Shyla's Little Pony

Shyla's 5th birthday was quickly approaching, and her mother wanted to surprise her lovely and sweet daughter for her birthday.   Luckily, Shyla's love of all things My Little Pony related proved to be an inspiration for her mom.  A My Little Pony cake was the answer:  she requested a yellow (vanilla) cake, filled with chocolate frosting and decorated with a My Little Pony theme, with lots of pink and green on the outside.  But most important of all, the topper on the cake was to be a custom-designed version of My Little Pony's Princess Celestia.  

I had heard of My Little Pony, but I really didn't know much about it.  A quick look online and I found lots of little ponies with somewhat short and stubby legs and big, brightly colored hair.  It made me think of the 1980's (not in a good way, if you know what I mean), but I digress.  But I learned there are lots of ponies with different personalities, and each one has a unique identifier or brand on its hind quarters.

Today, as is the case for many toys, there are cartoon and website tie-ins and new characters (My Little Pony has been around for many years, and they've modernized the image).  A fairly recent introduction is the character Princess Celestia, who is a grand pony with wings and a crown.  She's taller than the other ponies too, with much longer legs  -- though that brightly colored big hair is still there.

Shyla's mom came up with the idea for a special, custom version of Princess Celestia for Shyla's cake, based on things Shyla liked.  Specifically, she wanted a Princess pony in turquoise with pink and white hair, with a brand on its hind quarters that looked like cotton candy on a white paper cone.  

After baking and filling the cake, I covered it with bright green swiss meringue buttercream and made icing "grass".  I then decorated the cake with pink, purple and white flowers made of fondant.  The Princess pony figurine went on top.  The last thing Shyla's mom requested were fondant cut-outs of some of Shyla's favorite ponies around the side of the cake.  At right are two of the four cut-outs I put around the side of the cake.  Shyla recognized them all instantly!

The final touch on the cake was the bunting or flags hanging above the cake.  Without the words "Happy Birthday", a child's birthday cake is not complete.  Since My Little Pony includes a lot of rainbows and bright colors, a rainbow "Happy Birthday" bunting seemed to be a nice way to finish the presentation.  And I was even more impressed when Shyla took a look at it and read it perfectly!  What a smart girl (after all, she was only turning 5)!

I got a nice big hug from Shyla.  I hope it was a very Happy Birthday, Princess Shyla, and that you have many more to come.