I love cake. Anything but coffee cake, that is. I used to love baking cakes and biscuits for my students, which took up less time than you’d think, because I had my beloved KitchenAid, but sadly, after I became pregnant, all baking ceased. The space occupied proudly by my KitchenAid on our kitchen counter was cleared and taken over by… the steriliser. Sad, right?
What’s that got to do with Noah’s birthday cake? Well, I just wanted to make sure you understood why a cake that the birthday boy won’t even get to eat, is so important. I briefly toyed with the idea of baking his cake myself, but because I haven’t baked in ages, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Plus, I don’t know how to decorate cakes, apart from throwing some chocolate sprinkles on top of them. My KitchenAid will just have to remain in storage for a while longer!
Since we really enjoy Sandra Boynton’s books, I thought it would be nice if Noah’s birthday cake could feature some of the characters, in particular, Little Pookie. I’m not a huge fan of fondant, so a simple cake with a few of the animals would be good enough. Plus, Noah probably won’t know what’s going on, nor will he remember it, so I’ll save the fancy cakes for when he’s older. For this party, we just want a cake that the adults will enjoy, though it won’t hurt if it’s cute.
I’ve compiled a list of bakers and cake shops, but please do share your contacts with me if you have more good recommendations!
1. Pine Garden’s Cake – Believe it or not, we actually have never tried Pine Garden’s Cake before, even though we’ve heard a lot about them. The cakes are pretty affordable, and a mummy told me that their Lychee Martini is delicious. Unfortunately, because their cakes are usually made with fresh cream, they probably won’t last very long, so we’ll be giving them a miss this time round. I don’t mind trying their cakes out for a simple home celebration though!
2. Bee’s Cakes – My godsis is a personal friend of Bee, and has been ordering cakes, ice-cream, and biscuits from her for as long as I can remember. I ordered her carrot cake previously for Noah’s first month celebration, and many of my friends loved it. She does simple cakes such as vanilla and chocolate, and I remember her mango cake to be pretty good as well. Recently, I tried her durian cake, for my god-nephew’s birthday, which was filled with real durian pulp, but I think her carrot cake is still the best among the other flavours that I’ve listed. However, she is unable to do copyrighted characters, so if we do go with her, we’ll be getting generic animals instead of those from Little Pookie. Also, her prices have gone up slightly, and are almost as costly as the others I’ve listed.
3. Sweety Endings – Debbie came recommended by my friend, MotherKao, who ordered her daughter’s cake from her previously. Unfortunately, she is unavailable for Noah’s party, as she is also celebrating her son’s birthday on the same day. Her cakes look really lovely, and I’d like to try them out for another occasion.
4. Queen Bee – Christina was also recommended by Motherkao, and she made a very interesting volcano cake for MotherKao’s eldest. She’s apparently very popular, as by the time I had contacted her, she was fully booked for that day! Gosh, who knew you’d have to order cakes more than two months in advance, huh?
5. Celebrate with Cake – Missustay recommended Veronica to us, and I must say I was very impressed with the cake she made for the little one’s second birthday party. The main thing holding me back is the rather hefty price tag! I still haven’t decided if it’s really such a good idea to spend so much on a cake, as I think the money can be better spent.
6. Lea Vanilla Rosettes – Lucille was also recommended by two mummies, and her cakes also look very pretty. You can take a look at what she made for SuperMommy and AmazinglyStill. They don’t come cheap as well, but as I haven’t received a quote from her yet, I can’t really compare it with Celebrate with Cake at the moment.
7. Little House of Dreams – This is actually my secondary school friend’s business, and we popped by her shop at Central to purchase some cupcakes just now. The cakes tasted quite similar, and the main difference was the icing on top. Having said that, they were pretty yummy, so if you’re uncomfortable ordering a cake that you haven’t actually tried before, you can go down to the shop to grab a few cupcakes, and see if you like them. Currently, they only do round cakes, so it’ll probably be more expensive than the prices quoted, if I do want the cake to be shaped in the number one.
8. Red Carousel – Another mummy recommended them to us, and I love the little fondant animals that she has created. Her quote is slightly less than Celebrate with Cake’s, if we go with just fondant figurines and buttercream icing. However, she did say that I should go with fondant on top of the cake still, as the icing may not survive the duration of the party.
9. The Fabulous Baker Boy – We had lunch there some time back and loved the Red Velvet Cake so much that we’re thinking of ordering it for the party. I’ve emailed them for a quote, and hopefully, it won’t be too expensive!
10. Butter Queen – I chanced upon a photo of a customised cake by Butter Queen, and asked for the contact. They’ve got good comments on their FB wall, so I thought I’d contact them for a quote. Prices are similar to Red Carousel’s, and the quote came with a few suggestions on the design of the cake.
When we went to Eat Play Love Cafe to place our deposit for the party, we were told that the butter cream cakes, which their customers have brought in for parties, all held up very well, and didn’t melt, so we might still go for a butter cream cake with fondant figurines only. Waiting for all the quotes to come in before we make our decision! C thinks the cake shouldn’t be too elaborate, as Noah won’t remember it, so I guess price will be our main deciding factor for this.
I think this concludes my ‘birthday party planning’ series for Noah, although I still haven’t selected the balloon supplier or cake yet. I hope the little boy appreciates the effort I’ve put into his first birthday party!
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