Hello everyone! **WAVES** Newbie here! I'm from Kansas, almost 31 and I have two little boys (ages 2 and 1) who LOVE sweets...but don't they all? Also, I'm currently on the road to trying to be Super MOM! I always wanted to be "that" mom that did those special things for their kids, you know..made them special cakes and stuff like that My mom never did do that kind of thing for me, so maybe that's why I'm so bad! **BLAME YOUR CHILDHOOD ON EVERY FLAW IF YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT**

BOY am I glad I found this forum! LOL IF anyone ever needed some tips and help that'd be me!! I'm totally new to this kind of thing, oh yeah..I've made your run of the mill cake from the box...but recently I decided that I wanted to make my son a Spiderman cake for his third birthday, he loves Spiderman, Batman...all that kind of stuff I bought his cake last year and was VERY disappointed with what I got, I paid 50 bucks and all I got was a white cake with a plastic Barney on top! And to add insult to it, it tasted awful...so I SWORE I'd learn to do this kind of thing...and I've always really wanted to do it anyway, but well... lack of confidence!

So I figure I have two months almost until my sons birthday and I need to practice.

Well I guess I should have started with an easier mold..but oh no, not me! I go for the 3-D ball...oh yeah.. first the cakes split on top, then one didn't release right and half the ball was left in the pan...I tried to repair..but that was just funny... I was making a basketball..so I had orange and black icing already made out to go on the cake... the darn thing was AWFUL looking! LOL SO I go to work with the icing..I do it like they say in the directions and put the icing in the middle and the top ball part on top... now I have something that resembles a HAMBURGER!

So this hamburger is also missing part of it's top, but it'll be okay I tell myself as I start "fixing" the problem areas. My stars that I was TRYING to do, ended up just looking funny, and the more I worked with it..the less it was looking like a basketball! If it hadn't have been so awful, so terribly awful, I might have cried instead of laughing! So...I get halfway done with it, and decide this looks NOTHING like a basketball, soooo I made eyes and a nose on it...used the black for eyebrows and then had everyone come look at this ugly cake.. and announced that I made a cake of my "MOM". Funny thing, it did remind me SO much of her, everyone saw the resemblence but her, she found no humor in it at all. BUT right after we all had our laugh, the half of the head I "fixed" fell off, THEN I had to say "Well mom it REALLy looks like you now, 1/2 it's mind is gone!" That really got everyone going! I guess I should have taken a picture of it...but I was so horridly disappointed by the result..I didn't expect it to be PROFESSIONAL, but not so bad either!! GOSH!

I'm trying my Batman emblem mold tomorrow....I'm PRAYING it comes out good...lol it can't be that bad...it's not 3-d... it can't be that bad...I'll keep telling myself that!! If I can't handle that...there is NO WAY Spidey will be around for the birthday..lucky for me I believe in backup plans...I have two just in case... plain sheetcake and a cool Spiderman topper I found, and/or cupcakes with the toppers I bought LOL I'm covered! But I really want to do the Wilton mold!

Okay, I ramble...SORRY!

Hi Puglife,
My mom did some pretty horrid looking cakes, but we didn't care because we were little and just so excited that it was our birthday! I think your son will love whatever version of Spiderman you end up making! Just enjoy it! And it's always good to keep laughing.
And just a hint, some of those Wilton pans, such as the ball, really need more than the "one mix" they tell you to use in order to get the shape you need (spherical rather than Big Mac)! So, use lots of non-stick cooking spray, probably one and a half mixes, bake it longer at 25 degrees less than usual, and it should all work out!

Tastycakes, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! You are so helpful, and I AM going to try that darn ball again someday...maybe in a month or ten! LOL!!

My mom rarely made a cake, so I am sure you are right, Odin already gets so excited over the little candies and stuff that I've been trying out lately as well! I could not resist buying him a Lifesaver Gummi maker, even though they taste horrid we had the BEST time making those "yummies" together, and he thought they were great! I promised his daddy we'd save some so he can do it with us when he gets home from Iraq in December Nothing like family time!

I really do think it's more important to ME than to the boys that the cake look good as well as taste good...but I'm really hoping he'll at least be able to TELL it's Spiderman LOL!!

Even if I DO NOT get that cake right before then...I WILL master that cake pan, oh yes...I will!!

BTW You all have made some BEATUFIUL cakes, I was looking at pictures and WOW! Just absolutely amazing! There are alot of very talented people here!

Hiya puglife.

I just started doing this in June, with my daughter's 2nd birthday cake (my avatar.) The first one I did overflowed and wouldn't come out of the pan. This was the day before the party, so I didn't have the luxury of making other arrangements so I washed it and tried again with 1/2 pound cake. Worked much better the second time, and now I'm hooked.

So hang in there. You can't expect to get it right the first time, especially with those dang 3-D pans that seem like they would be so easy! But if you really get frustrated, don't forget-you have an option besides yucky store cakes---you can probably find someone on this board close enough to you to make you a cake, or somebody in your town that does it out of their home!

Oh yeah,

Forgot to say - don't know what you used to grease the pan, but try either baker's joy or wilton cake release. They both work way better for me than crisco & flour.

Puglife,
However your cake turned out in the end, you did accomplish one thing. You had fun, despite the frsutration and you spent time with your family, even if it was just laughing. My family loves it when I "try" a new cake. They hope I mess up so they can eat it or "fix it" with frosting.

BTW the 1st ball cake I made was supposed to be a soft ball, by the time I was finished it looked like a bright yellow coaster. My suggestion. . . pound cake the denser the better and more batter than it calls for.

Whenever I can't get a cake right I think about what my mom would say when I was little. If something doesn't look right you can't give it away and you must destroy all evidence of you acctually making a mistake. The best way to do that in baking is to eat it.

Your story is really cute! You should have taken a picture of the funny cake!!!
traci

Yes--try pound cake for the batter. I've used Betty Crocker pound cake mix with good results. It holds up much better than regular cake mixes.

Gosh you guys are just DOLLS! I want to thank you ALL for taking your time and give me tips, I can use them all, and WILL!

It WAS fun, and I love it, even if I'm NOT good at it, I find it's a great way to spend time with my boys...even though they make it alot LONGER by stealing all my stuff and trying to put their hands in the cake! We spent all friday evening doing a batman cake..and it turned out MUCH better, and I'm getting practice...that's what I need!

It may have taken 5 hours to do this cake, but it was SO worth it! AND it made the night go faster for me...fridays and saturdays are the worst for me right now with hubby in Iraq, but this sure does make time fly!! The boys just loved it! AND I TOOK PICS this time...you can see I've got alot of work to do, but I'm SO proud of myself..I had to show my whole family

alimonkey - you have some really great cakes, I had to look at your photos! Thank goodness I didn't have a party the next day...I guess I'd have tried it again, but gosh..lol it'd still have been ugly! LOL

HollyPJ, thanks, I'll try the pound cake next time for sure!!

Traci, I wish I had taken a pic of my 'mom' cake..it really was funny, you guys would have prob laughed til you cried over it! I had a good time though, and it was definately a learning experience!

Okay, here's my second "real" cake, now I got to baking it and realized I didn't pick up anything to put the cake ON after i had it done..so I just taped two mailing boxes together and put some aluminum paper and then waxed on top and used that LOL But here's my proud moment in history!

Puglife,
I think it turned out EXCELLENT!!!! That is too funny about the basketball story... hee hee, but you were a good sport and made the most of it (at your mom's expense...LOL) Since we didn't see the first one, we REALLY don't know if it was as bad as you said(we all tend to be way too critical on ourselves), but this cake is great!!! WAY TO GO!!!! Your boys are probably so proud of their mommy!!!

Keep up the good work! Nice to meet you!
Leslie

If this happens to post again, it is because I originally left off the g in your name. I had to correct it, I guess I am anal that way. LOL ha ha

*G* Thanks Leslie! I'm VERY proud! LOL I was strutting around the house like I had created a masterpiece...but to me it IS! I know it's not as professional as some, but the fun I had was what made it so great, and seeing my sons face...he didn't see ANY of the flaws, just thought it was awesome! Which he told me it was awesome SO that made it just the best!

Kelly your cake is beautiful. You have every right to be proud. I still feel that way when I have worked really hard on a cake and it is finally done.

I think you did a FANTASTIC job, especially with small hands in the way! You should be very proud of that cake. All it takes is one good one to set you on your way!

Ali

Thanks guys!! Be careful, my head might swell, then someone will have to pop it to get me off the ceiling LOL!