As it turns out, another cake friend of mine was set to do the cake, but her own son had been hit by a car while riding his bike! Another baker was needed quickly, and I happened to be available.
After a quick consultation with Michael's mother, learning that Michael likes Legos and the color red, I was off to find Lego scrapbooking paper to make the board, pre-made red fondant, a mold to create fondant legos, and a suitable pattern for a Ninjago character--all before the stores closed in 2 hours...............
Bright & early Saturday morning, I fired up the oven, enlarged patterns, made icing, lined pans, cut boards, and baked cakes, while still formulating a plan in my head and while George tried to locate that Lego mold. While the cakes cooled, we made a lightening strike on a local craft store--coupons in hand--to grab the red fondant that I had called ahead about and had held at the register.
I usually think about the logistics of a cake for WEEKS! For this one, I had hours....
In the end, it was sooooo worth the lack of sleep! Michael & his family were really delighted with the cake and so appreciative of my effort. His grandmother looked at it and said, "Wow! I thought it would just be a rectangle with a picture of a Lego man on it!"
The cake fit really well with the party venue, Brikz for Kids in Westlake, where they deal in all things Lego. Even the floor tiles look like blue Lego bricks.
The cake is a modular, head, torso, arms, and legs, and will feed at least 40. The head & torso are marble cake iced & filled in vanilla buttercream. The legs are marble cake filled & iced in chocolate buttercream. The arms are rice cereal treats. The fondant is a mild vanilla flavor.
This was a very special birthday for Michael, celebrated after finishing a course of chemotherapy. If you have a moment, please say a few prayers for him and his family. I'd like to be able to make a cake for his 9th birthday, too.
