Cakes for My Daughter's Winx Party: Red Ribbon and Iko's Compared

Left: Doll cake with wings from Iko's; Right: Spring Flowers Cake from Red Ribbon 

                  

For my daughter's 5th birthday, I got her involved in deciding on her party cake. For weeks we'd look at pictures of Winx cake ideas online. I originally wanted a single-layer fondant cake with edible toppers, but little Narra had other ideas: she wanted non-edible toppers she could keep as toys after the party; she wanted the kind of icing she could swipe off the cake with her finger; she wanted edible sugar flowers that can be plucked from the cake; she wanted it taller than a single-layer cake - she surely knew what she wanted! I had only one condition: It had to be within my budget of 2,000 pesos.  We ended up with 2 cakes that easily met all our criteria! We got one cake from Red Ribbon  (1400php) and another from Iko's (499php) and I just have to compare the two! 

Narra's first cake was chosen from Red Ribbon Bakeshop's online cake catalogue. She already had tiny Winx-themed figures at home and she asked me if she could decorate her cake by herself (and by that she means that deciding where to position the dolls on the cake will be entirely up to her).  So I had to look for the type of cake that can accommodate her toys as toppers. I was worried they wouldn't stand upright on their own when planted on boiled icing, so I looked for designs with 2-3 layers so we could lean the toys on the sides of the cake (and a tall cake was one of Narra's requests).

3-layer "Spring Flower" cake from Red Ribbon's "Debut" collection
(doll toppers are from Narra's own collection)

                                

I didn't find the cake in the usual "Female Birthday Cakes" section. I looked for options in the "Wedding/Debut" section because only cakes in that category can have customizable colors to suit party themes. We picked the design called "Spring Flowers", Narra asked for a pink and purple cake with green border icing (the border in the catalogue was white originally). The flowers are edible gum paste flowers with customizable colors too. The number on top is made of sugar (and can be delicate - ours broke when we removed the cake from the box, and we resorted to scotch tape for an emergency fix - it held up til the end of the party). The total height of the cake with accessories is around 18 inches. We cut the cake in take-home portions and sent them off as souvenirs - and the recipients were reportedly quite happy. At 1,400 pesos I found this cake reasonably priced for the quantity of cake and quality  of execution. I also love how Red Ribbon staff were so accommodating with requests - they even allowed me to pick up the cake late at night, past closing hours! So I wouldn't have to swing by in the morning. :-)   

With the remaining cake funds available, I was able to buy another cake for Narra - a doll cake from Iko's! Months ago, when we visited their shop in Pasig, Narra saw their doll cakes and asked me if she could have one for her birthday. I found the cake appropriate only for an intimate party because of the modest quantity of the cake. In terms of height, it stands tall at a little over a foot, and offers a visual impact statement (kids and adults alike gave positive feedback). It's nice to look at and captures the imagination of children of all ages. At 499 pesos, it's quite a steal!

The edible layer between foil on top and styrofoam at the bottom.

                               

It's not the kind of cake you should serve to guests though, don't get me wrong, it is delicious! But gaining access to the edible parts is challenging and cumbersome - and should best be done in private. The top layer from the doll's waist down to its knees is covered in icing-concealed foil! The bottom layer (from the doll's ankle downwards) is made of styrofoam. The only edible parts are from the doll's knees down to it's calves - so there isn't much - it's just enough for a small group of people - but it's yummy! The chocolate cake itself is denser than Red Ribbon's, and the icing too - is much more "swipe worthy" than Red Ribbon's too sticky boiled icing. When we took of the wings and washed off the icing, we were left with a forlorn naked doll - the party was truly over. As the saying goes: you can't have your cake and eat it too.  Thank goodness for photos!

Narra's candle-blowing (after we replaced her number topper with a candle)

For the candle-blowing moment at Narra's party, we had a few issues.  The doll-cake did not have any suitable space for a candle, and the placement of the candle on the 3-layer Spring Flower cake was at the front, which meant we'd have difficulty taking a good photo of her.  Our solution? We removed the "Number 5" at the top of her cake, stuck a candle right on top, and got Narra to stand on a stool so she could reach her candle and blow it out while facing her guests. I realize that Iko's offers the option of creating a faux mini-cake which can be "carried" by the doll on her arms, and a candle can be positioned on it.  The Red Ribbon "Spring Flowers" design has a huge flower with leaves positioned on top, I suggest - for other moms who plan on getting this cake for their kids - to forego the leaves, and request instead, that a candle be inserted next to the top flower.  Lesson learned: I need to be more prepared next time - I should anticipate all requirements for the candle-blowing moment and figure out a child-friendly and photo-friendly placement for the candle! 

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In the end I'm happy we had both cakes.  Dealing with both suppliers was straightforward and fuss-free, and both bakeshops were comfortingly accommodating and professional.  McDonald's SM Aura does not allow cake to be served within their premises so the cakes were only for display and photo-op purposes, but we were happy to have a cake to partition off as take away for guests (the Red Ribbon cake) and another cake to bring home to enjoy (our Iko's doll cake). 

The cakes really weren't just for Narra. They were really also for my own mother - who belonged to a brood of 12 children! - she didn't have fancy birthday cakes growing up - that's just the way it was in the 1950's - for the post-war generation - theirs was an age of frugality and resource-stretching home economics.  My mother always has a wistful look on her face, a sense of nostalgia (for something she's always wanted but didn't get).  She made sure that growing up, I would always get cakes for my birthdays :-D  I have fond memories of icing and sugar flowers, and blowing out candles - and on my 18th birthday she ordered a towering cake, 5 feet tall, with lights and fountains - all the bells and whistles! - we had cake for days... I want to laugh and cry at the same time, just thinking about what getting that cake for me truly meant for my mother.   It's my turn now, to pass on to my daughter, what my mother provided me: love, joy, child-like wonder, and a lifetime's worth of memories that comes with birthday cakes.

Related Post:

Celebrating Narra's 5th Birthday: Winx Party at McDonald's SM Aura
http://nikki-mama.blogspot.com/2014/05/winx-birthday-party-at-mcdonald-sm-aura.html