Castle Cake, Take 2

No, I didn't make two castle cakes. Well, not in the same year. I asked Isabella what she wanted for her cake and she was adamant, "I want a castle cake". I tried and tried to convince her to do something else. Last year, we did a castle cake and this year we did a castle cake. Guess what! She wants to do a castle cake for next year. But, I have a plan. I don't think it's so much the castle, as it is all the candies that we decorate with. I'm going to come up with something else that can have just as much adornment. Otherwise, I think it will be time for a two-tiered castle...

I've started a tradition with my girls purely by accident. Both girls love to cook and I knew it would be more special if they got to help. You see, I'm what my cousin Beth would call a kitchen hog. Even more special, is the chance to cook with mom and not have to share with siblings. So, last year Isabella got to help decorate her own cake with no sibling interference. She was thrilled to get another go at it this year.

We baked the cake together Thursday after school. It cooled and was stored until we had time to decorate it. Friday was her birthday and it came and went faster than I imagined. Once the kids were in bed, I endeavored to make marshmallow fondant. I had been to a kid party and was served a wonderfully moist cake with a delicious fondant. I have always like the way fondant looks but the taste always left something to be desired. Which is why I was so excited to try this recipe. All the pretty tidiness of fondant and it tastes good! The process went smoothly, although I think I will try to incorporate less sugar next time. I dirty iced the cake and covered it with a thin layer of fondant so that it would be ready for Isabella the next morning.

So right after breakfast today, we got to sit down and decorate. Up went the cookie fortress walls, sugar cone turrets, wafer cookie draw bridge and sour strip flags. Perfectionist me took over 3/4 of the way, but I improved over last year. The cake looked great and is almost half gone, so it must not be too terrible, right? Pictures to come.