Do you all make birthday cakes or are you a shop bought hussy like myself?

[oliveoil]

I did once and it looked like someone had sat on it.

Feel the need to make one for dd1.

But she wants a fairy/princess/ballerina/pink one and it would be v easy to toddle into m&s and buy one.

I make my own. Partly because it tastes better, and isn't full of artificial things. Also because ds wants the sort of things you can never buy (e.g. an octopus, a train which isn't Thomas the Tank Engine, a fire engine).

DD's first birthday I paid somebody to bake one (in my defence I flew in from Italy the night before so couldn't make it).

DDs second birthday I took the day off work and made one. Buying the tins, mixes, colourings, marzipan, icing, non-stick cake spray etc et cost more than cake #1 but it was amazing. Even my mother was gobsmacked. I did pebbledash the kitchen with cake mix and break the mixer, but everybody was suitably impressed (gingerbread house).

DDs third birthday it was nearly 40' in Australia so she got an ice cream cake with noddy on the top. Impossible to home make and doubled up nicely as pudding.

olive have we persuaded you to bake yet?

I bought one from m&s for ds 1st birthday but felt really embarrassed whenever anyone said oooh what a lovely cake as I couldnt take any credit!

IN the process of making one tonight!

For dd1, 4 today (party tomorrow).

Cake is baked and cooling as I type, will metamorphose into a fairy toadstool house tomorrow morning.

(Or it will hit the bin and I will dash to sainsbo's for a replacement. Never happened yet, but there's always a need for a plan B!)

I bake them now - previously from 30 minute kids cakes and this weekend am making a fairy castle cake for dd1 - They always look completely amateurish, but the children think they are brilliant!