Ready, Set, Go - Lightning McQueen Cars Cake

I made this cake using the Wilton Cars cake pan but, given the size of the pan, was worried that the cake wouldn't feed all the children at the party. So I decided to get creative. I made a large rectangular sheet cake and frosted the bottom half to look like a desert road and the top half to look like a blue sky. The clouds are simply made with white frosting piped through a large round decorating tip (#1A or #2A would work well).

I then placed the Lightning McQueen Cars cake on top of the sheet cake and decorated it according to the instructions that came with the pan. I used the Wilton Cars icing color kit to make sure I got the right colors. This is an easy way to increase the serving sizes for a character pan cake. Another option is to decorate the sheet cake in black and white squares to look like a Nascar flag. Remember, you're only limited by your imagination.

Personalized M&Ms - A Perfect Party Idea

I am simply in love with the new personalized M&Ms that are out on the market. M&Ms has a brand new site at MyMMS.com where you can get the popular candies in every color of the rainbow and have them personalized with your kid's name, a Happy Birthday message and even their photo.

They also make M&Ms featuring your favorite Disney characters (see above) so you can tie them in to your birthday party theme. You can get Fairy M&Ms for a Tinkerbell party or Cars M&Ms for a Lightning McQueen party. They're fun to have out at the party and you can also include them in favor bags for your young guests. Personalized M&Ms even make a fun gift for the birthday boy or girl!

Cakes And Kids On Twitter And Facebook

I'm finally really moving forwards in the social networking world and have established a presence for Cakes And Kids on both Twitter and Facebook. So if you're active on either or both of these platforms then please join us. You can follow us on Twitter at @cakesandkids and you can fan us on Facebook on our new profile page. Will do my best to keep these pages updated and interesting. Thanks for joining us!

A Bakugan Cake Made Easy

The newest rage among young boys these days is Bakugan. You may be thinking a "what-a-gan" and you certainly wouldn't be the first Mom who has asked that question. Well Bakugan is a game, based on a TV series, that brings together some traditional ideas but with a modern twist. The game combines trading cards, miniature characters and magnetic marbles that are spring-loaded.

If confronted with the task of making a Bakugan cake, I think one of the simplest solutions is to make one of the spherical battle brawlers (in its closed state). This would just be a big round ball-shaped cake decorated like one of the brawlers. Wilton actually makes a sports ball cake pan that would be perfect for this. Use a boxed cake mix and bake the cake following the pan instructions and then frost it with your chosen color (red or blue seems to be the most popular for the brawlers). Find a good picture of one of the brawlers and use that as a guide to cut out some decorations from fondant and attach them to the cake. A simple solution to a somewhat complex idea!

Personalize Your Kid's Party

When it comes to kids' parties, I love anything and everything to do with personalization. These days you can find so many personalized items from invitations to favors and thank you notes to banners. I love the personalized collection at Birthday in a Box that includes unique ideas like zipper pulls, magnets, placemats and bag tags.

If you're having a fairly small party then personalizing items for each guest makes for a great party favor. If, however, your party is larger then perhaps stick to just personalizing items for the birthday boy or girl. Your next great kid's party is just a name away!

Cake Decorating Supplies - Just The Basics!

If you're just starting out making your own kids cakes then you really don't need much in the way of cake decorating supplies. Many of the basic techniques can be accomplished with just a few items that are readily available either online or in your local craft store.

The main items include boxed cake mixes, cake pans, a few decorating tips and frosting. Check out the cake supplies page on our CakesAndKids.com website for a complete list of the basics you'll need to start making your own kids cakes. Start small and you can always add more items as you need them!

Kids Cakes Contest - Enter To Win!

Cakes And Kids is happy to announce our first Kids' Cake Contest! We are currently accepting submissions of homemade kids' cakes so enter yours today. There is no cost to enter and the winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to Michaels Craft Store. You can find out all the details at http://www.cakesandkids.com/kids_cakes_contest.html.

We've already received some great entries so keep them coming!

Fly Away Home To A Ladybug Party

I absolutely adore these sweet new ladybug party supplies. They are perfect for a little girl's spring or summer birthday party. Pair them with this cute ladybug cake pan for a buggy theme that's sure to please!

You can get really creative with this cake pan and make any color ladybug that you like. Go with the traditional red with black spots or use pinks and greens to match the party supplies. The best way to make the spots is to use fondant cut out in small circles (I use an icing tip turned upside down as a fondant cutter when I need small circles).

Carry the theme throughout your party by playing games like pin the spot on the ladybug or have the kids decorate some ladybug shaped cookies. You can even buy red balloons with black spots on them. If you're having a co-ed party then consider party favors using the ladybug theme for girls and a dragonfly theme for boys. My boys hate to get girly party favors :)

Kids Party Favor Boxes

I tried something new for my daughter's birthday party and made my own kids party favors by decorating some colored Chinese food take-out boxes and then filling them with little toys and candy. I made pink and purple favors for the girls and blue and green for the boys. I used foam stickers as the decorations and included each kid's initial on the front of the box. They loved the personalization!

Of course, if you're short on time there are also tons of pre-filled favor boxes available to fit every party theme. But if you're feeling creative, I think this is a cute idea that's just a little bit different.

Tiara Kids Cake Finished!

Well - I'm finished! I have been working on this tiara princess cake for my daughter for most of the day but I'm finally done and can now relax until the party tomorrow. I'm happy with the results although the marshmallow fondant gave me more than just a few problems today because it's so hot (everything just kept getting stickier and stickier...lol). If you encounter this type of problem you can try either powdered sugar to make the fondant less sticky or try coating your hands and counter in a little vegetable shortening.

My little girl is thrilled with her pretty pink and purple cake and the look on her face definitely makes all the effort worthwhile :)

Icing Flowers - A Time Saving Tip

If you want to decorate your kids cakes with beautiful (and edible) icing flowers but don't have the time to make them yourself then you'll love this new product available from Wilton! They are now selling pre-made icing flowers that can be used to decorate your cakes in just minutes. Choose from daisies, pansies, pink posies and roses. I've seen them on sale at Michaels craft stores and you can also get them online directly from Wilton.

We can all look like professionals with these clever and time-saving icing flowers. Ssshhhh - it'll be our little secret!

A Tribute To Moms

To all the moms out there that love to make their children homemade birthday cakes, I salute you! I still appreciate the cakes my mom made me as a child and your children will too. While they're young they just remember how 'cool' the cakes are but as they grow older, they'll appreciate the time and effort involved also :)

But today, take the day off from baking and enjoy a day of relaxation that is all about you. Any cakes that take center stage today should say 'Happy Mother's Day' on them!

Tiara And Roses For A Princess Cake

Well, I'm off an running on the princess cake for my daughter's birthday next weekend. I've created a gumpaste tiara that is pictured above. Once it's fully dried I will paint it with silver pearl dust and sparkles and add some tiny pink flowers. To make this tiara I made a simple template with a scalloped edge on paper and then used that to cut out the tiara in gumpaste. I then used some small fondant cutters to make the cut outs and designs. I'll post finished pictures once the tiara is painted.

I've also made some sugar gumpaste roses (also pictured here) and thankfully remembered most of what I learned in the class I took a few weeks ago. Once these are fully dried I will add some pink pearl dust to the white roses and some silver pearl dust to the pink roses. Perhaps not terribly realistic but definitely the stuff of princesses and fairy tales!

Adorable Photo Cards As Party Invitations

Check out these cute-as-can-be birthday party invitations that I ordered from Cardstore.com. These adorable photo cards are a wonderful alternative to the regular party invitations you find at your local party store. There are no minimums, you can personalize the cards with your own photos and information, and even have them mailed for you. These are perfect for any little girl's princess party and this design is just one of many you can choose from for both boys and girls. Cardstore.com has a lovely array of holiday cards, photo cards and custom greeting cards. Have fun designing your very own invitations and cards!

Kids Cakes For A Princess

Tiaras, roses and cakes - oh my! I have a 3rd birthday party planned for my daughter in two weeks, so I'm already planning the cake ideas in my head. She wanted a Disney Princess party again (she had one last year too) and the party supplies have been ordered. But I want to make a different style of cake that doesn't actually involve the Princess characters themselves. Last year I made a castle cake using Wilton's castle cake pan. This year I've decided to make a two tiered cake with some lovely pink gumpaste roses (that I just learned to make in my first professional cake class) and a gumpaste tiara. I'm excited to try something new and I know my little girl will ultimately love the results. Stay tuned for the results coming up in a couple of weeks and if you have any suggestions regarding this theme then please feel free to leave them in a comment below.