Anime Food Re-creation: Kiki's Delivery Service Cake

It's my birthday weekend! Yay! I'm one year older and wiser! I definitely feel older at least. x] (When did I become a "ma'am" anyway? I don't look that old, do I!? D: Haha!) Regardless of my age, I'll always be a kid-at-heart. That, along with my passion for cooking and baking, motivate me to make anime and fictional foods. Which brings me to today's post! :]

This year, I wanted to bake my own birthday cake and of course, I had to make it an anime cake...

Kiki's Delivery Service Cake

So here is the cake from Kiki's Delivery Service!

Real Life Anime Food: Kiki's Delivery Service Cake

To make this cake, I used Trader Joe's Chocolate Cake Mix and Trader Joe's Chocolate Frosting Mix. (Technically, the boxes say "Baker Josef's," but it's Trader Joe's store brand.) For the decoration, I used Wilton's White Candy Melts, Wilton's Red Candy Melts, and Wilton's gel food coloring in Kelly Green (mixed with the White Candy Melts to make the tree). To make Kiki's silhouette, the name, and the little tree, I made a template of the picture, covered it with parchment paper, piped melted candy melts on the parchment paper, and then let it harden on a flat surface in the fridge.

Trader Joe's Chocolate Cake and Frosting Slice

I really liked the cake mix. It was very rich, chocolatey, and moist. I also liked the frosting, which was milk-chocolatey and sweet - better than any canned frosting I've used. Separately, I found each wonderful. Together though, the two were too sweet for me. My parents (traditional Asians who don't like things that are too sweet) only ate a few bites, but my brother (the chocoholic) loved it and inhaled his slice. So I guess your enjoyment of the cake will depend on where you fall on the chocolate-sweets spectrum.

Overall, I was really pleased with how my cake turned out! Making the candy decoration took time, but the final result was worth it - a happy cake for a happy me on my happy birthday! :]