Tabla cakes

Tabla is a percussion instrument (similar to bongos), used in South Asian  classical music. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means "drum".  Playing technique involves extensive use of the fingers and palms in various configurations to create a wide variety of different sounds. The heel of the hand is used to apply pressure or in a sliding motion on the larger drum so that the pitch is changed during the sound's decay. 

I made this pair of cakes for my brother's birthday; he can play these too. The left elongated piece was a chocolate cake with chocolate fudge filling and the short and stubby one was a vanilla cake with strawberry filling. Everyone who passed by these cakes tried to "play" them by banging on the surface. But these are the quietest drums. 
Enjoy!

Thomas the tank

Thomas the Tank cake; from the British television series. This was again a very simple vanilla cake with raspberry fillings. Most people request simple cakes, which is not much of a challenge since I like to try interesting new flavors. The palates of most children in the party are not adventurous about taste. It is amazing that the child who is open to exploring new worlds is averse to trying a second bite of a delightful new dessert flavor. On the contrary---- the taste of that dirty object picked off the floor---- now that’s yummy!!!

So could I interest a child in a funky mango-passion fruit filling?? I think I could............... I think I could………….