This order came through while on vacation visiting extended family in Iowa. There was a new addition to the family. My husband's brother/sister-in-law were blessed with their second boy. The company of family members, great food and the activities of a five year old, a four year old, a three year old and a 2 week old all under one roof surprisingly enough was an amazingly fun time. We had summer on our side with warm weather and sending them outdoors was a great refuge when the decibel rose to a certain level inside. My cake adventures were a popular conversation piece and to my disbelief I had a cake order for a birthday party of a 4 year old. I had limited tools at my disposal and time was in short order, so I chose to go with jungle characters which are always a popular theme amongst children. A mellow lemon cake filled with vanilla pudding was the choice. It was topped with cream cheese frosting and sugar-paste animals. There were two things I learnt from this cake: first, cream cheese frosting melts easily in hot weather and does not hold shape well and second, one can always compromise on tools if you stick to the basics of the trade ;)
