Baby Sprinkle!

Last weekend, I attended my first ever Baby Sprinkle. Intended to be a low key get-together to sprinkle our friend and mum-to-be (rather than shower, soak, or saturate) with love and baby things for her and her baby boy due in less than two weeks, the play group mums joined together and organised this occasion for her.

And it was a really fun night!

There was so much food, there were so many presents, there were games, challenges, and an advice book to write in and give to the mum-to-be. I think my "advice" was more a reminder for myself!

And, there was not just one... But two kinds of cake! A nappy cake, and the cake this post is about.

During the organising of the Sprinkle, I was asked if I might be able to make a cake. Of course I could! As I looked through various designs, you know "researching", I came across one that I thought was really cute, and that I might be able to manage - the one with a baby's bottom and feet poking out of a blanket... I'm sure you've seen one before.

The feet and toes were made out of fondant. I'd shaped the feet like giant jelly beans, and included creases in the middle, much like the cake I was referencing had.

Though I had seen things like this made out of a Rice Bubbles mixture (and covered in a thin layer of fondant), I didn't mind shaping these parts with just fondant. Sure, it meant a lot of sugar in one bite, but at the time I felt it was the least stressful option!

The cakes were chocolate, and covered in white fondant. A round one for the bottom tier, and a rounded cake (made in the same giant mug used for this dinosaur cake), for the baby's bottom.

The legs I was unsure of, so I made them out of fondant as well, and curled them around each side of the top tier, roughly making sure that there would still be enough room for the feet.

The teeny tiny toes were attached one at a time, and the giant jelly beans suddenly looked like feet. The big ones needing to be held up/on by cling wrap.

Around the base of the cake I stuck a light blue ribbon. Initially, I wanted to add a bow (and started making the parts for it), but they didn't turn out so well, so it was a plain ribbon without a bow, and I was okay with that! In fact, one of my pieces of "advice" that I wrote in the book was a quote from my father in law:

"You can save on time, money, and stress; but never on all three."

I certainly saved on time and stress deciding not to make the bow.

As well as the blue ribbon, I had some light green/teal fondant (leftover from the Tiffany's cake) that I cut some stars out of. The cake I kept referring to had polka dots on it, and I at least wanted to do something different! So stars it was.

No matter how hard I looked on Google, though, I couldn't find anyone else posting the horrible backs of their baby bottom cakes! I had no idea what it needed to look like. But, since I messed up my measurements with the initial layer of white fondant, I decided that the baby blanket would be much bigger than it probably should be, and would drape down the back of the cake, covering all evidence of me screwing it up...

But for your own reference (and proof that I make mistakes on cakes, too), this is the back.
<insert deeply saddened pouty face>

The 'blanket' was basically a giant semi circle of the same colour I'd used around the base of the cake. I put a few brushes of water onto the baby bottom, and just... draped it over! For 30 seconds (because you really don't have a lot of time before it starts tearing or setting), I made sure that the blanket was wavy, covered where it needed to, and looked presentable.

A few more stars later, and it was done!

As I looked at this creation, I'm pretty sure this cake could be used for a serious SIDS awareness campaign. The baby is face down, trapped under a blanket, with the feet sticking out. And where is the baby's head? Is he looking for his dummy and has half fallen out of his little cot trying to reach his beloved pacifier?

On a more positive note, I liked that the light green/teal fondant stars (especially on the 'blanket') looked like they could glow in the dark :)

By the end of the night, the mum-to-be may have felt a little saturated, but it is only because she is our friend and we love her... And because most of us are done on the baby-making front, so now we get to buy baby things for someone else, which is exciting!

And since I mentioned it, here's a photo of the main table setup at the Baby Sprinkle, featuring two kinds of cake - a nappy cake, and the cake this post was about :)

Wishing you the very best, Talia!