One Frosting.Two Cakes.Three Babies.
It’s spring and the little robins in my backyard are hatching out of their sky-blue eggs. We find little pieces of shell on the lawn. Talk about natures’ porcelain.
Three of my sister-in-laws are also about to hatch some babies!
We are eagerly awaiting the arrivals of one girl, a one boy and a surprise in June. My boys are finally going to have some cousins on their father’s side and Baby Mateo, now a chubby-cheeked and smiling 10 lb bundle, is going to have some competition for the cuteness factor.
The girls are all due the same week in June-you’d almost think they got together and planned it eight months ago! (Hmmm, there was that family wedding back in late September…)
Anyway! Babies on the way means back-to-back baby showers and I managed to set aside the mountains of laundry for a while and put together two cakes for the events.
The first was a Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake (boy) for a mama who loves lemon. I sketched the little umbrella lady by hand and then cut her out of marzipan. She is hand painted using food coloring and totally edible. The cake is a basic white cake and layered with lemon curd and a fantastic lemon mascarpone frosting. (See the bottom of the post for the recipe for the frosting)
I wanted poke-a-dots on the cake and as time was an issue (nothing like a crying baby to hasten one along!) I just used candies called Rockets and pressed them into the frosting. Since they are all pastel colors, they worked quite well for a baby cake.
For the second cake, unfortunately I was even more pressed for time; however, I put my Rockets to good use again. My MIL made a white cake and I decorated it with Strawberry
Buttercream ( that’s right, this one is the girl) and another pregnant lady out of rolled marzipan.
I have to credit the talented Melody of My Sweet and Saucy for the stencil template of the pregnant lady silhouette. To get the template for yourself or see her totally amazing baby shower cake, check out this post. This is the girl who should be doing your cakes, ladies, not me!
No recipe for this one…my strawberry buttercream separated ever-so-slightly (darn Martha!) so I wasn’t to happy with it. It was all smooth and sexy until I added the pureed jam…
However, here is a recipe you must try out soon. Don’t wait for an event like a new baby–this lemon mascarpone frosting would make a killer icing for cupcakes for any sort of occasion.
Lemon Mascarpone Frosting
2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
24 oz mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 cups lemon curd
Beat whipping cream and sugar in a large bowl until peaks form.
Add mascarpone to lemon curd in a medium bowl; whisk until blended.
Fold whipped cream into lemon-mascarpone mixture and gently mix until combined.
Covers and fills a 9 inch layer cake.
P.S. OK, since this post is all about babies…
…here’s Mateo at 2 months old. I’m hoping he will be less picky than his brother and hopefully a foodie since his shirt says “I’d rather be eating foie gras at Toque!.” One can always hope.
P.S.2 On another personal note…Laura, you are far away and the third sister-in-law about to give birth. I love you and miss you and would give anything to make your baby shower cake…xxoo.
Oh my dear, those cakes completely touched me. How beautiful they are! So much fun to have such a big family with babies everywhere.
And Mateo is just a cutie, isn’t he?
Mateo is beautiful and so are your cakes!
Wow…I would’ve loved to have cakes like those at my shower. They are stunning…and sound delightful. Mateo is a doll…love that shirt 🙂
very impressive! first and foremost (because i’m addicted to sugar), i love the thick layers of frosting. i’m also really loving the marzipan cutouts! i’ve never seen anything like that, nicely done!
You may have a foodie in the family yet..we never know what path our children will take in life…it is part of the adventure. Even though you are no longer in the food industry (for now) your passion shines through..GREAT CAKES which I am sure were appreciated and loved by your entire family:D
You are an artist Aimée, those cakes are gorgeous! Your Sisters-in-Law are lucky to have you! And that little bundle of yours is so cute, he’s got such beautiful eyes!
Hi recipegirl- Thanks!Big families ARE a lot of fun.
Hi Marie- Thanks, you are so kind!
Hi cowgirl- Merci, merci. My SIL made that shirt of up for me, isn’t it cute?
Hi Grace- The marzipan is so easy, it’s rally the lazy way out!
Hi Valli- You are so right! I’m sure my parents never imagined me as a chef…more like an artist!
Hi Lyb- Thank you! Mateo has deep blue eyes like me, but has his father’s sparkle.
The cake looks super fantastic. I wish I could bake like that.
I am so glad that you tried out the silhouette! Your cakes turned out fantastic!
Proud owner of the lemon cake here!!! It was soooooo good! Very beautiful too! Aimee, you are truly a master!
Thank you for making it an extra special day!!
Lemon Marscarpone Icing?! Are you kidding me? Yum. And the cakes are super-cute.
The cakes are so cute! I have two baby showers in June and can’t wait to see what I get!
And Mateo is a DOLL. I can’t wait to hold my own little boy in a couple of months!
I tried this out for a Mother’s Day supper, and it was a big hit. I loved the tang of the lemon, and the lightness of the cream. Definitely one I will make again, thanks for the recipe!
Helloooooo! Hope you’re all well.
What a cutie Mateo is, he and Noah are going to be taking the town by storm.
Amazing all your sister in laws are due at the same time and I love those cakes. The first one is my favourite, the lemon mascarpone icing sounds fantastic. I made a lemon birthday cake last weekend and had run out of various things so I cobbled together the filling using a small carton of custard, a little butter, icing sugar, then the juice and zest of a lemon. It curdled a little but tasted great.
Oh that cutie pie Mateo! He is getting so big so fast! Thank you for sharing a photo with us!!!!
Aimee, those cakes…not sure how to comment, they are fantastic! You are so talented! Lucky are the ladies who got to share those gems!
Beautiful cakes, Aimee! And LOVE Mateo’s shirt. Lol.
What mother-to-be wouldn’t melt to receive such a beautiful cake for a shower? Gorgeous!
Hi Chef Erik- Thanks so much!
Hi 24- It was a super cute design, I couldn’t not do it!
Hi Melanie- AW, thanks, sis. So glad you liked it.
Hi toni- I know. Mascarpone anything, and I am so there!
Hi abby- I’m so excited for you! Little boys are the best!! Happy baby shower.
Hi Michelle- Cool! So glad you liked it!!
Hi Amanda- Sounds like a great improvisation there, girl!
Hi Deb- that one was just for you..
Hi Tammy- Yea, it’s right up my alley.
Hi Lynn- You’re too kind, thank you.
lovely cakes :). ooh, how I wish my cakes came out that pretty!
Ohhh! BABY! CUTE!
The cakes are so beautiful. I envy your skills, girl.