An octopus cake for Eli

This weekend I attended a family birthday party for Eli, 5, who has quite an imagination. When we asked what kind of birthday cake he wanted, he said, "A purple octopus cake with an orange smile, because orange is my favorite color, and purple eyes with white behind them." My job was to make sure he got what he wanted.

I usually check on the Internet so I can get an idea about what I would like to do before beginning a cake sculpture like this one. I am not trying to create an original piece of art, but something a five year old will appreciate.

I decided to make a 3D octopus and let him rest on a cake sand dune made from icing topped with crushed vanilla wafers. I used graham crackers before for sand but find that vanilla wafers have a better flavor on a cake.

Eli was very excited about his cake and he helped with many parts of the project. It took a long time and he was tired at times, but when it was done, he put on the candles and really, really loved the cake. He couldn't wait to blow out the candles.


Tomorrow, I will give you the recipe and a diagram with more information on how to make this cake sculpture.