The theme of the competition, organised by local Jamieson Way Community Centre in Point Cook, was Children's Story Book. I googled (my favourite source of inspiration) "Children's Story Book" and guess which famous story book came up? One of the most popular book which most kids and adults would know was Dr Suess' "Cat in the Hat". Personally I love Dr Suess' books. Some of them, like "Green Eggs & Ham" sounded like nursery rhymes and I had so much joy reciting them to my sons like a song. The characters are hideous and so out of the world but at the same time, so adorable and funny. Cat in the Hat is particularly annoying in the story but yet we all can't forget the character.
My attempt to recreate this crazy cat was inspired by a page in the story book "The Cat In The Hat Comes Back", a sequel to the first book. In the book, there was a scene whereby Cat was sitting under a shower inside a bathtub, eating a cake and holding an umbrella between his knees to protect the cake from the water spray, much to the disbelief (& dismay) of the little kids! Well, we don't expect anything less crazy from our Cat with the red/white hat right?
There was a similar cake made by Planet Cakes, but besides that, no one else (at least from the photos online) has attempted to recreate this scene in cake. Honestly, it was a challenge for me and I wondered if I could pull it off. But that's the main reason why I joined the competition, to test myself and see how far is my limit. Of course, winning will be nice....;p. Whatever, I'll figure it out along the way and in God I trust!
The Cat figurine was made days earlier and it was a pure stroke of luck that I decided to use a Cabury brunch bar as its body and covered it in black fondant. I was going to try and use the brunch bar as the core for another cat figurine order. It was too skinny for THAT cat but perfect for THIS cat! God has wonderful ways to help me :)
The head took the longest to shape and most difficult to get right. It was important to get that cheeky look on the face. The arms, gloves, fork and cake were also made separately and left to dry for a few days. The umbrella was a styroform ball sawed in half and balanced on a floral wire. When they had all sufficiently hardened, I joined them together holding my breath. As with all sugar figurines, they are heavy and fragile.
Two days before the cake was due for submission, I still had no idea how to make the shower. I was contemplating between making a wall out of cardboard and a standalone pipe. Neither of which I had any idea how to make it stand. At the last minute, I tried to insert 3 floral wires, twisted together, into a white drinking straw. 1/3 of the wires were exposed at the top, I bent them at an angle and covered them with gumpaste and attached a gum paste shower head. The straw was wrapped in fondant too and left to dry lying down.
When the day came for the assembly of the cake, I was pretty excited. The bathtub itself was a chocolate cake. Shaping and covering the bathtub was the easiest part really. The really challenge was now transferring all of Cat into the "tub" and getting him and the shower pipe to sit properly.
By miracle and the grace of God, they all came together. I would prefer Cat to sit a bit straighter but I am already so glad everything was holding in place. At the last minute, I tried inserting some fishing wire (which I happen to have for making jewellery) into the shower head to make it look like water coming out. It worked! Was it a brilliant spark of genius or pure luck? Either way, I'm blessed!
The 15 minute journey to bring the cake to the community centre was a killer and threatened to shorten my life. I decided to hold the cake so that in case anything were to drop off during the journey, I could still catch it and minimise the damage. Every road hump was terrifying and every change of speed sent shivers down my back. I was holding the precious cargo that felt to me like a bomb. Cat survived intact and I felt myself breathing only when I finally put the cake down. Then I got worried when they said they will move the cake to the hall the next morning for everyone to view after the judging was over. I prayed that night for the safe movement of the cake and the huge relief I felt when I entered the Community Centre and saw Cat sitting there, still in the hat, the shower pipe still standing.
My cake was the smallest amongst all the entries but I was pretty proud of what I had made. This cake is not the kind of cake that people would order for a party cos there's really very little cake to eat. To me, it is a work of art and is one of the most realistic 3D cake I had sculpted. I think it is as good as the one made by the professionals Planet Cakes.
In the end, I did not win the competition. The winner was an awesome looking cake of the theme "Jack & The Beanstalk", with a tower of beanstalk defying gravity and going into the clouds. Well done by the creator! Nevertheless, I enjoyed the experience and the challenge. Despite the shivers and anxiety, I am glad I did it!
Before I sign off, I would like to thank all my customers, without your orders and support I would not have an opportunity to practice what I love and improve my skills. Your appreciation of my creations and hard work is an affirmation to me that my time & skills are valued. Thank you too to all my fans on Facebook that liked my creations and are following my caking journey, you have encouraged and inspired me. And finally thanks to all my friends who came down to support me and put in a vote for my cake that day!
I love it that my cakes creations can bring happy memories, joy and smiles to your faces!
