Not One of My Best Projects (Cakes for Joe & Lexi 2013)

I like trying to be a cake decorator, but it isn't always my best talent.  It is the best I can do, but not what I wish I could do.  I was in for making Jake and Izzie cakes (like the Jake and Izzie of The Neverland Pirates) for Joey and Lexi. It was a challenge to get the cakes cut into the correct shapes, and some of my cuts are a little out of proportion.  I made a big mistake while making one of the cakes...I forgot to put in the baking soda.  The cake did not rise, and it was really heavy and moist.  I tried to use it anyway, but I had to use two layers to get anywhere near the height of the rest of the cake height.  Still, the head of Izzie is lower than her body.  I wanted to elevate it with frosting, but I didn't have enough of that left of the color for the flesh.  I guess I could have made some more, even if the color was slightly different, because it would have been on top of the other frosting. My biggest challenge, however, were the faces.  I simply cannot do a good face with frosting.  The faces do not look at all like Jake and Izzie. Jake has big round eyes, so I just used fake plastic eyes for his, but I had to try to make Izzies out of frosting. I am so not happy with the faces. I have the cakes in the freezer, because we do not need them until Saturday, and this is only Tuesday.  I chose to make them today, because I didn't have any little ones around to distract me or to get into my stuff. So, here they are.

Izize's top is too long, her legs are too short, her neck should be long and thin, and her ears and boots are much too large. Other than that, she is sort of what she should be. It is hard to see her hair, but she has pony tails above the shoulders, and a little bit of hair that sticks out from the kerchief on her head.  Both, the hair and the boots are too dark, but I just wanted to use the chocolate frosting that I had from a can.

Jake's body is too wide and his ears are too big, but he is in better proportion than is Izzie. It is hard to see his hair, too, but it is black and waves up above his head band.  It came out better than most of the rest of the cake.  Too bad it can't be seen as well.  His pants should have been darker blue, but I ran out of the dark blue I was using for the vest, and I couldn't get the new frosting to match what I had used before.

So, cake decorating is not my best talent, but it is one that I still enjoy trying to get better at.  I will continue to make cakes as long as Cheryl wants me to keep making them for her kids.  I have been able to make them for my grandson, Ellis, but now that he is living in Maine, I may not get to make them for him any more.