During this era of Covid-19, one of the biggest struggles
has been trying to maintain some normalcy for the kids.
All moms and teachers have been putting on their thinking
caps, trying to be creative and keep the kids motivated
while also keeping everyone safe.
Personally we have a high risk family member living with us,
and have had to take as many precautions as possible. When the idea
of Zoom playdates came into play, I wasn't too sure how they would go over
mainly because I was fairly convinced that they would be too "zoomed out" by school, that the thought of more "zooming" would put them off.
I was wrong!
They loved being able to have private time with their friends,
even if it wasn't in person, because they were able to
discuss everything they couldn't during class hours.
The mother of one of my children's friends organized
our first Zoom playdate. Not only is she a wonderful person,
but she is also very creative! She bought the girls art kits to
work on together and even snacks!
Needless to say, the kids had a stellar time!
When the time came for us to host our first Zoom playdate,
my daughter requested it be a baking theme.
She is an avid baker and would actually rather watch hours
of "Nadiya's Time to Eat" or "Sugar Rush" on Netflix, instead of cartoons.
I fell in love with baking at the same age and began professionally
baking when I was 21 - to say I was absolutely thrilled by
this idea would be an understatement!
However, I was concerned on how well it would work
via Zoom.
I knew I needed to find the right tools.
After some research, I found this extraordinary kit on Amazon!
The brand Real Cooking, has long been a favorite of our family,
because they truly put so much thought into every detail in their products.
They are extremely user friendly, and truly well-made products for kids to
nurture their love for cooking and baking!
This Princess Cakes Kit is a FAVORITE of mine to give as a gift
to aspiring little bakers and sweet tooths alike!
The design is reminiscent of the ever popular Barbie cakes of the 80's!
This kit is a smaller rendition. I would say it is around the size of a large muffin,
which makes for an extremely convenient workspace for tiny hands!
Any baker will tell you, the proper way to make this dome cake requires
a three tier cake which is then carved to create the domed shape.
The kit provides you with a mini 3 tier silicone cake mold, with the smallest top layer already domed to perfection. The mold also is designed to fit one of two absolutely adorable cake toppers (a fairy and a princess), right through the center of each tier. The fairy character has removable molded wings that connects at her back.
A small white cake pedestal is also provided, that features a small hole
to insert the character post in. This makes it so the
character and cake remain sturdy and stay in place.
What I loved most about this kit is, the fact that the tools are
essentially mini versions of the tools I use professionally.
Inside you will find :
(1) fondant rolling pin
(3) fondant dress pattern cutters
(1) leaf cutter
(1) ribbon cutter
(1) ribbon tail cutter
(2) sculpting tools **one which features a flower
stamp/cutter on top**
(1) rolling mat **that gives you the exact circumference
of the dress tiers labeled on the mat for easy rolling**
They also provide a 4 mini cupcake silicone mold, cake cutter,
mixing bowl, egg cracker, instructions, sprinkles, cake mix,
and fondant mix.
Now FULL DISCLOSURE, I did NOT use the cake mix or
fondant mix provided in the kit for our playdate.
I have a few reasons for that.
One being that, when I purchased the kit for the playdate, I had
very limited time to try it. I found it would be easier to use ready made
cake mix instead, just to make sure it was a flavor the kids would like.
When it came to the fondant mix provided, in the 11 years I have
baked professionally, I have NEVER seen a powder fondant mix. It is just not something I have come across.
We did some YouTube research on the kit, and I found that
many others hadn't come in contact with it either and most
had issues with it cracking after drying.
I assume this came from the powder consistency at play.
Again to save time and issues,I bought Wilton's Fondant on Amazon.
To reiterate, I did NOT personally have a bad experience with the items provided,
I just didn't bother try them for this particular occasion.
I do plan on testing them out to see for myself, but truly I bought
this kit for all the other contents.
I quickly photoshopped some coloring pages with the silhouette of the
characters, so the girls could design their "fondant fashion" before
they started working with the fondant.
Not only did this playdate turn out amazing, but I was also
super impressed by all the children's cake decorating skills!
They took it upon themselves to make shawls, bonnets, and even gloves to add to their creations. They loved working with the fondant & cutters, and truly came up with unique designs.
And of course they enjoyed eating them as well!
We've have done two of these Princess Dress Baking Zooms now.
We even did another with their little cousins, where we made
"Batman Pajama Bear Cookies" & included a read-along story!
I can honestly say they haven't grown tired of these baking dates yet!
In all seriousness, YES it is still a "Zoom session" with kids shouting out in
excitement, quite a bit of powdered sugar mountains, and constantly
reminding them its a playdate and NOT their own YouTube
channel. However, it also introduces them to a new
level of creativity.
Fondant can be intimidating even for adults, but when the children start
working with it, they come to realize that fondant is like edible
play dough. Just like play dough, the options are endless!
My children have loved coming up with new
designs and sharing time with their friends & family
even if it is across a screen.
There is nothing like seeing them create something from scratch
and the pride that shines on their little faces.
It is just wonderful!
These playdates even inspired me, as I haven't baked in quite awhile due to Covid!
That said, stay tuned for "fun cake-ary" for the grown ups coming next!
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