R2d2 and (Surprise) Rainbow cake

We were asked by a good friend to make her daughter's 10th birthday cake. At first, we were asked to make a simple vanilla sponge cake with a sloppy butter cream finish... but with a twist: the inside has to be rainbow-coloured.  The topper was to be a PRAYING MANTIS! Not one to back off from a challenge, we resorted to praying - that we would somehow find a way through it.

Fortunately, we were given several weeks to plan for it (hint: if you want best results, give us lots of time). Unfortunately, it also meant lots of time to change their minds... LOL! The praying mantis became R2d2 instead. Now we weren't quite sure whether this was good news or otherwise.

After many days of procrastination (please, this is a very NECESSARY stage of the process, ask any artist!), we caught a glimpse of hope, when Kenneth found a downloadable blue print of the fictitious animated droid. And then, hearts sank when we realized the detailed work it required!

After Kenneth had made the foam-filler (the topper would take forever to dry if it was pure icing), Joy still found herself uncertain about the next step. So, she stared at it for as long as she had to... 

And when finally, she thought she had it figured out, the icing was rolled and worked on:

By 2 am the next day, the foam and the icing became this:

And finally, R2d2. The whole thing:

Yes, it looks pretty grubby. 

The photograph used for this project is one where the droid is actually a bit rusty. 

Here is another shot of it by Available Light Ltd:

And lastly, the final twist to this one of a kind sweet creation - the cake itself... is happy! 7 layers of vanilla bean sponge alternated with velvety butter cream.

 

First, the birthday girl did not know she was getting and R2d2 cake topper.And to top that, she had no idea what the cake was going to look like inside. Too sweet! 

Thank you for joining us in this sugary-sweet journey! 

Love & Peace