Once again I pulled out the teddy bear cake pan and my large red plastic tray in order to whip up a cute birthday cake in as little time as possible. With a cake pan that results in a cake that is at least the silhouette you desire, and a few simple toppings like whipped cream or icing, edible cake decorating paper (used here for the first time) licorice, sprinkles, and striped sour sticks, for example, you too can create something cute in just about 15 or so minutes. My little patent that really adds so very much? That would be colored paper shapes of course to make balloons and greenery to surround the cake which makes the whole thing that much more special!
Of course, planning ahead is crucial, and whille I did plan ahead I should have looked at my previous bear birthday cakes, as the addition of a crown as in previous years would have been cute. Oh well, next time! With all the pre-Hanukkah rush and the need to decorate this cake and get a party together within an hour or so, I was quite frazzled. Oh yes, and then the cake wouldn't come out of the pan because my daughter (who now does most of the baking) didn't know that one needs to oil and flour pans like this!
So I scooped out the head of the bead with a spatula and then the body, but no one was the wiser as it was all covered in non-dairy whip cream in any case. Keep reading for some more tips and links to previous bear birthday cakes!
This was my first time using edible cake decorating paper, and I can surely say that it does save time, and while it is stiff when you cut it, it actually becomes soggyish and cutable after just a few hours. Having paper like this on hand could surely save the day in terms of personalizing a cake you bake or buy, and one could use the paper to cut intials, or symbols of any kind, in addition to using to add details as I did.
In previous versions of bear cakes I outlined areas with licorice and filled them in with sprinkles, which also looks great, you decide, and take a look here and here for some more inspiration. Happy stress free and quick cute cake decorating!