Babushka Dolls!

The big girl and I recently had a trip to Melbourne as a part of her birthday celebration. While we were there we found the most beautiful shop called Babushkas, which sold . . . you guessed it, Babushka Dolls, otherwise known as Matryoshka Dolls.  It was like russian doll heaven.  Here is a quick snapshot.

And that is only a small selection of what was available.  We did take one set home as a birthday present, because they were irresistible!

As a result of this discovery, when discussing what birthday cake she would like this year, the big girl put in an order for a babushka doll cake.  My first reaction was, "Oh no! How am I going to do that?", but when she said to me (very generously) that I could just make a round cake and draw a picture on top, I decided that I ought to make a little effort.  So, after some thought, I came up with the basic design, and then I spent an evening colouring different quantities of icing to create the masterpiece.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a good photo of it once it was finally finished, but this was close enough.  The big girl was very happy and I had exceeded her expectations, so I was happy.  :-)  And Babushka was very yummy - white chocolate mud cake was hiding under all that icing.

I spent the week baking and also prepared a few treats to send to school.  I hear the tea cups were a hit.

The biscuits on the base were Tick Tock biscuits.  I usually use Marie biscuits and spread with melted white chocolate, but the Tick Tocks saved some time and tasted just as good. 

I have a little more baking to do tonight and tomorrow, and then I have a couple of weeks off until the next birthday. . .