The iPod Cake

Last Sunday was Taylor and Keaton’s 13^th birthday.  According to them, they are now able to watch PG-13 movies, have a Facebook account, stay up later on school nights and hang with the big boy crowd when company is over.  Little do they know it also comes with cleaning more of the house, taking out the trash every Wednesday night, tighter restrictions on girls and phone calls!  I guess that’s the price of growing up.  I can’t wait to see how eager they are when they hear all the new regulations!

Anyway, back to the birthday.  Every year I ask each of the kids what kind of cake they’d like to have.  In the past I have made everything from Winnie the Pooh, Rice Crispy Dragon, a Race Car and a Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream cake (ok, I didn’t really make that one but I spent the time to buy it!)  This year, being that they were entering teenhood, they thought they’d like an iPod cake.  A WHAT?  An iPod cake!   They showed me a picture they got off the internet and said (I quote) “Mom, it looks hard I know but we think you can do it!”

Now how can anyone say “no” to a couple of darling boys who believe (still) that their mom can do anything.  Maybe that comes from me telling them I can do anything all the time…but hey,  I am only trying to set the bar high for their future wives!  

So, one week, many prayers and many hours later here is what I gave them for their birthday. It was one of the funnest projects and most satisfying as well.  I even made my own fondant (recipe below).

I made every icon from the colored fondant and cut them out with various objects I found in my kitchen.  I used royal icing to do detail work and put the “settings icon” upside down (that was quickly pointed out while everyone was checking it out).  The cake was a vanilla sponge and filled it with a chocolate ganache and dirty iced with a vanilla buttercream (a layer under the fondant to make it stick to the cake).  Besides turning everyone’s teeth purple when they ate it, I would say this is one of my better cakes to date!  Now it’s upward and onward with many more to come!

Fondant Recipe
16 ounces white mini-marshmallows
2 to 5 tablespoons water
2 pounds powdered sugar

Directions
Melt the marshmallows and water in a double boiler or microwave.  Cover counter and hands in shortening.  Pour melted marshmallow mixture onto counter and pour half of the powdered sugar over mixture.  Knead until incorporated, then add remaining powdered sugar.  Knead until there are no lumps.
If too dry add more water, if too soft add more powdered sugar.

Color as needed with powder or gel colors.