Rachel is having a Build-a-Bear birthday party this year. The girls are meeting at the mall and they get to pick out the bear they want to build. I had never been to a Build-A-Bear Workshop before. I was so impressed with the idea… wished I’d thought of it! Take a bear that is all ready, except for the stuffing, and create a whole personalized, fun experience to finish the bear with hearts, name and birth certificate. Wonderful!
As for the cake, Rachel asked for something that looked like stuffing and a teddy bear. Well, after a couple texts and phone calls I asked if she would trust me to make an appropriate cake for her party. She said she would.
Fondant leopard coat on cereal treat bear.
My first thoughts were to make something simple. I had just started working again and was going to have to work around my schedule. A big cereal treat teddy bear sitting on “stuffing”, aka cotton candy. I wanted to make the leopard print on the inside of the cake but ended up swirling the chocolate, vanilla and bright pink cake batter together.
I was able to make the teddy bear and bake the cake a couple days early. This bear I wanted to be a little darker in color, but using Cocoa Krispies makes it too dark. I actually found ice cream flavored marshmallows! They came in white, tan and pink ice cream cone shapes. When melted and mixed together it became a golden tan color. Perfect.
Instead of leopard on the inside I decided that I would make a leopard print jacket for the bear and wing it from there once I got the cake put together.
Build-a-Bear party cake
Day of the party… I stacked and frosted the cake early in the day. Then covered it in bright pink fondant. Next came the jacket for the bear, which I made of light golden fondant. Then I painted the pink and dark brown leopard spots with a mixture of petal dust and lemon extract. I liked the look of that and added a bow for her head and a band around the base of the cake. I put a large fondant button on the jacket and the band and for a finishing touch I added a pink pearl necklace.
The cotton candy stuffing would have to wait until later. It shrinks and goes flat if left in the air too long. So, I would be putting the cake together after the trip to the Build-A-Bear Workshop.
As soon as the girls finished making and dressing their bears we headed back to the house for pizza and cake. While the girls were checking out their newly adopted bears, I put the cake together. All I had to do was to pull out some cotton candy and set it on the top of the cake, then set the bear on top. There it is!
It was a fun evening and Rachel and the girls loved her teddy bear cake. Happy Birthday, Rachel!
