My 1st Baby Shower Cake

I just want to say that I'm so blessed to have the opportunities to make yummy sweets for my family and friends, and people who were referred to me. I get the opportunity to experiment, and create delicious things and although it can be challenging, being able to gain the experience is so rewarding. 

This past week I got to chance to make a baby shower cake, cupcakes and cake pops for a mother to be. The Mom to Be's sister really wanted to do something special, but I only had a week to get it together,  so I let the client choose between four different style of cakes that I confidently knew I could create in time and here is what we came up with! 

I made two dozen strawberry shortcake cupcakes with mock whip cream topping and gum paste decorative topper. They were very time consuming, and tedious but so worth it. I fortunately had the help of my "baking assistant" Jasmine. She's a high school student that I mentor through Young Life and she has taken interest in baking. So every now and then, when she has time, she helps me out tremendously.

This was originally what I had planned to go on top of the six inch, three layered Strawberry Shortcake cake. I got the idea from a fantastic tutorial from My Cake School.  Doesn't she look so cute?! I hadn't planned on her to lean to the side so much, but sometimes mistakes make the perfect result...well actually this is not one of those times. For some reason the top half of my girl would not adhere to the bottom half. Both were pretty firm. I didn't have time to make another, so I improvised. 

I took away the legs and just made her have a dress. I think she still looks really cute, but I want to try this topper again including the legs. I know I can make it work. Next to her, I put an ice cream jar, pickle jar and baby books. Something I also got from My Cake School. 

Here is mommy to be, being silly next to the cake.
I also made the cupcake stand, and it was supper easy to make. Tutorial on that soon. 

So, notice the cupcake toppers are slowly sliding off the cupcakes in this picture?  Not happy with that. Apparently, gum paste toppers, once hard, can't withstand being in the refrigerator or whipped cream. The toppers totally got soft again, bled and were trying to slide off the cupcakes! I've decorated with toppers before using buttercream and putting them in the fridge and I didn't have a problem with it. So,  I'm lead to believe it was the whipped cream .Oh well, I'll now for next time. 

Overall I'm extremely pleased with the results and I hope to have the opportunity to do a baby shower again. Maybe my own one day...hee hee.