Cake Makin' 101

Okay, so I'm not a big cake maker. Sure, I love cooking and baking and anything that involves making something amazing...but I thought, "Hey, it can't be THAT hard, can it?" HA. I'm the kind of person that does not like being told they are incapable of doing something...don't know why, but that's beside the point. I LOVE a challenge and will gladly accept it. So a little San DiegoTemple cake seemed do-able, right?

If you do not know, this is what the San Diego Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints looks like: ------------------------------------>

And no, it is not a castle. We believe that it is the sacred House of God, just as in Biblical times. You can learn more about it here  if you are interested! :) This would be the template for out soon to be beeauutiful cake, and boy was I eggg-sited!

Sooo, about the cake! For Girl's Camp this upcoming week, each ward is required to have their own special cake for a lil' surprise partay while we are there! I was SOO excited, one because I love little projects and two because I have been absolutely dying to try my hand at cake decorating and making. We began yesterday (July 17th) around 5 or 6 in the afternoon. Everything began well...after all, making a cake out of the box is pretty dang simple. A few hours and 5 boxes later, we got through our brick making process. That, my friends, is when the going got...t o u g h.

Let me tell you, I believe we made every possible mistake that could ever be made while making a ginormous, crazy cake for the first time, using only online tips and info from The Cake Boss. Recipes were nearly ruined, (multiple) ingredients were forgotten, floors and counter tops were temporarily destroyed, bricks came out too small, fondant cracked, was put away overnight incorrectly, only to be found as hard as a bludgeon in the morning, multiple car trips were made to find the missing ingredients...but the highs were far better than the lows. We rocked out to the MoTabs, Mr. Archuleta, and Sister Jenny Phillips. We danced far too crazily, sang far too loud and off-key, and put off showers beyond what should be legal (oops, did I say that out loud? ;). We had some bi-polar feelings towards that cake...Ecstatic one second and angry the next. It tested our patience, drove us bonkers, and grew our friendships even more. These are the crazy ladies I am so proud to call my accomplices:  

Aren't we just lovely? :) We had to make an ER visit to Michael's because after 12 hours our poor cake was on the verge of self-destruction, or something. With our newly purchased cake glitter (YES, they seriously make it!) we were able to cast a magical spell that saved us all. The whole experience was a crazy learning experience, and a great one at that. Every time we stumbled and fell over some new mistake, together we found a way to overcome it. Sure, it looks like our cake was made by a 5 year old, in the words of darling Samantha, but that's not what matters. We had a great time (I did at least!), and learned lots. I love those gals and am grateful for them in my life, for their examples to me and their crazy personalities that make me so happy. :)

Oh , so you want to see the cake?

Here it is, in all it's glory....

I won't say the adjectives we used to describe it, only because they're a tad silly...:) I love to see the temple! It truly does bring so much peace into my soul and happiness into my heart! I don't mean the cake, der, but the actual place. Such an amazing, amazing place.

:D

keep on smiling!

love,

emily

Oh yes, here's one for the road....Just for you Ethel!