Monday, June 20, 2011

Be careful not to burn your mouth, okay?...

On Friday our youngest two Grandlittles were helping me make a cake for their sister's 9th birthday.

I made the mistake of asking what kind of cake we should bake...

...and I was promptly told a 'lava cake'.

"Lava cake?" I asked in confusion.

"Yes! Lava cake! Lava cake!"

"Please tell me what a lava cake actually is?" I enquired.

"You know! A cake that looks like a volcano. With lava. A cake with a hole in the middle with a fountain of hot lava!" they cried in excitement.

Hmmm...

Okay, now I'll admit I'm a pretty creative Grandma but it took me a minute to figure this out.

"Like an angel food cake?"

"Yes, Yes!" they cried, "The kind with the hole in the middle!"

"And how do I make it have lava in it?"

"With frosting Grandma! Red, yellow and orange frosting and the cake will look like rocks and it will be a hot lava cake!"

Hmmmm...

"Okay," I said hesitantly, "Why do we want to make a lava cake for your sister's birthday anyway?"

"Oh Grandma! You know? Because she is 'hot lava girl'!"

Hmmmm...

But I am an easy going Grandma, so while they were off playing at the neighbors, I made a home-made angelfood cake along with a vat of chocolate icing and three decorator bags full of orange, yellow and red vanilla-almond buttercream.

They came home ready to decorate a lava cake.

We sliced up the sides of the cake to make it more volcano like. We frosted the mountain with chocolate icing. It looked more like a brown lump. I piled on more chocolate icing. Soon the poor little angelfood cake was adrift in an avalanche of glossy brown icing.

Next we started on the colored icing. "More! More!" they cried. They washed plastic trees and gnomes and stuck them in the cake. "More frosting! More frosting!" they shouted.

The middle grand had an idea that we could cut a hole in the table and then she could hide underneath and squirt frosting up through the middle of the cake to make it look like real lava.

Hmmmm...

"Ummmm....no!"

She decided we needed a string so one of the gnomes could be mountain climbing up the volcana.

Hmmm...

"Okay...that we can do!"

And when were finally done we had a 'masterpiece' of a volcano cake complete with unsuspecting gnomes being engulfed in hot lava.

We had, my friends, a complete and total masterpiece of 4 inches of frosting crushing a delicate little angel food cake.







...and after the birthday girl arrived and ate her fill at brunch on Saturday morning...



...the 'Hot Lava Girl!' cake was revealed.

Oh, her face lit up!

Oh, she loved it!




...and after I cut through all the frosting to serve it, she exclaimed, "There really is a cake in here!"

And I told her, "Yes, of course! I made you a homemade angelfood cake! Be careful not to burn your mouth on the hot lava, though!"

And she said, "Oh Grandma!"

...and that little remark made all the frosting and the mess and the sticky floors, chairs and little kids worth it.

"Oh Grandma!" Yes, I am blessed indeed...

Even if I have a "Hot Lava Girl" for a granddaughter!

post signature

40 comments:

Amanda said...

Awww, those memories truly make it all worthwhile. I wish there were more grandmothers like you. :)

Jojo said...

That is precious and you are a great granny! What an original cake request and what a beautiful labor of love in response.

Unknown said...

You are too cool! You cake is awesome! Love the gnome!

vivian said...

thats awesome!And your granddaughters are adorable. I love the m&M on the nose pics! what a sweet memory you created for those girls. but what is a hot lava girl? lol! never heard that term adn i usually think I'm pretty up on things from working with kids!
have a great day Jenny
xo
vivian

Jocelyn said...

Wowza....that is one awesome cake!!!! You are a Fabulous Grandma!!!!

Love these pics....the girls are just adorable!!!!

What a Fabulous Hot Lava Girl!!! Happy Birthday!!!!

Love ya girlie!!!

Terra said...

oh my goodness! You are good! That really turned out...and she is one lucky little granddaughter for sure!!!

Jeanie said...

Great cake, and what fun. You are a Hot Lava Grandma.

Theresa said...

I love it, those Grandkids really can make us do anything, can't they? What a sweet birthday cake and a happy Birthday Girl!

Have a blessed day "Super Grandma"! HUGS!

Vicki/Jake said...

I'm up for adoption...just sayin.

Rachael West said...

Too cute - I love it!

LuLu Kellogg said...

You are the bestest Grandma EVER!

Love,
LuLu~*xoxo

Busy Bee Suz said...

Oh, Jenny!!!!!
That is the best cake ever. I love the decorating, but the smiling faces are even better.
xoxoxoxo

21 Wits said...

Oh now that cake really rocks, and afterall isn't it all about the frosting for the younger ones....but the gnomes and especially hanging from such adorable trees that really sets the scene off well! What fun....now this needs to go in Jenny's recipe book of grands! In fact all across the blogger waves I see new adventures in cake decorating beginning now!

Susan Anderson said...

That is the hottest lava cake I've ever seen!

And your grandkids are adorable, just like their grandma...

=)

Judie said...

Jenny, you are just creative ALL the time! And the Grands will always remember that lava cake.

I made a decorated cake for my ex-husband's birthday one year, with chocolate frosting. It had something on the top of it, but it certainly wasn't lava.

My own grandmother made my birthday cake every year until she died. She always put 7 minute frosting on it, which was my favorite at the time. She even taught me, in later years, to make that frosting.

"Alone again.... naturally!" said...

So sweet! Your grandlittles are the best and you are an excellent "grand" Ma!

Willoughby said...

That is such an awesome cake! I would never have thought of something that fun and creative! And how cute are the grands?! Absolutely adorable!!!!!

I am a little bummed that you didn't cut the hole in the table for the squirting lava. It sounded like a good idea to me.

Bossy Betty said...

This is the happiest post I have read all day! So much love and so many memories too!

Ms. A said...

Jenny, you go "above and beyond!" You are the kind of grandmother every child needs!

Rachel said...

That is too cute. Happy birthday to your lava girl :)

Dazee Dreamer said...

How fun. And that smile on her face in the photo is priceless.

What a great grandma you are. No, not a great-grandma, oh geez, you know what I'm trying to say. :)

Pat Tillett said...

Amazing! They are going to carry this memory with them for the rest of their lives. You are such a great person for doing this...

Lourie said...

That is the best cake ever! You are one rockin Gran! hahaha.

Julie Kwiatkowski Schuler said...

What a marvelous cake, and a lucky birthday girl!

Anonymous said...

Too cute - all of you!

Wanda..... said...

You are a "Great" grandmother, Jenny! Loved the wide-eyed, frosting on the nose photo!

Ames said...

Just too darn cute! What wonderful memories you have created with the grands! I give you an A++++ and a hug!~Ames

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Happy 9th birthday to your "Hot Lava" grand daughter, Jenny! Her cake looks so extra special and you made some wondeerful memories for all your grand girls along with that cake!

Deb said...

what an awesome idea....and a terrific Grandma for doing it...

mrs. c said...

Darling, as usual! I make a Chocolate Lava Cake that my nephew Brady can eat 3 pieces at a time! Get a Dark Chocolate Cake mix and Dark Chocolate frosting.You are going to cook this cake in the MICROWAVE! I cook it in one of those silicon bundt cake pans, It's red and I got it at Walmart. Mix cake as directed, spray pan with lots of pam, pour half the frosting in the bottom of the pan, then all the cake mix, then the rest of the frosting on top. Cook for 12 minutes, let set for 20 minutes. Flip it over and theres lots of chocolate lava! Best served with vanilla ice cream. You might want to try this sometime.

Pondside said...

You are a dear, sweet grandma! Those little girls will have wonderful memories of fun times with you.

Stef said...

Now all you needed was Shark boy. (aka Jacob from the Twilight series.) Believe me, I have seen that movie...Shark boy and Lava Girl.

Unknown said...

Love that you call them Grandlittles, and I love your hot lava cake! They're awfully lucky to have your for their grandma! :) The red-headed helper looks like you!

H said...

That is a brilliant cake! You are all so creative! Your grandlittles will remember these occasions vividly and with a great deal of pleasure!

Betty said...

You are one fun Grandma!!!

Cheryl said...

The cake is fantabulous looking but I sure wouldn't want to eat it. It's really all about how much fun the kids can have, isn't it?

Kelly said...

You are a wonderful grandma! The cake looks great! Sounds like you had such fun!

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

I was all caught up in the post and its photos until I saw THE ONE of Mo! You should blow that one up to poster size!

I hope Hot Lava Girl had a totally hot day. She looks so happy!!!

Unknown said...

This story gives me all the warm fuzzies :) You have the sweetest grandkids! They just sound so adorable and full of imagination. Btw, I love the idea of them squirting frosting out like real lava. That had me laughing so hard!

You are one super cool grandma for making the lava cake so perfect :) Love the gnome you guys added.

J said...

Your little family is adorable.