Mothers Day Cake

Did you know Mothers Day is May 9th?  That is only twenty-seven days you have to find the perfect gift!

Good thing you stopped here.

Over the course of the next twenty-seven days I am going to be sharing with you some simple yet tear-inducing gifts that your mom will love.

I mean love.

First up is the Mothers Day Cake.

You can do this!  Just bake a cake then make swirly things on top.  Mom's love swirly thingies!

But lets take it a step further.

Mom rocks right?  She deserves something more.  She deserve the little extra effort.

Can you see it?  The swirls are actually made up of letters! (I did this before with my Spring Celebration Cake)

Its says, "happy mothers day" over and over and over again.

When you give mom her cake, she is going to feel so special.  When you tell her that *you have devoted hours and hours to painstakingly writing out each individual letter to spell out 'happy mothers day' she is going to flip out.

*Disclaimer.  Dont lie to your mom.  This cake took me less then an hour to decorate.

I used a box mix for this cake.  Devils Food. 

For the fondant... (this is exciting news for me so I have a little drum roll going in my head)..

I made it from scratch!

Now.  People have been telling me for over six months to make my own, but I was scared. 

It seemed hard!  There are so many ways to mess up!  Its not going to look as nice and smooth as the store bought!

Psh-aw.

Nonsense.

It WAS easy! Here is the recipe I used. And here is a video on youtube about how to do it!  

1 bag mini marshmallows

1 pound confectioners sugar

1 tbsp water

shortening for greasing hands and surface

(cake before I added little hearts)

So not only was it easy, it tastes Great!!  I actually ate cake with fondant and I enjoyed it! 

Plus, it is SO MUCH cheaper!

Thank you, bakers of the world, for sharing your secrets.  My wallet and taste-buds are forever grateful.

Be sure to stop back for my next Fantastic Mothers Day Gift Idea.  (imagine an announcer with a really deep voice saying that in a really significant way)

I promise you won't be disappointed!

Comments

[Joy Ellis]

Now THAT is just precious? How well do you think the cake would ship??? LOL My mom and my hubby's mom is in Florida while I am in NC. And I just can't see my crew baking this for me!! LOL

Again, another job well done. You are just so creative!!

[bridget {bake at 350}]

YOU are the best blogger!!! Seriously! All of my Mother's Day ideas will be posted AFTER Mother's Day...you know it's true!

LOVE this cake!!! It's so, so pretty! Homemade fondant is on my list for the next 30 days....it's supposed to be on one of my Mother's Day ideas...we'll see when I get around to it. June?

Was the fondant as smooth as the store-bought stuff?

[Donna @ WayMoreHomemade]

I love marshmallow fondant. Tried it last year for the first time. Tastes WONDERFUL also. I found it easier to work with than the store bought stuff.

[Traci]

Amanda!! You never cease to amaze and inspire me! This is so beautiful!

~traci

[Paige Galla]

I had to look twice to believe that you actually spelled out the words! What an amazing display of detail! The fondant recipe looks absolutely fabulous and easy, I can't wait to try it! Thanks for sharing! Happy Mother's Day to you!

[Lisa]

Another wonderful cake. Love it!!! Great you tube video too. I might just have to try making fondant now. So, did you just do a crumb coat on your cake before covering it with the fondant or did you do a thicker layer of icing first?

[Grapefruit]

Can'[t pick my jaw off the floor.
seriously!

am so glad you finally tried making your own fondant - am not going to say 'i told you so' ;-)

[Renee]

LOVE it!

[Ann @ House of Estrogen]

That is so pretty! Doing words in swirls like that could be used for so many different occassions! Thanks for the inspiration!

[Btrflywmn]

I have wanted to try fondant too, thanks for sharing, you have inspired me to really try it.

[Paula]

OMG! Beautiful work, as always!

[Rachel Watters]

Love it! I really appreciate how "simple" the cake looks, just being pink and white, but then realizing how much effort you put into it is a real treat!

A also appreciate the homemade fondant idea! I've wanted to try it for a while. Maybe I could give this a try!

Finally, I appreciate your reminder that Mother's Day is just around the corner :) I'll be checking back here for more great ideas!

[Healthy Foods Blog]

This looks truly impressive and 100% amazing.

[Mimi]

I made fresh yogurt last night, 2 different batches of bread dough, and a Lemon-Almond Cheesecake (for the office today), so why shouldn't I try to make my own fondant too now? Thanks for your encouragement and insightfulness. It's addictive! (I love the cake - it looks gorgeous.)

[cherylene]

Seriously! The cute factor here is way up there. Love it.

[Stephanie]

pretty pretty! :) We are likely doing a Mother's Day picnic ... going to have any great ideas for a picnic dessert? I am thinking about some fun cupcakes ... but still "pondering" ... feel free to "ponder" with me!

[Kate]

I
LOVE
THIS
CAKE!!!!

So pretty and fresh looking and creative!!

You are awesome.

[ElizaBeth]

SO WONDERFUL! Next mission- find corn free marshmallows- they've got to have them somewhere.....

[Paula]

Amanda, your cake is so delicate and beautiful! And who knew fondant was so easy to make, I will definitely have to try it, thanks for posting the recipe.

[Marian (Sweetopia)]

What a pretty and unique idea!! It looks like the letters would take a while, but how awesome that the decorating took you under an hour!
As usual, you ROCK!!!!

[Jackie]

What a gorgeous cake! I'm not a fan of the store bought fondant, but since you say the marshmallow tastes better I'll have to give it a try. Thanks!

[Mary]

This is the last straw Amanda! I cannot believe how awesome the writing is on this cake! I could cry. Amazing. I don't know how you do it!!!!! Oh, and yeah, it looks really, really tasty too :)

[Judy Moyer]

I am never disappointed! And I will be back again, and again, and again. And I am actually trying your recipes. You inspire me so!

[karla]

Seriously? You are A-MAZING!!! So talented. My daughter and I can't wait to see what you come up with next. Just beautiful!

[Debbie @TheHipHostess]

OK, now that is just pretty on a plate if I've ever seen It~ Fondant? I admire your bravery! So nicely done. This coming from someone who can't bake her way out of a paper bag. Love it!

[Stephanie]

I love this cake! your piping skills are sharp! I've been converted to marshmallow fondant for a while now and I'll never ever go back to storebought. In fact, I just posted a cake covered in pink marshmallow fondant this week! http://seddy5.typepad.com/blog/2010/04/cake-buddy.html

[arugulove]

Wow, this is absolutely gorgeous!

[ashleycupcakes]

I AM SO HAPPY YOU MADE MARSHMALLOW FONDANT! This cake is so pretty it's giving me the vapors

[Alicia]

Oh my gosh!! Did your hand cramp up when you did the letters?

You are just blessed with this gift, I tell ya!

[flamingcat]

Ooooh definitely have to try this. I've never tried store-bought fondant because I've heard it tastes - well, bad. But this... this sounds good! And, as *usual*... looks fantastic.

[meaghan (chic cookies)]

So clever! I had to post a link on ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com of course :)

[Jenifer]

OH.MY.GOODNESS. You are so talented! I would love to repost on my blog and link back to you. Wonderful job!

[Lauren @ Crave. Indulge. Satisfy.]

Beautiful! I love the swirls of words! Homemade fondant...now that is impressive, if you say it's easy I just may have to give it a try!

[Kaitlin]

Genius.

I agree that marshmallow fondant tastes sooooo much better than store bought stuff. I'm glad you finally made it!

Every time I see one of your posts I just want to cry because I can't get into my kitchen to bake something on my own :P Oh well, at least I have something pretty to look at :D

[Jessica @ How Sweet]

That is so beautiful! I wish I was as talented as you are!

[Jenna]

wow. that's awesome! :)

[Maria]

Your cake is stunning! You are very talented! Nice work!

[Beth]

This is GORGEOUS! I love reading this blog. You give me such great ideas! I'm nowhere near as precise as you are but my kids and I are having fun trying somem of your ideas! Keep it coming!

[mindy]

I love it! I am thinking about my dear old mom (well, she's not THAT OLD..) But I think she is more than deserving of this awesome mother's day treat. I am going to have to try this one out! I have been a marshmallow fondant gal since this past fall. I love it so much more that the store bought stuff. My kids eat the scraps like they are sugar cookie dough scraps too.
Oh, and P.S. You are awesome!

[holly]

This is so pretty!! I've GOT to learn how to pipe frosting:)

[Kalle]

What a pretty cake. I love the idea of using words to make pretty swirls and congratulations on making your own fondant.

[Cate O'Malley]

omg, that painstaking detail - so impressed!!

[gifts Philippines]

What a nice idea! I will try to bake a cake for my mom, thanks for giving me an idea.

-pia-

[BethieofVA]

Lovely!

[Amy T.]

I've been following your blog for a few months now, and I L.O.V.E. your creations!!! I'm a wanna be baker and am so inspired by your beautiful designs. I haven't gotten up the nerve to try anything yet, but I feel a weekend bake-off coming on. Thanks for the great tutorials and wonderful photos!

[Beth]

I absolutely love marshmallow fondant! I make it for all my kids birthday cakes. Its a mess to make but in my opinion, tastes so much better than regular fondant.
Love the cake!

[Restorative Living blog]

Seriously, you astound me. I love coming to your blog because you go that one step further that I hadn't always thought of yet. Love it!

[Lisa]

Oh!! it's sooo pretty!!!

I think you're adding crack to this blog. I can NOT tear myself away from it!! My husband walks in, sees me ohhing and ahhing, sighs, and walks out again. I think he's given up on me :)

I have a question... I noticed that you bake your cake layers individually, instead of splitting a cake... how much batter do you use for each pan?? (9" pan) I would Much rather wash a couple extra pans than fight with a cake leveler!! (well, not really, I'd rather someone else wash the pans... but you know how it is :))

[Barbara]

Fondant scares the daylights out of me. But after reading this and seeing that lovely cake, I may just try making my own and see what happens!

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