Tangled - Rapunzel Birthday Cake

I just finished a couple of cakes, and while I love all of the ones I've done (I'll post the latest in "My Work"), I want to share the Rapunzel cake.  It was a one on which I spent the most time, and am really happy with the way it turned out. In other words, that is the one I want to brag most about...

A few weeks ago little Christina's mother reached out to me to ask if I would make a cake for Christina's 4th birthday.  Of course I didn't pass the opportunity, so we started discussing what cake she wants.  It was then when she asked if I know who Rapunzel is. I have to admit, I had not seen the movie, but I agreed to make a Rapunzel themed cake. While discussing the details, I learned that the little girl is very observant and detail oriented, and is questioning anything that is not the same as in the Disney movie. In addition to this, during our conversation I found out that the dad is an artist (and working as a sculptor)! Talk about pressure! What did I get myself into! But... I love being challenged, so I was determined to make a beautiful cake, even without a professional training.

First, I had to see the movie, so thanks to my second daughter Nikol for sharing her DVD, I was able to see Disney's version of this beautiful story. I saw it once, but then went back over and over again to look for the details of all the things that I had to make out of fondant - the pan, Pascal, the brush, the lanterns, and of course, the tower and Rapunzel. I loved all the colors and characters, but now, how do I make all of it out of sugar? I am glad I started early...those took me some time. For someone who never learned this art, I think I did fairly well. And I wouldn't have done so well if it wasn't for my lovely daughter Natali, who once again, helped with drawing Rapunzel. She also helped with air brushing, shades, flower cutting, etc.

I didn't decide on the final design until the last minute. I had something different in mind first, but after some discussion and advise from my construction engineer (hubby), it was decided that I need a very sturdy base that will not only hold a heavy load of two cakes, but also will look good.

I made Pascal, the lanterns, the brush, and the pan and started thinking about how to actually put all of them on the cake. I knew I wanted to make everything as realistic as possible, so my plan was to have candles lit up inside the lanterns. I tried it and looked really cool, but I was concerned with safety, as the cake was for a 4 yr old and another 12 young princessess. While browsing the local craft store with my daughter, and while she was teasing me for spending too long in there, she came across those small, battery operated lights that supposedly stay lit for 8 hr, plus, no open flames! It was the perfect solution for my cake! I was so excited. I knew that the lanterns will be hanging in the air just like in the movie. So, it was onto making the cake!

Everything worked very well from there on. The cakes turned out nicely, very tasty, and all of the details were coming out as I expected. Only, I had planned to make the crown too, but ran out of time. I had the stones made out of clear sugar, made the circle for the base of the crown and didn't have time to finish it. I guess I just think I can do things much faster than I actually do them. Anyway, it was time to deliver the cake and I hadn't taken any pictures... Even my new tripod didn't help...but I guess you probably are used to the quality of my pictures by now, so I hope you will forgive me until I learn how to do better :)!

I had so much fun making this cake, I hope the birthday girl liked it as much as I do, and her guests found it as tasty as I think it is.
Thank you to her parents for allowing me to make her a cake, but also thank you for visiting. I enjoyed sharing my experience with you and am hoping you would be back soon for more of my beautilicious stories.