But God Loves Spiders....Two Ways!

Well, tomorrow is the last day of October and you know what that means!  I make a habit of bookmarking ideas that I want to try...like this one HERE at Cookies and Cups.  Take a peek. I waited all month for just the right time.  And finally the day came.  

 The first is a 6 inch tall cake and has cocoa-vanilla swirl cake layers, covered in vanilla swiss meringue buttercream with a chocolate spider web. I was excited to make this cake for the children at our church dinner today.   The Oreo spider idea came directly from a great blog.  BUT....

I needed a quick cake for dinner at my daughter's.  So, here is the shorter version covered in regular buttercream, chocolate web but the spiders are mini Reese's PB Cups.  Layers of orange and butter cake layers make the cake.  It was a hit!  It is completely gone.  And that's a good thing.

I can assure you that writing, even with a perma pen on cake rounds is NOT the best idea...it smears....while the ink stayed in tact for our dinners, I noticed that it can transfer to napkins, fingers and the CAKE.  Good thing it didn't do that until I brought the remnants home.  So warning to the wise...wrap the thing and pipe ICING on it.  Learn from my almost disaster.

Little Ghost Girl Topper for One Special Lady

Mom..."So don't you think it's about time to bring another cake?"   Me...."Mom, I'm working on a cute one."  Mom..."Well, I wish you had brought something anyway."  Me..."Yes, Ma mm.  I should have done that!" 

So, here I am telling you about my attempts to make this CUTE cake.  But before you look, maybe you want to see the REAL one at My Cake School.




Okay...here she goes....

 Hint:
When My Cake School says use thicker gauge wire.......Listen.  I had to coax the arms to stay up. Next day?  Bought the right gauge. But guess it's for another cake.   Make balls of Krispy Treats, use cookie sticks dipped in candy melts to secure in "head"  --- that sounds gruesome!  Anyway cover and smooth  wrap said "heads".  And do use a heavy gauge wire -- the lower the number the thicker the wire and mine was not 18---Wrap wire around her body and shape like arms.  Put loop in one end and hang those cute jack-o-lanterns.  (My Cake School gave step by step picture instructions)  But if you didn't go there yet, you just cut off the tops and put a little piping gel to hold some sprinkles.  And don't forget to put little wire loops to make a handle in the pumpkin (wire ends dipped in that melted candy and pushed into pumpkin to secure).  I painted one pumpkin with a face and one without.  But you can't see that in this picture, can you?

 Look........ghost friends.............

And now it's time to roll out that fondant 50-50...very thin....and drape over her.  Trim and fuss a little bit to make her really cute. (Mine kept dropping her arms).  Color a little fondant and form some cute shoes and a little bow....Let all DRY...for maybe even a day or so.  (Tissues were trying to keep up her arms)  I said TRYing...

Bake a cake. Decorate. This is one idea, but there could be so many more. I baked three 3 inch layers and tort-ed/split them. I did mine like a candy corn. I think I'm kind of into that here lately. Top vanilla white, middle orange-orange, and bottom lemon yellow. Tinted butter cream orange to be extension of the middle layer.  Can't wait to cut a slice!   This made enough to make two cakes. Which I need to finish the other one by the way.... Put some cute eyes...I thought about eye lashes....then just caved and copied.  I'm not too much of a risk taker, am I?  But when she is VERY dry, attach her bow and shoes and let dry a bit more.  Then just cut a straw the height of the cake, put her stick body inside and she should be secure :)

 Can you tell at one point I almost dropped the cake?  Drat those cheap boxes....Wouldn't have anything to do with me taking my time.....Icing just doesn't lie....no matter what angle you shoot the pic.

To show you how I think...I forgot to share a picture of the Surprise... the inside of the cake.  I think I have almost had too much candy corn.  But this cake just screamed out "caaaandy coooorn"  And I listened.  It's a real life picture...at the bedside...with tiny bowls...and a Mom having a bit of a problem sitting up....wiping crumbs for the picture didn't exactly cross my mind.  So, I've decided it's just a picture of life...mostly sweet, colorful, full of surprises, leaning on friends and sometimes....when we don't clean up,  a wee bit crummy  crumby.

 Here she is...Mom's BOO-ti-ful gal!

Thank you My Cake School! for the reason for a smile!!!