You know that saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”? Well, I’ve got news for you—it’s nonsense! You’re never too old to learn a new skill, and boy, do I have a story to prove it. If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be whipping up professional-looking cakes, I’d have chuckled and pointed you to the nearest bakery. Sure, I know my way around the kitchen, but fondant icing?! That is a whole new territory. But here we are. Let me tell you how I went from making decent dinners to baking a baby shower masterpiece cake. Spoiler alert: it involved a lot of flour, a few tears, and more YouTube tutorials than I’d like to admit. So grab a cuppa, sit back, and prepare for a sweet tale of unexpected talents and delicious discoveries.

Before coming to the UK, I was unfamiliar with the concept of baby showers, so I sought more information. If you also want to know more, here’s what I found on Wikipedia.

Baby shower cake

So, how did I end up making a baby shower cake? It’s a simple yet intriguing story: I was organizing a baby shower for my daughter-in-law, a talented amateur cake decorator. It was clear that she couldn’t make the cake herself. After all, the baby shower cake should be a surprise. It’s a delightful centrepiece at any baby shower celebration, often accompanied by fun traditions. Curious? Here are a few:

1. Symbol of Sweet Beginnings: The baby shower cake is more than just a dessert; it’s a symbol of the sweet new beginnings that come with the arrival of a baby. It’s the sugary highlight of the party, representing the joy and excitement of welcoming a new little one into the world. It’s a sentiment that’s hard to put into words, but the cake does it beautifully, filling the air with happiness and celebration.
2. Creative Themes: Baby shower cakes can be incredibly creative, often featuring themes related to baby items such as onesies, pacifiers, baby blocks, or adorable animals. These cakes serve as a canvas for imagination, each unique and inspiring. Some cakes reveal the baby’s gender with coloured cake layers inside – blue for boys, pink for girls, and sometimes even a surprise colour for twins!
3. Centrepiece Attraction: The cake is not just a dessert but also a significant part of the decoration. It is usually placed in a prominent spot at the shower, becoming a central focus for photos. Guests often gather around the cake to admire its design before it gets sliced.
4. Diaper Cake: Don’t get confused if someone mentions a ‘diaper cake’. It’s not for eating! A diaper cake is a clever and decorative gift made of rolled-up diapers arranged to look like a tiered cake. It’s both practical and adorable.

How did I end up making my first fondant-covered cake?

So, a few years ago, we were all still living in the UK, and I offered to organize the baby shower in our garden.

The parents-to-be didn’t want to know the baby’s gender, so they requested a cake with pink and blue colours. I made a six-layer cake with vanilla, pink, and blue sponge. For decoration, I planned to use white fondant icing and blue and pink shoes on the top. It seemed easy.

Everything was meticulously planned out. The kitchen was full of sweet goodies, from three-coloured sliced sponges and cooked double cream icing to whipped butter and sugar for the fondant base. Everything looked good, and the cake was ready to rest in the fridge for 12 hours.

And then came the dreaded fondant. I had watched all the tutorials and felt prepared, or so I thought. It turned out that my wooden rolling pin was about as useful as a chocolate teapot; it was sticky and way too narrow for the job. Panic set in, but I wasn’t about to let something like this ruin my “masterpiece”.

I was searching the house for a suitable substitute when I spotted a brand-new waste pipe still wrapped up from a recent bathroom renovation. I’m not sure how I came up with the idea of using a plumbing pipe for baking, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures, right? With a quick wash and a silent prayer, the waste pipe turned into the largest rolling pin the kitchen had ever seen.

Who would think that a waste pipe would save a cake? It was, until now, my secret, haha.

Disaster struck

So, I was rolling out my fondant like a seasoned pastry wizard, convinced I’d finally mastered the dark art of cake decorating. The fondant was perfect, smooth as silk, ready to hug the cake like a cosy blanket. But just as I was about to achieve fondant nirvana, disaster struck! Tiny cracks appeared out of nowhere, turning my masterpiece into a fondant jigsaw puzzle. I was heartbroken. Tears streaming down my face, I somehow managed to smooth it out—the fondant, not my tears. My mind was racing with a thousand quick-fix ideas. Flowers? Confetti? Paper butterflies? All flashed through my mind, but I was determined to keep it simple, not turn it into a cake-shaped carnival ride.

Thankfully, I had bought the whole set of fondant colours. After some online searching, I made blue and pink fondant, rolled it out, and cut out a few hearts. The cake was saved.

The cake was ready, and I could proceed with the rest of the baby shower decorations. Although my first cake was a success, I promised myself I would never make a fondant-covered cake again!

Yet, I made another baby shower cake

So get this: I, the friendly neighbourhood baker in Dubai, took on the massive challenge of creating a baby shower cake once again! The cake was going to be my masterpiece, the Mona Lisa of cakes, if you will. The excitement of the challenge was real, as the cake was for a double baby shower for my friend’s daughters. I had never made a cake for anyone other than my family before, so it was a new experience for me to have strangers at the party see my creation.

This time, there were dark and light layers of sponge cake with fluffy and light mascarpone cream frosting in rich vanilla and chocolate flavours. I could almost taste the sweetness of the jam that would serve as the base for the frosting and the burst of fruity freshness from the berries. Everything looked good, and after 12 hours, the cake was ready for the fondant icing.

The dreaded fondant, yet again. However, I had a proper silicon rolling pin and silicon pad this time.

Here we go again: rescue action

So, there I was, rolling out my fondant like a seasoned pastry wizard, convinced I’d finally mastered the dark art of cake decorating. The fondant was perfect, smooth as silk, ready to hug the cake like a cosy blanket. But just as I was about to achieve fondant nirvana, disaster struck! Tiny cracks appeared out of nowhere… Sounds familiar?

But I wasn’t flying solo this time and was ready for battle. No tears over spilt milk (or ripped fondant) here! Embracing the chaos, I grabbed my trusty cookie cutters. That tear? It was now a canvas for creativity. My friend joined in, and soon, we were laughing and brainstorming like a team of cake-decorating geniuses.

The next few hours were a whirlwind of creativity. We coloured small batches of fondant in soft pastel shades and cut out vibrant hearts and flowers. With careful precision, I arranged them across the tiers and all over the cake. The prepped cake topper was the cherry on top, transforming my fondant fiasco into a whimsical, joyful explosion of colour.

And you know what? The result was pure magic. Sure, my cake had a few battle scars, but those colourful hearts, flowers, and other decorations covered the imperfections, making it a work of art.

Success at the baby shower

At the baby shower, the cake was met with gasps of delight and admiration. People oohed and aahed over the vibrant decorations, each assuming it was part of an elaborate design by a professional. The guests couldn’t believe I had created such a masterpiece, and their reactions filled me with pride and accomplishment. 

They praised me and tried to convince me to open a business.

But I just smiled, knowing the story behind the cake’s transformation—a tale of ingenuity, quick thinking, help from my friend and a little DIY.

So, the cake became the star of the baby shower party, a delicious testament to the power of creativity in the face of unexpected challenges.

A new hobby

And do you remember what I said after my first baby shower cake? NEVER AGAIN! Well, now I’m preparing another fondant-covered cake with hilarious decorations for our special birthday gathering with girlfriends here in Dubai.

It’s magical and satisfying to see how flour, eggs, and other ingredients can transform into something delicious just after a few hours.

And who knows, maybe someone will order a cake from me someday, and I will start a mini business. Yeah right! 🙂 But I can say that I learned something new, and I am happy to expand my skills.

Do you have any cake stories you want to share? I am looking forward to hearing from you.