Stylin’, savvy, super, SIXTY!
A few weeks ago, my amazing and beautiful mom turned the big six-oh! For weeks, no, months rather, my mom had been talking about, anticipating and almost craving turning 60.
Even on New Years day of this year, her resolutions were centered around walking into sixty with goals fulfilled and new ones emerging. She’d talk about entering her 60th year with gratitude and an open heart, excitement and an eagerness for what’s to come.
So, on a beautiful Sunday in August, after weeks cool weather and rain, the clouds cleared and the warmth of the sunshine arrived just in time to celebrate my mom’s 60th birthday.
Over the years, I’ve found myself volunteering to bake big, elaborate, four layer cakes for various family events, parties and birthdays (including my own). The four layer cake has nothing to do with the amount of cake required for the event (it’s usually way too much anyways), and everything to do with how it looks.
Four perfectly stacked layers of cake, with frosting in between each layer and decorated to my liking, is so beautiful to me that I can’t help but keep baking this same style of cake! I love the challenge of decorating something in a new way, and watching my idea come to life with each stroke of icing or shake of glitter.
I’ve decorated cakes with purple ombré icing for a bridal shower, cakes with pink icing and a (very questionable) pink drip effect on the top for my birthday, and cakes with real flowers and edible glitter on the top, too.
I’d never baked a carrot cake before, despite it being both mine and my mom’s favourite kind of cake. But when the birthday girl herself, actually requested a carrot cake with cream cheese icing, I knew this was a challenge I just had to accept!
This four layer carrot cake turned out so perfectly moist with just the right amount of sweetness. I also made a cream cheese icing to go along with it, but choose to style it as a naked carrot cake, only putting frosting in between each layer of cake, and on the top.
The party turned out to be just as cute as it was tasty. My mom’s mindset on turning 60 was already so bright and optimistic, that I decided to base the party on that somewhat whimsical feeling, and theme it as pink on pink on pink!
I purchased this adorable pink party “balloon”, as well as the “happy birthday” gold-mirrored cake topper, from the Canadian company Joonie & Joe, based out of British Columbia. I got some regular, helium filled balloons from the dollar store to match, and a pink party fit for a 60 year old was complete.
Lots of laughs among family, sweet moments as old memories were recounted and a beautiful smile on the birthday girls face that lasted well after the party had ended. Here’s to your 60th year, mom!
Emily et al 