the life and times of the 21st century housewife©

Yesterday I blogged about my cousin Esther’s Chocolate and Banana Bundt Cake, and today I’d like to show you some of the cakes she has made and decorated in the past. I do wish I had a photograph to hand of the cakes she made for our 10th wedding anniversary and also for a big family dinner at her Mom’s house several years ago. (I’m still working on scanning many of our photographs into iPhoto and I’ve got boxes and boxes of them to go through!) Both of those cakes were gorgeous. Our anniversary cake was a four tier lemon almond sponge cake made and decorated just like a wedding cake with lovely flowers. The one at the family dinner had three tiers, but they were spread over a table and linked with decorations. The cakes were decorated with huge handmade icing flowers (and I’m not talking sugar roses either!). Esther is so creative with her cakes, I’m always wondering what will be next!

I love these birthday cakes. The one on the left is for a little girl and the one on the right is for a baby’s first birthday.

There’s the Cat in the Hat (sadly he got cut before he was photographed!!)

and some beautiful cupcakes.

And have a look at this 16th birthday cake complete with a handmade iPod Touch!

Esther even invented a wonderful rainbow cake that consists of at least four (and sometimes more) different colour layers. Not only does each layer have its own colour, it also has its own flavour. So there might be an orange layer, a yellow lemon layer, a white vanilla layer and a pink strawberry layer. It’s beyond delicious and so pretty. In fact, it was so lovely that a local bakery got wind of it and copied it. It’s now one of their best-sellers. Trouble is their intelligence was slightly flawed, and all their layers taste like vanilla even though they are different colours :) The only way you can get a taste of the original is from Esther’s kitchen!

Sadly Esther is a very busy lady and this has always stopped her from starting her own cake-making business, although she does make a few cakes here and there for customers in the Sarnia and Bright’s Grove, Ontario area - and she is very generous with family and friends. She made our 10th anniversary cake as a present for us.

I wish I had a bit of the talent for icing and decorating cakes like Esther has. The most I usually do to a cake is ice it and add a few strategically decorations - like the odd sugar flower or some shiny chocolate discs. I just wish Esther lived closer so I could enjoy her beautiful cakes - and her company - more often!