By Caroline de Wet
Have you ever thought of having a cup cake party? No, not just for little kids, but for teens. My daughter decided to celebrate her fifteenth birthday in this fashion. She hosted a creative, funky and innovated expression of culinary delights by decorating cup cakes. It was a great success.
This party was not expensive but it had the air of opulence and grandeur that made a simple party feel special. We were well prepared and did most of the work the day before. We planned everything to ensure it ran smoothly. This helped to reduce stress on the day. We laid the table, chose the plates and containers needed and generally prepared the dining room in advance. The table looked beautiful. We bought lei from the $2 shop and cut the string and scattered the silk flower petals over the table. We sprinkled silver cachous (silver decorative balls used on cakes) all over the table.
We baked the cup cakes the night before, whereas the icing and fondant we prepared on the day. We used pre-made fondant (wedding cake icing) that we bought at Countdown. My daughter bought piping bags from the $2 shop and filled each with different colour icing. We had an array of cookie cutters and edible embellishments: coloured sugar, baby marshmallows, sprinkles etc.
It was delightful to see how enthusiastic the girls were to get started. They chatted, created and had fun designing the most beautiful cup cakes. A cup cake recipe book was on hand to help trigger their imaginations.
The girls had hoped to eat the cup cakes for afternoon tea, but after two hours of decorating and nibbling the icing, it was finally time for dinner and nobody wanted to eat their works of art!
I had as much fun watching the party happen, as the girls had creating the cup cakes. The best part about this party (from a mother’s perspective), was that 15-year-old girls tidy up after themselves.
I highly recommend hosting a cup cake party. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate in a very “girly” way. Sweet 16 is the next birthday. What will this special occasion have in store?
My daughter is planning a trip to the Philippines to help street children. She is hosting ‘Cup Cake Parties’ as a means of fundraising for this cause. If you live in Auckland and would like to employ her services, please email wet.ones@watchdog.net.nz
