Happy Birthday to my darling Maia! She turned 7 today.
We celebrated her birthday over the weekend with a beloved aunt, uncle, and cousin in town as well as a friend she has known since the first day of Toddler Art Group when they were both 12 months old.
One of Maia's big requests this year was a rainbow cake... And she wanted to bake and decorate it herself. Her other big request was for a giant rainbow slinky, but this post is about the cake.
Maia and her sous chefs, Marlise and Daphne, took over the kitchen.
I was there to help with instructions, but the work of making the cake and the icing was done by the kids.
They also iced the cake.
And taste tested multiple times.
Daphne and cousin Sophia waited for their turn.
And then spread some icing on the cake themselves.
Maia and Marlise took turns decorating the cake with some blue decorators icing. Marlise wrote Maia's name on top.
By the way, Marlise has (sadly for us) recently moved away. She was back in town over the weekend, but we won't see her very often anymore.
The name was obscured under generous swirls and circular embellishments, then M&Ms were added to the top.
Note: You can see the buttercream icing a bit better in this photo. It was a failure (separating and curdling) and I blame myself rather than the kids. Oops. They thought it was amazing, though, as it still tasted good.
Finally, sprinkles were added...
...and seven candles put in.
Maia, still wanting to do every step herself, lit the candles. (At least we got to sing Happy Birthday to her.)
And took the first bite.
The little ones enjoyed their little pieces.
And the kids all seemed to think it was just about the best birthday cake ever.
In case you're wondering, we used the same recipe and technique as we did for the rainbow cupcakes last year (except for the different icing).
