Each year, I take on the most challenging bespoke cake commission from our most difficult customer. His cake briefs are always so complicated and detailed. This customer doesn't really have much of a budget either, and yet his demands are sky high. I would be better off turning him away, especially as making his cake is always such a stressful hassle and we actually make a big fat loss on it but each year he comes back and I agree to do his cake for no other reason than...

him being my son, X-Ray, of course. Ever since my son started actually showing interest in cakes I've been baking for him and with him. We skipped the whole cake smash phase (it's one of my top most detested cake trends). And we didn't even have a cake for his first birthday as we decided to treat ourselves by going away for a weekend to Amsterdam because those early birthdays are really celebrations for the parents getting through the trenches in those early years, am I right, or am I right?

X-Ray, like most other kids his age I imagine, talks about his birthday for more than half the year. A lot of that discussion, unsurprisingly, revolves around his birthday cake. And each cake has been heavily influenced by him and whatever he is obsessed with that year. This year it was Sonic the Hedgehog - a theme I'm properly on board with as I got so nostalgic over my memories of playing on my Sega Mega Drive 2 with my friends when I was a kid!

But before I go into the details, let's have a recap over his previous years' cakes. Just cuz it's a fun recap for me to see how his tastes, and my cake making, has evolved.

His third birthday was smack in the middle of the pandemic so we had a little, outdoor, under 6 people, socially distanced picnic. I wanted to do a big thing, getting all friends and fam together, but the pandemic had other plans for us. Just as well, because I learnt all three year olds need are a bubble machine, balloons and a cake. And that year X-Ray loved A Very Hungry Caterpillar so of course his cake was themed as such.

The following year was possibly my least favourite era - The Paw Patrol Era. OMG. Never have I disliked a cartoon more. Maybe Peppa Pig is worse, I dunno it's a tough toss-up. Anyway, I think perhaps my disdain shows because it's not an elaborate cakescape like the others. And it's not very Paw-Patroley other than the Chase cake topper but that's not entireeeely my fault (X-Ray wanted doughnuts, and sprinkles, and rainbow - way too many themes in one and completely clashing with my sense of aesthetics...but here we are).

His 5th birthday was his first proper big birthday party. And this was Superhero themed. It was also my first attempt at a balloon arch which went disastrously because turns out you either need 3 hours or 6 arms to set up (I eventually enlisted some extra arms and it was finally done by the time we cut the cake hurrah!).

The 6th birthday, now we're talking! Itsa Me! Marioooo. X-Ray's getting into all the retro gaming characters and I'm loving it. It was a close call between Super Mario or Lego Ninjago, and I'm REALLY glad Mario pipped to the post this time because in between packing and moving our entire two decades of London life, business, change of schools, I REALLY did NOT want to be hand-cutting hundreds of individual half inch fondant lego bricks.

Which now brings me to his 7th birthday - Sonic the Hedgehog themed. I shopped and prepped the food for the kids and adults over three days. We had chilli dogs and Hula Hoops (Sonic rings!) for the kids, crudites (well...cucumber sticks!) and hummus, smoked salmon and sour cream blinis and honey mustard cocktail sausages, and a buffet for the adults with Indo-Chinese food (zero-relation to the theme...) featuring Chicken Manchurian, Chilli Paneer and Egg Fried Rice.

I also made sure I blew the hundreds of balloons the night before and got X-Ray to help out with putting up the balloon arch the next morning. He was actually only too happy to and was actually useful!

This post has been fun for me to write. Let me know if your kids are mad about any of these themes and how you celebrate!

Lots of love,

Reshmi xoxo