I’m Rasika, a hobby baker, and here’s my story behind this Monsters Inc cake.
I moved to Canada from India during Halloween. My daughter was so excited and happy to see Halloween monsters and skeletons that she fell in love with little monsters. She didn’t want to leave her monster toy for a second. That’s when I decided to make a Monsters Inc cake for her 3rd birthday so it would be memorable for her.
As I was new to the country, my biggest challenge wast to get to know the materials, brands, etc. used, which are totally different from those used in my hometown.
For the Monsters Inc cake I decided to make rainbow whipped cream 7 layers 6 inch Monsters Inc cake having gems in the middle so when my girl cut the cake, the beautiful colors and gems coming out would make her smile and happy.
Since whipping cream is highly unstable to work with, finding good cream and working with it was quite stressful. Also, I wanted the cake to be for only 10 people so I decided to make it a 6-inch cake. As it was a rainbow cake, I had to bake six different layers six time in a six inch pan because I had only one pan.
For the upper dome shape of the Monsters Inc cake, I experimented baking a 7th layer with a steel bowl because I didn’t have a pan. Finally, I got 7 layers for my rainbow cake. The next challenge was assembling them. As the layers were soft and delicate and six inches in diameter, having a hole in the middle, the structure of the cake was highly unstable. So, I put dowels for supportץ
I arranged the six layers and filled with gems in middle. I used coconut whipped cream in the middle of the cake so freezing my cake was not a good option as cream melts after defrosting. Then came the real challenge, putting my 7th layer which I baked in a steel bowl. It came out shorter than other layers so I crushed a cupcake and filled the gap and then crumb coated with coconut whipped cream. Every minute of assembling the Monsters Inc cake was so stressful and challenging that I was about to give up. The Monsters Inc cake was falling apart and I wanted the best cake for my daughter. At some point I felt like crying. I saw that the dowel was taller than my cake and it was coming out. That was the point I felt I totally screwed it.
I sat on a chair, staring at the Monsters Inc cake for almost half an hour in the kitchen. If I cut the dowel it could totally flop the cake as it was so soft, having seven layers and whipped cream frosting. So I was still thinking how to cut the thick dowel without touching the structure. This is when my husband came and he saw how upset I was and he offered to help. He saved my day and helped me cut that thick down. We cut it with a nail clipper. As this was my first cake after landing, I didn’t have much equipment or materials so I had to manage with whatever I had at home. So the nail clipper came in handy.
The Monsters Inc cake was all crumb coated. I started working at 6pm on 8th March. At 11pm and I still had to decorate and the birthday was the day after!
Everyone slept at home and I started working on the decoration of the Monsters Inc cake. I Colored coconut whipped cream Green and blue, used a grass piping tip for the hair of the Monster. For the eyes, mouth and horns I added colors in white Fondant and made accents. finally my cake had eyes, horns and a mouth, but I still felt that something was missing. So I decided to add legs. Luckily I had cupcakes that I used for the legs. Finally my cake eas complete.
It was 2am! I looked at the Monsters Inc cake and imagined all the rollercoaster ride I went through. I had wanted to give up, but I couldn’t because it was my daughter’s birthday and I wanted to fulfill her expectations and make her the happiest girl ever. The rollercoaster ride was full of emotions but was worth it.
Finally the day came. My husband was the first one who saw the Monsters Inc cake at 8am. He was so surprised with outcome that he hugged me and said that he is really proud of me. That was a really special moment.
On the 9th of March, everyone gathered for the birthday party of my little Monster. When I came with the cake, everyone was very surprised and could not believe that I made the cake. When My girl saw the Monsters Inc cake, she was so happy and excited. I could see the happiness in her eyes. I was relieved. All the struggle I went through was worth her smile. She cut the cake and was again surprised to see beautiful rainbow layers and gems coming out as I expected.
Now it was time for cake testing. I offered a piece of the Monsters Inc cake to one of my friends. I wanted to see his reaction as he and his wife dont like desserts. His reaction was: “You nailed it and you are going to make my baby’s first birthday cake.” This is how i got my first order. Everyone appreciated the taste of the cake and the whole cake got finished in 10 minutes. The funny part was that it was devoured so quickly that I forgot to take pictures of the layers and gems coming out. Everyone was appreciating and enjoying the Monsters’ Inc cake and that made me realize I should not underestimate myself. That little Monster cake boost my confidence. I brought a smile to everyone’s face and my husband was so proud of me. Also, my girl was happy and that made my day.
Don’t Give Up No Matter What
As I am a hobby baker and self-learner, I never took any classes so no one could imagine I could make such a beautiful and tasty cake. Till this day, I only make simple round cakes for my family. This cake and people’s reaction inspired me that I can take my learning to the next level and I started to learn new techniques every day. This cake gave me confidence. This little Monsters Inc cake for my girl’s 3rd birthday will be always special to me. I started taking orders after that cake.. Most of all this Monsters Inc cake gave me a life lesson that no matter what, never give up and dont loose Hope.
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