Another Frozen Birthday

Ayden requested a Frozen birthday party again this year. At first I was reluctant since she had a Frozen themed party last year. But then I realized it actually made life quite easy on me since I had saved some of the decorations. Plus, I had a cake I wanted to make last time but wasn't ready for the challenge. So, wish granted, Frozen party take-two! Avery's birthday is also in April and they were visiting at the end of the month, so we waited to celebrate together. It was our best party yet!

It wouldn't be a Frozen party without Elsa, Anna, and Olaf. They loved dressing up and it made the occasion extra special.

 For the adults, Patrick made his delicious wings which is always a treat.

 Everyone strike an Elsa pose!

The party was that much better with family.

 Avery turned 3.

 Ayden turned 6. 

We got in plenty of Happy Birthday singing!

Olaf was along for the ride.

 The Cake:

Cakes have kinda become a hobby of mine somehow so I'm always trying to learn new things. I saw this cake on pinterest a year ago that was made for a Christmas party and thought it would be perfect for a Frozen theme. But I chickened out and made the blue ombre one last year instead. So, when the opportunity presented itself again, I went for it. I am super pleased with how it turned out. It took me a total of 12 hours to make and frost and I did it in 3 separate stages.

First, I made the top and bottom layers. The bottom is a 3 layer 8 inch italian creme cake (the one I always make for Patrick's bday). The top is a 3 layer 6 inch carrot cake which was a new recipe and turned out delicious. Both are filled and iced with a cream cheese buttercream frosting. A few weekends before the party I made the batter and baked both cakes and then froze them. I've never frozen cakes before, but I couldn't do it all in the same day. They still were moist and delicious.

 Another day I made the icicles and snowflakes out of isomalt (sugar substitute). I ordered the powder on Amazon and followed the instructions on how to melt it. Then I made the icicles on parchment paper and free handed the snowflakes with a pippet made out of parchment. The snowflakes were difficult since the sugar was boiling hot and the sugar was runny but sticky. But they still turned out pretty good. They harden quite quickly and have a 2 year shelf life. This stuff was so fun to work with and the possibilities are endless.

 The day before the party I filled, crumb coated, and frosted the cakes with a crusting cream cheese buttercream that tasted delicious. I made the snowballs out of cake crumbs and rolled them in coconut. 

 And the day of the party I assembled the cake using wood dowels and put on the icicles and such. I shredded some coconut for the snow on top and on the layers. It came together better than I imagined, which was nice since it definitely took longer than I ever imagined! But the girls were super excited and it made it all worth while.

 It was kinda sad to destroy all my efforts but to be honest, I was so sick of thinking about and looking at this cake, I was glad to be done with it.

What in the world am I going to do next year?