Spider-Man Birthday Cake!! {guest post}

For years, my sister and I have complained about the bland birthday cakes we've been overcharged for in the supermarkets. So this year, I thought I'd make a big change!

I'd like to think of myself as a competent cook, inspired by my big sister (sadly my mum has never enjoyed cooking, so taught me very little). But baking was something I attempted...well...not that often!  So I set myself a challenge. This year, I was going to make my son's birthday cake!

Okay, so where do you start?  I've been able to turn out a fairly decent cake before, but never really decorated one. But for a birthday cake, it needed to be just right. And so I opened A Passion for Baking by Jo Wheatley. Her vanilla birthday cake is just divine!

My son is really in to Spider-Man, so the design was simple...something even I should be able to manage!  I did cheat by ordering a spider-shaped cookie cutter, but other than that, it was an amazing journey of discovery in to what a complete amateur could do! Okay, it wasn't perfect, but my confidence was boosted when I realized how much I could achieve. So this is the result of my first ever attempt at covering a cake in sugar-paste and piping icing. I would like to think it's not a bad first attempt!

So, confidence boosted, I'm already planning my next cake....


~ Sharon

notes: A Passion for Baking by Jo Wheatley available at Sainsbury's and Amazon