The Minnie Cake

When Aria was about to turn 1 she was sensitive to cow's milk.  We experienced projectile vomit whenever she drank it or ate things with milk in them.  So, I was very cautious about finding a cake with no milk in it.  I already knew I wanted to make the cake myself, but that sealed the deal even more.  I think I ended up finding a mix that didn't have milk and use that for her basketball cake.  Little did I know, I set myself a standard on that first birthday.  For each birthday since, I really want to make a special cake for Aria.  I'm sure this won't last her entire life through, but I do have a lot of fun deciding on a design with her and baking it with her.  I know it is a tradition we will carry on for awhile.

This year I decided to go all from scratch.  Aria finally decided she wanted just a Minnie cake.  And she wanted chocolate cake and chocolate frosting.  I really didn't want to do black frosting, so I'm glad she requested chocolate.  It is almost black without the mess.

Aria helped me mix all the ingredients together for the chocolate cake and we put it into the oven in 4 different containers.

The face

The ears

The bow (eventually)

Next I cut the bow shape and carved the ears a bit to make this:

Next came the chocolate frosting.  I frosted it and then used my finger dipped in water and baking soda to smooth it out.

Finally, I frosted the bow separately and added white m&ms for the polka dots.

Aria did ask where Minnie's face was, but I just didn't think I could free hand her face.  Overall, I know she really liked it and it tasted pretty good, too!

And here is my mess.