After an abysmal start to GFCF cake I had to try again-- my daughter's birthday was right around the corner. As I learned from previous years- She would have more input on her cake this year- the latest trend-- "Littlest Pet Shop" seemed to be the theme of the moment. I did not even know what these small, bizarre little toys were. But she was passionately describing her cake- littlest pet shop in a carriage with horses and princesses. Okay- let's rain her in-- one theme. Littlest Pet Shops. But I still had no clue what they were-- thank you google. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into . They are a bizarre combination of small bobble head and Japanese anime all wrapped up in a children's toy. Parents--think lots of small parts. Just what we needed.
My daughter wanted to be involved at every step. She help mix the cakes. The frosting was a family affair-- I learned from the Ding Dong cake - it had to be stiffer-- she wanted chocolate again. My husband served a the taste tester for the non-GFCF crowd-- the frosting passed both tests. The best feeling was being in the kitchen with my daughter and have her be able to lick the frosting bowl-- she had the biggest smile on her face-- it brought back memories of being in the kitchen with my mom.
I surrendered to power of the pet shops and being a working mom-- after very tense negotiations with my daughter-- they could have rivaled the Geneva convention-- on which pet shop animals she wanted on the cake-- she could not pick one. So I surrendered to the Costco multi-pack. 34 animals. No sculpting. It is so liberating to recognize your limitations and be totally okay with it.
