, I got one from my mother, from the guy I went to the homecoming dance with, AND from a guy that had a crush on me ‘anonymously’–however, his dad, a Williamson county sheriff’s officer, brought in in to the office (where I just happened to be working as a volunteer), so I saw him and knew who it was from. Awkward…. 
Anyway, I also love to bake.
I made homemade lemon bars for Christmas they were SO good, and they were pretty easy too. I have already gotten requests for the recipe. 
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 11:51 am.