How to Make a Shark Cake

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make a partial-3D shark cake. Perfectly mean and scary for a boy's birthday party! Chomp, Chomp! I made this cake for a 5-year old's birthday. To this point, it is the most detailed carved cake I have done...and was soooo much fun! If you have more questions or comments, please leave them at the bottom. Thanks, Resa

1. Bake a 11x15 sheet cake (takes 2 regular cake mixes) or 2 9x13 cakes placed side by side and 1 Pampered Chef Small Batter Bowl cake (can use a small mix like a "Jiffy" brand, or just use some of the sheet cake batter.) This is the kind of bowl you need:


2. Carve the 'bowl cake' into a fin and head...mainly two pieces for the fin and one for the body/head, but a few smaller pieces will be needed for fillers and the point of the nose. I just eyeballed it and find it hard to describe the process since it just evolved as I went (this is the artistry of cake carving!). Place on the sheet cake using buttercream as glue. If any support is needed (i.e. to hold the nose to the body, use a dry piece of spaghetti).


3. Crumb coat the cake with very thin icing to give a smooth work surface.


4. Start frosting the areas in the colors desired. Use a toothpick to sketch the remaining shark outline in the frosting.


3. Continue to frost cake, building up icing as needed to contour the body.


3. Wait for buttercream to 'crust' (make sure your icing has some shortening content for this to happen). Then smooth all areas using a viva papertowl and a spatula. Use a decorating bag to add details like the eye and shading along the fins. Toothpick in the gills, then spray with black decorating spray to add shading (make sure to cover the rest of the cake w/paper towels while you spray).


4. Fluff up the ocean frosting with a spatula or spoon, add message on the side.


5. The best part: Add the TEETH! Cut pieces of white rectangular gum to be pointed and insert into your shark's mouth. Whah-la! There you have it. This photo shows the invitation I used to design this cake.

Save the Baby Humans!

Yesterday, voters in my state of Missouri, approved the amendment to continue embryonic stem-cell research by creating and destroying human embryos in the lab. Let me first say that I am not one of researched depth or knowledge about the whole process...nor do I write in total ignorance. It simply seems elementary to me...'creating' by copying a human baby is cloning, destroying this 'creation' is killing. AND WE ARE OKAY WITH THIS???? COME ON PEOPLE!!!!!

Millions of people have a fit and stand up and scream to defend the rights of animals being used as 'lab rats' for medical & other research...but we just give a green light to those who want to use baby humans?

I sit stunned in the stupidity of our voters.

The opposition claimed they were banning cloning...when in fact they were protecting it, guaranteeing tax dollars would fund it, and giving researchers further permission to exploit women by paying them to allow 'harvesting' of their eggs. Furthermore, adult stem-cell research is going well...producing results that embryonic research has failed to match...why not keep going with what is working?

Certainly, I grieve for the blindness of the world. May God one day reconcile each person who swims in their own foolishness. Peace, Resa

November 10
I'm adding a quote from Dr. Tony Beam off of Crosswalk.com:

In Missouri, the emotional appeal of Michael J. Fox tipped the scales in a very close vote. Conservatives were put in the impossible position of trying to get people to see past the individual pain of a beloved movie star to the larger ethical question of creating life for the sole purpose of that life becoming a spare parts storage facility for the healing of future generations. Embryonic stem cell research operates off of the same ethic put forth by the Nazi's in World War II Germany. The argument went something like this: "Since these Jews we are experimenting on are destined for the gas chamber anyway it is alright for us to advance the health of the Arian race by treating them like lab rats." It was barbaric in the 1930's and 40's and it is just as barbaric today. The modern argument says, "Well, those embryos are going to be destroyed anyway so we just as well get some medical benefit from them before we flush them down the toilet." It is this kind of perversion of sane ethical thinking that is destroying our culture.

If you would like to read his complete comments, visit:

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/beam/?adate=11/09/2006#1446436