After falling in love with the idea of a pink woodland theme for my youngest cakelet’s birthday, I was inspired to create an entire dessert table to display some neapolitan woodland treats. Since I spend days (sometimes weeks) preparing cakes and confections for a party, why not put as much love and care into displaying them? The inspiration initially came from her favourite blabla doll, Prudence the Owl, and her organic woodland embroidered blanket in her crib. I knew, though, that I had to infuse the brown woodsy feel with some pink “girliness.” I incorporated white to freshen it up and give it a bit of a contemporary feel. The sweets on the table that I created, included a 3-tier woodland cake, neapolitan mini cakes, chocolate fondant “N” monogrammed cupcakes (for birthday girl, Neve), pink woodland sugar cookies, vanilla cupcakes with pink buttercream swirls and fondant flowers, and raspberry cheesecake brownies (from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook). My gorgeous sister-in-law (and I’m not just being cute–she really is gorgeous) Mary, made the chocolate birds’ nests with eggs (sadly not shown in the above photo–darn lens!), and I bought cookies n’ cream bark and dark chocolate bark to complete the woodsy feel.
Lastly, here’s an adorable (and teeny) neapolitan banner I found, at the last minute, on Esty from Big Day Party Shop. Life is in the details! All in all, I loved every minute of creating this party for my little Neve’s birthday. Now, there are only 198 days until my preschooler, Reese, turns 4–better get planning!
Thanks for stopping by! xo
I absolutely LOVE this set up, it is gorgeous!
I just love this whole set-up. Very unique!
You are truly amazing!! Everything is so perfect, girly and fun!! You are a creative genius…..but I knew that all along!!
how awesome! love how well put together it is, i reeeeallly love the mushrooms. just wondering where did u get the little pedestals the little cakes are sitting on?
Thank you, Mira! The little pedestals are “hello hanna.” Their website is http://www.hellohanna.com
The entire thing is really great!!! I love the mushrooms and they look like the real things!!!!
Wow, a beautiful display. That must have been such hard work, but definitely worth the effort.
Well done you!
That is such an awesome cake! I tried to make the mushrooms as well, but I had issues with the meringue tinted with cocoa powder. Do you have any tips? Mine lost structural integrity and flattened during baking, while the white ones were perfect. Did you sift the cocoa powder before adding it? I also had to bake mine an extra hour to dry them out – after 2 hours they were still sticking to my fingers. This is the first time I made anything with meringue, but they still look so cool that I will make them again another time. Have you tried any other shapes by any chance?
Thanks, Nicole! Oh man, those mushrooms. I had some serious issues at first, truly. Yeah, the white ones were usually okay, but even then, some batches were perfect and others didn’t work out at all. I also did some pink and those were typically perfect. The didn’t sift the cocoa power, but it was hit or miss with those ones too. Weird! I couldn’t figure it out, but as far as keeping their shape, I found that whisking the meringue it until it’s definitely stiff enough, so about a minute or two past when you think it’s done (but without overbeating), really helped. I found that the ones that weren’t ready after extra time in the oven, never did work out, and I had to start again. I won’t tell you how many batches I actually made. Definitely keep trying, because they’re so neat when they actually work! I have only ever done the mushrooms, but would definitely like to give it another go with other shapes. They are so delicous! My husband, who never eats dessert, ate them like chips at night. He literally couldn’t resist. Good Luck!
Thanks Rosie,
I tried another batch again last night but changed up the ingredients. I didn’t heat up the mixture at all, but rather I beat the egg whites and gradually added in half the sugar a tablespoon at a time. After they were stiff I sifted in some powdered sugar and folded it in. I left out the vanilla and added some cocoa powder as well. It definitely held up better in the oven, but still took 4 hours to bake. However, in comparison to Martha’s recipe, the changes i made left a lot of air bubbles in the mixtures which left the mushrooms not looking so great, but crisp and better tasting. I will probably have to make them a few more time before I find the perfect balance of ingredients. What did you add to your mushrooms to make them pink? That’s odd that only those would come out ok. Hmm, maybe I should just stop by my local baker and ask for some tips!
Cheers!
THIS IS SO GREAT!!!!
Your Mushroom cake is one of the cutest I have ever seen!
I hope you dont mind I posted it on my blog, but I had to share!!!!
Thanks so much, Carmen! I look forward to reading more of your blog!
This is so tastefully done. Nice job!
What a stunning display! Just found your blog through Tastespotting, love it!
Thanks so much, everyone!
Gasp – I’m in love with everything, absolutely everything!!!
:)
ButterYum
PS – that mushroom cake is to die for, and the mini monogrammed cakes… too cute!!! Fabulous, fabulous!!!
:)
ButterYum
oh my gosh this is absolutely gorgeous
i love the entire theme… from the colors to the amazing detail that went into everything! just amazing! it belongs in a magazine!
xoxo,
kim
http://www.lovintheoven.com
i squealed with delight at this set-up!
amazing, amazing! i’ve tried those martha meringue mushrooms before too! but you took them to the next level with the underlay! :)
neve is soooo lucky!
Thanks so much, Lyndsay! I love your work too!
Hola!
yo te escribo desde Colombia, me encanta visitar tu blog y ver tus trabajos tan profesionales! todo lo que haces es BELLISIMO, yo estoy en proceso de aprendizaje.Quiero preguntarte si me puedes guiar ayudandome con una cubierta de chocolate flexible.LLevo un buen tiempo averiguando como cubrir pasteles con masa de chocolate pero no se la formula, me puedes ayudar?
Un abrazo y toda mi admiración
Adriana
This is gorgeous!!! I LOVE the mushroom cookies!!! And all the monogrammed details are really cute!
Thought I’d share – I’m making neapolatin cake this weekend (for my own 25th bday)- and I’ve been looking for an excuse to make martha’s mushrooms, so I’m putting them together like you did here. I’m going to do pink frosting instead though for added whimsy. Thanks for the idea! I love your site.
WOW that is the first word that came out of my mouth when i saw this! and then BRAVO! thats why when i need inspiration for my cakes i run to this website. may i ask how long did you made everything? i somehow am ‘dreaming’ of having one for my little girl’s birthday party.
keep on creating! very good job!
Very cute. I’m trying to come up with ideas for my little guy’s 1st birthday – I have no clue what to do! :) It’s exciting though. :) Love your table.
Hi Rosie, do you have the link for the mushroom recipe? This party is beyond goregous!! x
Hi Laura,
Thanks so much and sure thing! Here it is (from Martha Stewart): http://www.marthastewart.com/312868/meringue-mushrooms
Thanks so much!! :)
This content was very usefull for me, i like your post..