Pretty much every year, I’ve made my niece Phoebe’s birthday cake. Usually, there’s a lot of pre-baking deliberation — of Talmudic scholar proportions — about themes, flavors, decorative elements, etc. For many years, the cakes had to be half-chocolate and half-vanilla to accommodate friends’ preferences.
This year, Phoebe’s decision to have a party was, shall we say, last minute, and so I had about 18 hours to determine what suited a 13-year-old audience. I consulted with my expert friend Singley, who is 11 going on 23 and who, as she said herself, has to do a monologue in school as a 13-year-old. So Singley knew. She gently dismissed my proposal of an ironic Sponge Bob and steered me in the absolute right direction. Click here to see the slideshow realization of Singley’s wisdom and my loving hands at home baking style.
BTW, the World Peace Cake is chocolate with Morello cherry buttercream frosting — both recipes from Martha Stewart. Apparently, partygoer Fazia was overheard saying, “That’s the best cake I’ve ever had in my life.”