The Little Mermaid Who Almost Didn't Make It

This is a blog about a cake order that happened so fast I didn’t know what hit me!

I was under the weather the whole week leading to Mother’s Day. It didn’t help that I had orders I had to finish and deliver a day before Mother’s Day. My condition didn’t improve right after. By Tuesday, I got an inquiry about an Ariel (of Little Mermaid) birthday cake for Friday. I hesitated for a while, and I jokingly asked if it is they’d accept a little mermaid figurine instead of a hand-rolled fondant. The client immediately agreed.

And so it was a frenzy from that day forward! Confident that I would be able to find an Ariel action figure easily (we have Toy Kingdom and Toys R Us here in Manila) I decided to rest that Tuesday. Wednesday is for buying the raw materials; Thursday is for baking and decorating. Friday 12 noon is the delivery schedule.

To my dismay, only Disney Princess Barbie dolls are available. They are too big for a one layer, 9-inch round cake. I was running out of time... I need to think of something.

The Ariel dolls available in toy stores;
imagine how  she'd look like over
 a one layer, 4-inch round cake?!

I was ready to pull an all-nighter that Wednesday to make hand-rolled fondant mermaid. Until I was told that another client friend is willing to part with her daughter’s Ariel figurine. It was the theme of her daughter’s 1^st Birthday. She excitedly rummaged through her boxes that she broke... the Flounder figurine. (if it were Ariel, I wouldn’t know what to do) Haaay... 2 disasters averted. I was promised that it will be safely delivered to me Thursday evening.

The 6--year old Ariel figurine, as MMS-ed

I waited for the figurine to arrive before I can start decorating. Turns out, she’s about 5 inches high! Even higher than the cake itself! Images flashed through my mind : how will it stick in the cake, what if it fell and breaks, am going to make tall coral background to get the under the sea fell, etc., etc., etc.) I froze for like 15 minutes.

Then I decided that I have no choice. This is better than a huge Barbie doll on top of the cake.I have to make do of what I have, or else by tomorrow, I will have a cake, but no Ariel. Imagine the trauma of the 6-year old sweetie. And so I started working... Covered, rolled, cut, glued, etc., etc.

When I stopped working, it was 3am. And here she is...

I covered the coral Ariel was sitting on with fondant to refresh the color;
Adi is short for Daddy, which is their term of endearment for
Alexie's grandfather, who turned 62 the same day

The cake details; I always want all sides/angles
of the cakes I make are decorated.

P.S.

A few minutes after delivery, I got a message from the client saying that Alexie was "shrieking in delight" upon seeing the cake :) That made my day and I was suddenly not sleepy and tired anymore.