It started with the cake. For her little sissy's 2nd birthday, Selby thought we should have red velvet birthday cake. So I set out to find a recipe for an all-natural, red-dye-free red velvet cake. To me, the alternatives to Red #40 were grim - they involved using some form of beets or spending an unnatural amount on an all-natural food coloring. In the end, I gave in completely and bought a Duncan Hines box cake, full of red dye, hydrogenated oils and lots of sugar. Oh, the shame!
So, I distracted myself - and everyone else - from the cake's origins with fancy decorating. Fairies are BIG around my nest these days, so a fairy ring seemed perfect. A little icing, green sprinkles and a ring of Choco Boy chocolate mushrooms (from our local Oriental Market) did the trick. Plus, a fairy of course.
My little fairy was enchanted. (Fair warning, if you make a fairy ring cake, be sure to buy two boxes of chocolate mushrooms as they tend to magically disappear from the cake!)
The red velvet didn't stop with the cake. Selby & I found this sweet little red fairy costume at a local children's consignment shop for $1.99... the smile says it all!
*Note: The sugar and red food coloring appeared to have no effect on the three kiddos who ate it until hands and mouths were bright red! A confirmation that no child should have to eat beet cake on their birthday!
6 comments:
OH HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Love the cake. As we have said before, it's all about balance. I'm sure you made the cake with organic milk! Ha!
And those mushrooms have me positively swooning! I HAVE to get some of those. Please tell me where.
The fairy dress is adorable and so is your girl! They're not babies anymore!!!
so cute. the cake AND the girl.
Happy Birthday :) That cake looks great! My daughter has that same little red fairy dress ... so cute!
OH MY WORD! TWO YEARS OLD!!! Such a big girl, now. She is so beautiful, too, just like her sis and momma. Love the cake. The first thing I thought when I saw it are, "what are those? real mushrooms? she wouldn't!" They are so real looking.
your cake and your little fairy are adorable, absolutely adorable. two is the cutest age.
guess what, liz? would you believe that beets don't taste like beets in a cake like this? after hating beets and borscht growing up, i tried a chocolate beet cake that my friend swore by in northern cali. it was incredible. rich and chocolatey and perfect. think that smitten kitchen (?) has a recipe for a red velvet made with beets. try it for next time?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Love the mushrooms. I'm going to have to find me some of those. :)
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