3/18/14

Bear Cake

I've had my eyes on this bear cake for just about two years now (since the May 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living to be exact). So when it was time to help throw my good friend Jodi's baby shower, I knew which task I wanted to volunteer for. ("Uhm, Hi. If no one else is already making a bear cake, I could do that?")

Honestly, for a Martha Stewart-based endeavor, this actually wasn't that hard, provided you give yourself two afternoons to make it and don't skip the step of sifting the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder that goes into the icing. Otherwise, it may take you over an hour to pipe all of that fur onto the bear's body as the decorating tip will continue to get blocked up and you will have to stop every thirty seconds to unclog it and shake your hand out so as to prevent it from cramping.
The other important tip I have is to cut out all of the paper pieces from the template and lay out a paper version of the cake ahead of the time. This will help you find and/or acquire something big enough to put the cake on and yet small enough that it will still fit into your refrigerator. For me, this meant using the largest cutting board I own and then chopping down (manicuring? stubbifying?) the bear arms so that the paws weren't sadly hanging off the sides. 
If you have to transfer the cake to someone else's house, I would also recommend hiring a driver (Gyuri perhaps? Sorry, sorry. Weird Goldfinch reference. I'm in The Goldfinch zone as I have book club tonight and only 50 pages left!) so that you can sit with it resting on top of your lap.

In non-cake news, Teddy celebrated his big nine-week birthday this weekend and got to meet his uncle! Surely you remember my brother Bill from the fish tacos video, right? Well, as you can see, the two of them really hit it off.
OK, back to The Goldfinch... byeee!

For recipes and step-by-step bear-cake instructions, go here!

17 comments:

  1. I've been eating bear cake left-over scraps for days now. SO GOOD!!

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  2. Something about the picture of him in the fridge is unsettling and dark.

    (just finished goldfinch!)

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    1. totally dark! And me too, re: Goldfinch. I loved it, though was hoping for a slightly different ending...

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    2. full disclosure: I didn't read the last 5 pages. I got bored.

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  3. This cake was amazing...can't wait to talk about it to this little guy and tell him how his best friend Teddy's mom made it for him! XOXOXO

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  4. What a cake!! Teddy is rocking that sweater.

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  5. I am so glad Jodi didn't miss out on having a bear cake at her shower!

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  6. Your bear looks possessed, with those orange eyes burning in his chocolate visage. Was it tasty enough to be worth all the blood, sweat & tears?

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    1. Yeah, it was actually really good. Definitely recommend for your next bear-themed event!

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  7. Loved this post! I remember meeting my niece for the first time...so special. And props to the bear cake! Yours is much slimmer and clearly more active than Martha's. I'd trust that cake more. ;)

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  8. That bear is freaking adorable. Well done!

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  9. 1) I admire your ambition to tackle this! It came out adorable.
    2) In unrelated news, my best friend's baby just turned eight weeks and is currently wearing that same sweater as Teddy (Gap? Old Navy? I forget where I bought it.) Teddy's getting big/looks like he is kicking ass at tummy time
    3) As a recent transplant to LA, please direct me to some places I should be stuffing my face? kthx.

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    1. Thanks, Allie!!
      Hmmm... as for places to eat, there are so many! Especially depending on where you are in this giant city. I love Hungry Cat in Hollywood and Cafe Stella in Silver Lake. For lunch, nothing beats Joan's on Third. For cheaper eats, there's Guisados and the ramen at Silver Lake ramen. SO good.

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