Mission Accomplished!

After six hours of baking on Saturday, four hours of decorating on Sunday, recruiting Spencer to sift powdered sugar and help with load after load of dishes... operation mega-huge-red-velvet-baby-shower-cake was a success! { And a blast, too. }

The actual cake recipe got more compliments than just about anything I've ever made, so more to come on that later.  But in the meantime, I thought you might like to see how it came to be.

First... the batter.  Five whole batches.  And when they say "red velvet", they mean "red" { whoever "they" are }.  We're talking about an entire one-ounce bottle of food coloring per batch.

{ I heart my KitchenAid. And was glad I went for the 6Q bowl. }

And batter batch numero uno went to make cupcakes.  Portioning with a 1/4 cup measuring cup makes for even results every time.  And using foil baking cups means that the dark batter won't show through after baking like it will with standard paper ones.  { Chocolate cake has that same issue, too.   But you knew that because red velvet is chocolate.  The Great Cake Debate continues. }

After the cupcakes, I went for the actual cake layers - two 12" and two 9".  Portioning with an ice cream scoop here ensures that each layer has the same amount of batter... and thus they end up the same thickness.  It's hard to see here, but each pan is also lined with wax paper on the bottom while the sides are just greased.  You're guaranteed that the cake won't stick!

In addition to the two 9" layers, I knew that I wanted the top of the cake to be curved like real hydrangeas would be.  I could have baked a third 9" layer and carved it into the dome shape, but I've never attempted cake carving before and this seemed like a high-risk time to learn.  Instead, I poured an inch or two of batter into my largest glass bowl and hoped for the best.

It worked like a charm.  But then between 24 cupcakes, two 12" layers, two 9" layers and a domed layer, I ran out of cooling racks and counter space in a hurry.  What's a girl to do?  Use the dining room table, of course.

{ Want these nifty cupcake boxes?  I order all of my packaging from B&G Paper Products. }

Now for the fun part.  Watching it all come together.  Let's start with the 12" layers.  First, the crumb coat.

Then, rose by rose, it starts to look more like something worthy of the occasion.

A few more roses, straws stuck in to support the weight of a second tier, top it off with a 9" round to account for the other cake, and it's back to the fridge to set.

The process is similar for the hydrangea layer.  A blue crumb coat sets the stage.

{ See that great little dome? }

Then blue and purple frosting go side-by-side in a piping bag...

... and a few little hydrangeas start to take shape.

The more the merrier.  Almost there!

Finished and in the fridge.

At this point I was getting really, really excited.

I had Spencer drive like an old man all the way to work.  He knew his name would be mud if he took a curve too quickly or stopped short and the cakes got smushed.  But we made it!

And it was pretty tasty, too. : )  Witness the aftermath.  Spencer's sure glad I saved four of the "ugly" cupcakes for us to eat here at home!

It was a lot of work, but it was really fun to watch it all come together { and somewhat resemble the inspiration }.  Now the only thing left to do is decide what to make with the leftover buttermilk!