Bumblebee Baby

Last month,  I hosted a baby shower for my dear friend, Jazzy.  The theme was bumblebees...because who doesn't find furry bugs that sting you adorable?  ...and because they didn't know the sex of the baby yet.  (as in, what will it 'bee'?  Clever, I know)

Jasmine and James actually did find out what their baby was going to 'bee' the morning of the shower.  I feel blessed to have been able to go with them for their 4D ultrasound and see Jacqueline Grace up on the big screen!

So, with the help of Margaret and Jasmine, I decked my house out in white and yellow streamers and made a slew of delicious appetizers and desserts.  We even had the ultrasound dvd running on loop in the living room. 

Jazzy and I both love to bake and be creative, so we knew we were going to go all out for this shindig.  Unfortunately, Jas and I are also both procrastinators and not at all planners, so we had our work cut out for us.  We made white chocolate covered springtime oreos for favors.  They came out so cute (and delicious)!  We made 4 different kinds of finger sandwiches - pb&j, pb&banana, cucumber&cream cheese, and chicken salad.  Bumbleebee and 'J' sugar cookies (J for Jasmine and James and Jacqueline Grace...it would have been James Oliver if it was a boy).

Then I decided I wanted to be super creative for Jazzys cake.  Bumblebee theme, you say?  Then I will make a beehive cake!  So, I googled some images...not recipes, or how-tos...just images of bumblebee/beehive cakes and found some really awesome cakes!  I can do that!  Easy peasy.  I give myself alot more credit than I deserve.

It was not easy peasy.

Did you know that springform pans only hold their form for a few uses?  And then they leak?  I didn't.  Let me tell you what happens when you try to bake a cake in a leaky pan.  First, the cake does not set.  Ever.  Not even a little.  Second, the batter drips into the grill of the oven.  Do you know what happens when batter drips onto your oven grill?  It catches fire.  Yep.  I managed to set my oven on fire. 

Thankfully, Margaret came along and saved the day!  Or at least she cleaned out the oven while I remade the cake. 

 

Springform pans are salvagable if you line the inside with wax paper and the outside with tinfoil and put it on a cookie sheet...so there is NO chance any more batter will leak!  Thank goodness the second attempt came out MUCH better!!

That mishap, and putting too much flour in the sugar cookie dough and having to restart those, set me back about 2 hours.  I may have put the first few guests to arrive to work.  All in all, I'd say the party was a success.   The food was a hit, everyone seemed to have a good time and my house was left in tact.  Score!

 

What baking adventures have turned into mishaps for you?