Joyce Gourmet

  My favorite type of cake is the Japanese spongecake.  Combine that with Hello Kitty for a Japanese themed birthday and Japanese Strawberry Shortcake (Japan's spongecake) topped with Hello Kitty, but this time wearing a Japanese summertime Kimono, or Yukata. Autumn, a budding artist, enjoys drawing Japanese anime characters.  She has even created her own manga comic book with its own storyline.  She has a passion for learning Japanese, singing & dancing to Japanese songs, drawing Japanese characters, and of course love for Hello Kitty. So when her mother asked me for some ideas for Autumn's birthday party, I mentioned, "What about Japanese themed party?"  I could teach the girls how to make rolled sushi.  When asked to make her birthday cake, I knew I had to incorporate Hello Kitty wearing a Japanese Yukata to Autumn's request for a lightly sweetened cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Each of the 8 & 10 inch tiers had triple lay...

Hello Kitty is still one of the most sought after characters especially by teen girls, but not to exclude anyone, especially myself.  I was excited to be asked to make a Hello Kitty & Luau themed birthday cake for a friend's daughter's birthday.  The requirements were: sweet yellow cake & super sweet frosting. Got it!  The many detailed fondant pieces took over a week to create, especially because my 3 year old daughter was excited to play with what she thought was "play dough" and I would help her blend colors to create her own masterpieces (not used for the Hello Kitty Luau cake).  Most of the pieces had to be made after my girls went down for the night.  As time allowed, I would add pieces to fill up the cake.  My favorite fondant decoration on the cake: Hello Kitty wearing a red bikini with a hibiscus flower on her head. Once the 6, 8, and 10 inch cake tiers were baked, cooled, filled, crumb coated, the top tier was covered in light blue ...