Life's a beach at 40!

This is a tribute to all those girls who painstakingly cut out and played with paper dolls when they were little.

I made this vanilla cake for a 40th birthday party with a beach theme.  The birthday invitation had a mermaid that I used as a template for the cake.  I cut out her hair, face, body and tail separately then fitted them all together.  Then, I painted her eyes with food colour.  It took a couple of hours, but I love how she turned out.  The bubbles floating on top of the cake were based on a beach ball that was also on the invitation.  

Making this cake was like a blast from the past, except instead of cutting paper with scissors, I was cutting sugarpaste with a knife.  

"The party was a huge success... even the rain went away for a fine evening... the beach was good.  Your cake was also a huge success... it not only looked beautiful but was also great to eat.  Thank you so much.  I will continue to refer friends as the need arises."

-   C Thomson, Brisbane