Addy's Fairy Birthday Cake

A couple weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be home for my niece, Addy's 3rd birthday. Last year I was so excited to make her "Backson" cake, inspired from her then toddler trending hit Winnie the Pooh movie. I asked my brother, Jeffrey, and sister-in-law, Patricia, if I could have the honor of making Addy's cake again this year. Lucky for me, they said yes! Kids change a lot in a year, and now Addy has moved on to her "girly" stage and developed a love of fairies. An obsession which grew out of Disney's Tinker Bell movie series. I had never heard of these fine films and quickly felt totally out of the loop and way behind the times! 

After we arrived in California, Addy made Aaron and I sit and watch a couple of these Tinker Bell movies (which I won't pretend I didn't legitimately enjoy), where I learned all the inner workings of this magical fairy world, and helped give me more inspiration for her cake. I got quizzed later on all of the fairy names in the movie and failed miserably... "No Uncle, this fairy's name is Iridessa, not Silvermist!" You can't blame me for trying.

I really can't take that much credit for creating the cake, as it was all Addy's idea. A few months ago (yes, her cake planning began MONTHS ago), she called to inform her Uncle that she had decided on several colors for her cake. She also had some delicious sounding ideas for what type of cake she wanted. First there was the strawberry lemonade cake with a cherry on top, and then it moved on to the chocolate cake with raspberry filling, and finally she settled on a chocolate cake with butter cream frosting. Pretty sophisticated for a 3 year old, right? I was also informed that I would need to dress up as the dreamy boy fairy, Terence, at the party (alas, there weren't enough fairy wings to go around, so I was off the hook!) 

Her party was so much fun, even for adults! Trish, and her mom, Patty, made a beautiful ribbon Happy Birthday banner to hang as decoration. Trish also hung wands and wings by the door, so when each of Addy's friends arrived, they could choose which kind of fairy they wanted be. There was a big jar of homemade strawberry lemonade and all sorts of delicious treats and goodies, with pixie dust no less! My brother, Aaron and I snuck off to the park by their apartment, and hung a pinata to surprise Addy. Before we knew it, little fairies arrived one by one at the park. Addy was much too gentle to hit the pinata, and opted for a delicate pat. The bigger kids took care of it, and soon there was candy to be had for all!

This year, I was so excited to get to make a pretty cake with roses and mushrooms. I dyed the the vanilla butter cream frosting a variety of colors to create the flora and fauna. I made the mushrooms from meringue, which I piped into mushroom shapes and dried out in the oven. I used the same recipe as for the Buche de noel cake I did a couple years back, only  dyed the caps red and dotted them with white frosting. I think the fairies (provided by mom and dad) added the perfect touch. I was a little too busy this year to snap some step-by-step photos, and write down the exact recipe I used, but I thought I'd share the pictures none the less. Hopefully it will provide some ideas to anyone in need of fairy-inspired cakes. 

Once we got back to New York, my brother and Trish called to say that Addy had one criticism for the cake. I forgot the cherry on top! Well, it will just have to wait until next year, and I can't wait! Happy 3rd Birthday Addy!