So, you may know that last Saturday was Reid’s first birthday. What you may not know: when it came to organizing his party, I was one hot mess. Dealing with the massive cleanup from my Reno-cation, tending to Ryder after he took his tumble, whipping up a small party for Ryder’s 3rd birthday, plus handling a backlog of blogging… and I was literally scrambling to throw together a celebration worthy of such a sweet little boy.
One of the most important items on my list – that, through sheer disorganization, I left to the last minute – was the birthday cake. Yes, I know. Hot mess, remember?
But not only did I need a cake (and fast!), I needed it on a budget. Because as much as I believed Reid deserved the best, I needed the best at a very specific price point. Thankfully, a fabulous friend wholeheartedly recommended Custom Cakes by Jenz.
Meet Jenz:
“Hi! I’m Jenz. I’m happily married to a wonderful husband and father. Together we have 3 beautiful children. Not much has changed from my childhood days of baking in my easy bake oven. Only now I have paired my skills of baking with my background of graphic design and multimedia, creating one of a kind cake for my clients. I understand the importance of having that perfect cake to top your event.”
Meet her cakes by viewing her gallery online.
By now, I’m sure you’re wondering just exactly what she came up with for Reid’s birthday. Well, as we’ve always referred to Reid as our “little alien”, we of course had an alien-themed party. I forwarded the party invitation to Jenz so that she could draw inspiration from the colours and pictures.
Here’s the invitation:
And here’s the cake!!!
Isn’t the cake simply smashing? We LOVED its fun playfulness – perfect for a first birthday party. The top tier was Almond Espresso Cake, and the bottom tier – chocolate, of course.
Now this feature wouldn’t be complete without a taste test, but since I can’t exactly feed cake through your monitor, allow me to paint a picture…
After the guests had left, we still had quite a large chunk of leftover cake. Having enjoyed a slice of the espresso cake at the party, I cut a small sliver of the chocolate – just for a taste. It’s well known that I’m not a chocolate cake enthusiast and would rather sink my teeth into vanilla-based treats any day.
But THIS chocolate cake… it nearly made me swoon. Hands down, it was the most chocolatey, moist and delicious cake I’ve ever had. I quickly cut myself a larger piece and sprawled out on the couch, in tastebud heaven. Later, I enjoyed another piece after dinner… and when everyone was asleep, I crept downstairs and had a fourth slice (technically third, the first slice was tiny, k?) while hovering over the sink.
On Sunday, I gave away the remaining small chunk, before my hips hated me forever.
Now if THAT isn’t a testimonial, I don’t know what is!
If you live in the GTA and are looking for a special occasion cake, I do recommend giving Jenz a call. All of her cakes are made from scratch using natural ingredients, and buttercreams are made with pure butter. And beyond being absolutely gorgeous (your guests will ooh! and aah!), they’re incredibly yummy, too!