Hickory Dickory... watch

Thanks Betty, for the lovely introduction. Apparently Google is smarter than Vic Roads, who reckon it's only 649km that separates the baking gurus - but we know better. It's not about the distance but about the love, and we are definitely sharing the love.

The first chapter of the Book (writing it like that is writing it like it's the Bible, but it's about cakes. which means it's better) is called Story Book Favourites. Favourites, indeed.

The prototype:
Who doesn't remember with fondness the nursery rhyme of hickory, dickory...um, watch. I guess this is designed for the more time poor mothers, who could only decorate a simple 20cm diameter packet butter cake, rather than Betty's next venture, which requires - shall we say - sculpting.

This cake is an adventure in "looks easy but gets messy". Hundreds and thousands go EVERYWHERE... hopefully it's worth it. We will find out tomorrow when my colleagues actually sample it.

I think it worked out well - even though my estimation of "20cm round cake tin" was approximately 3.7cm short. Sorry about the squishy roman numerals, Betty.

xo Martha

Preparation

It's the eve of week one and Masterchef and microwave pudding are providing inspiration for a challenge that promises vibrant icing colours (using much more food colouring than Mum would ever allow) coconut fur, chip lips and multiple barbies with no legs and edible dresses.

I guess this all really started when Martha and I were browsing through the guide for this year's Melbourne Comedy Festival and came across 'Josh Earl vs the Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book'.

Discovering this show set our baking train in motion, (popcorn, smarties and all) even before we saw it. Nostalgic for the colourful party centrepieces of our childhoods, we booked our tickets with anticipation. Meanwhile, the book itself was rediscovered from Mum's cupboard.

A week later, the show itself had us on a high, fuelled by this (and a few glasses of wine) the blog was conceived. It seemed the perfect solution for a friendship, fostered by a shared love of vienna cream frosting, to continue despite an imminent separation of approximately 660km (thank you Google, the answer to everything).

This weekend, preparations commenced. I snapped up a bargain on Glenhuntly road; with the most appropriate retro bowls possible for baking birthday cakes. A title was decided and the blog was created.

Starting with storybook favourites, this week Martha will do the honours of breaking the baking seal with a cake that features a prune.

Time to let the baking begin. Betty x