Mei Yang Yang Birthday Cake

 

I really should have posted about this cake before I wrote about Zac's In the Night Garden cake as I made this cake last month for my daughter's 2nd birthday.  I knew for a long while what cake I was going to make for her as it is a character from her favourite cartoon Xi Yang Yang and Hwei Tai Lang (Pleasant Goat and Bad Bad Wolf).  I know, I cringed when I saw the translation into English but that's what the title means.

Mei Yang Yang (Pretty Goat) is a sweet and vain goat. She pretty much plays the role like Smurfette does in The Smurfts.  I was a little scared drawing out her face free hand as it was the first time I was doing it and I didn't want to do a botched job.  I had a print out of her face in front of me as I started. I used little rosettes to make her 'coat' (not sure if fur is the right word here either) so it stood out.  All in all I thought it was a good likeness and the fact that my OH was impressed said a lot.  

I baked a strawberry and berry cake for her with home made strawberry jam in between the layers.  Strawberries are finally in season again in Korea.

I got the inspiration to string up her name like on a laundry line when I was looking at wedding ideas with my brother's girlfriend.  I saw some fabulous cakes and saw this fabulous idea!  I had some leftover wrapping paper which I used to make flag buntings to decorate the house for the party and I cut out her name, glued it onto the string with hot glue and tied it to two Pepero sticks then stuck it into the cake.  I have kept her name to be hung up, somewhere... when I get around to it.  It's for keeps.

My friend Liz came over and helped me make these flag buntings.  We had a nice chat over 2 hours and did quite a lot of these.  Total cost is probably under KRW10,000.

Just to make my life more difficult, I made cupcakes.  I felt that a party for the kids without cupcakes wouldn't be a Gerry party.  People have come to expect cupcakes when they come over.  Such has become the association that I have created.  Gerry = Cupcakes.  I love it! 

So I made these Pink, Purple and Yellow Marbled Rose Cupcakes Frosted with Vanilla Buttercream, Sprinkled with Pink Sugar and then topped with.... wait for it, Cookie Pops.  Yes, Cookie Pops covered with Royal Icing.  First of all, I loved the colours but they took AGES to make as I had to let the cookies dry overnight after I outlined and flooded them with royal icing.  But the effect was worth it as a cupcake tower.

Here they are ready to go into the oven.

Fresh out of the oven, nicely swirled.

 

Ok, so I couldn't resist one.

You can just see the birthday girl in the background there.

Happy Birthday Baby!