Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake

As a child, I remember that one of my favorite books was The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The caterpillar eats his way through plums, cherry pie, sausage, etc. during the week until he's plump and sick to his tummy. Then, he miraculously undergoes metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly!


Last week, I was lucky enough to create a cake based on the book for Greyson's 1st birthday!





I just love this little caterpillar. He's so darn cute!

Happy Birthday, Greyson!
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40 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 1, 2010 at 9:30 PM

    Melanie-
    This cake is probably the most adorable cake I have ever seen. I have read that book to the girls many times, but never thought about a cake! You are truly talented beyond words. Congratulations on another unbelievable creation!
    -Kari

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  2. NMApril 2, 2010 at 7:10 AM

    This cake is so cute. How about this for my b-day in Aug. You can even keep the #1 on top, make me feel better. :)
    -Nikki M

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  3. Mozi EsmeApril 2, 2010 at 9:43 AM

    I LOVE it!

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  4. EliseApril 2, 2010 at 9:45 AM

    This is so cute!

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  5. AnonymousApril 2, 2010 at 3:21 PM

    I love your blog!

    How do you stick the wires holding the letters into the cake?

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  6. MelApril 2, 2010 at 11:11 PM

    Lady Ashley -
    I'm glad you like the blog!
    The positioning of the wires depends on the cake design. For this one, we stuck a straw in the cake behind the #1 and then put the wires in it. We used a little buttercream in the straw to help hold the wires in place. That way, the wires aren't contaminating the cake itself. :)

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  7. AnonymousApril 3, 2010 at 9:23 AM

    Thanks! I'd read about inserting wires into straws, but I wasn't sure how secure that was --- the buttercream solves it!

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  8. AnonymousApril 25, 2010 at 9:04 PM

    wow, this is amazing!

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  9. AnonymousJuly 13, 2010 at 10:50 PM

    Melanie, i absolutely love your hungry caterpillar cake. my son's 1st birthday is nearing and i was surfing the net for hungry caterpillar as its his fav bedtime book at the moment.
    unfortunately, i live in Singapore (heard of it?) and i have tried approaching a few bakers here to replicate what you have done..but but but..they are SO COSTLY.
    and so, now i am wondering if it is at all possible for me to do it from scratch when i don't even have any cake decorating background :(
    i wld really luv to see his expression when he sees his favorite caterpillar on his cake..
    cld you drop me an email? stace (stacy_yx@yahoo.com)

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  10. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010 at 4:15 PM

    GREAT CAKE!!

    WHAT SIZE CAKE PANS DID YOU USE? CAN YOU EMAIL ME BACK AT GRAHAMNICOLE@ROGERS.COM

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  11. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2010 at 5:21 AM

    What do you use for the coloured balls, does the colour not run? Absolutely love the cake!

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  12. MelanieSeptember 27, 2010 at 8:37 AM

    The colored balls around the base of each tier are gumballs! :)

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  13. MichelledesoleilNovember 8, 2010 at 10:43 PM

    I just stumbled upon this blog, as i am looking to make this exact cake for my daughters first birthday! You did an amazing job recreating the images from the book! I am definately going to try to make this cake for her birthday, but really am unsure where even to start! I love to bake and have been watching alot of the cake / cupcake shows on tv lately. Im trying to keep my costs down, can you shoot me an email with some thoughts or comments! Thanks so much & hopefully talk with you soon!

    ~Michelle ( Michmajeski@hotmail.com)

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  14. AnonymousJanuary 3, 2011 at 5:28 PM

    Melanie,
    I love this cake! My son is turning one at the end of this month and wanting to make a similar cake. All the cake shops around here won't do anything like this cake so looks like I'm going to be doing it myself. Can you email me on where to start? I have no prior cake knowledge but I would love to give it a try. My email is sesjmw04@wowway.com. Hope you talk to you soon!
    Sarah

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  15. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    Hello Melanie!
    Your Hungry Caterpillar cake is absolutely adoreable!! I'm wondering if you have any tips to help me make something similar for my son's 1st birthday next weekend? My email is
    amy.484@hotmail.com
    Any advice would be ever so much appreciated!
    Amy :)

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  16. AnonymousFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    Hi Melanie,
    I LOVE this hungery caterpiller cake and would like to try to make it for my daughters 1st birthday - her whole bedroom theme is the very hungery caterpiller so its only right her first cake continues the theme!
    Anyways I have NO cake decorating experience and would really really appreciate your advice / instructions on how to make the caterpiller, butterfly etc.
    my email is fretwellsp@yahoo.com.au
    Thank you so much - you are very tallented.
    Regards Shona

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  17. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2011 at 3:41 AM

    Hi Melanie,

    What an amazing cake!!! I would love to have a go at making it, although I know I will not be able to do it as much justice as you!! Could you please email me all you can to help, recipe, caske size, templates or hints on making caterpillar etc! I would be very very grateful as it is my sons birthday soon and he loves the Hungry Caterpillar so much!!

    Many thanks,

    Sarah
    mkbradybunch@aol.co.uk)

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  18. UnknownFebruary 16, 2011 at 2:14 PM

    Oh my GOD i love his hungry caterpillar cake!!!! I would like to try to make it for my friend's daughters first birthday!!! Do you mind sending me instructions on how to make this cake and where to buy the products? THank you!

    Mazozeh@gmail.com

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  19. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2011 at 3:47 PM

    Hi Melanie,
    As all of the previous posts have said...this truly is a wonderful cake. My very good friends have asked me to bake their sons first birthday cake to which I am truly honoured and this would be just wonderful. Would you be so kind to e-mail me details of where to start and any helpful tips you may have. Many Thanks in advance. Marie ( ashby_marie84@hotmail.com )

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  20. AnonymousMarch 1, 2011 at 8:23 PM

    Hi Melanie,

    You have an amazing talent! I was looking for ideas for my son's first birthday cake and came across your blog. I am blown away at how creative and detailed you are. I saw that you got your PhD in biomedical research and am amazed at your artistic ability. I love to bake but have never tried fondant. Would you email me tips on how to work with it. I would like to
    "try" to make this cake for his birthday along with a remote control cake just for him. He is always hiding our remote controls and loves them :). My email is Anna.Gabara@hotmail.com. I look forward to seeing what you create next! Thank you very much!

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  21. AnonymousMarch 5, 2011 at 3:08 PM

    Hi Melanie
    Your cake is fantastic the work and imagination you put into makes it look amazing.This is exactly what i have been looking for.Please could you email me the ingredients and instructions if possible.williams.lee14@sky.com

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  22. UnknownMarch 6, 2011 at 10:58 AM

    hiya just seen pictures of this cake when searching and its amazing i would love to have a go at making it for a birthday party can you email me any tips etc especially as i have never done anything like this before. thanks charlotte
    sanderson_charlotte@hotmail.com

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  23. ChristinaMarch 12, 2011 at 6:57 PM

    Happy Friday Melanie!
    I MUST say you are truly GIFTED in this area and it shows through all of your work on this blog! I'm a new stay at home mom to an already almost 1yr old (they grow up so fast!) So with her being my first I want to throw her an AWESOME 1st b-day party! I've picked up learning how to make/decorate cakes in preparation and I've seen your lovely cake 2x's now! (1st on cakecentral) This is without a doubt the cake I want to recreate for her big day! Please please Please if you could help me out with at least the BASICS or whatever you are willing to share that would be a GREAT start for me! Im SUPER excited & cant wait to start experimenting before the big day!

    Thanks in Advance!
    Christina
    cmlewis1224@gmail.com

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  24. AnonymousJune 3, 2011 at 2:05 AM

    What an amazing cake Melanie.

    Of all the cakes I have seen this one and your ladybug cakes are the best. I have a few questions in relation to your hungry caterpillar cake. Firstly what is the caterpillar made from and how was it attached to the cake? Also did you hand paint the caterpillar and food pieces?

    Looking forward to your reply and keep up the amazing work, truely inspirational.

    Amanda
    wilsons@rawbasics.com.au

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  25. Catherine PerksJune 5, 2011 at 4:43 PM

    This is the most amazing cake I think I've ever seen! I totally agree with all the comments made - you really are very gifted. My daughter's 1st birthday is just around the corner and I was thinking about doing The Hungry Caterpillar theme - now I know that's what I'll do! I have no real experience in baking so I was wondering if you could email me the details of this wonderful cake - just to get me started? Mainly I would like advice on how you recreated the fantastic caterpillar! Thank you fo sharing this wonderful design! Catherine
    Catherine.perks@hotmail.co.uk

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  26. AnonymousJune 24, 2011 at 8:13 PM

    Hi Mel,
    I was surfing the net for ideas on a Very Hungry Caterpillar cake. Your cake is the best I have seen. I want to be able to recreate it, but I do not have any experience in sugar art. I would be very grateful for anything that you can share with me as far as when to start making the different items and how to make it stick to the fondant. Thank you.

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  27. AnonymousJune 25, 2011 at 7:51 AM

    This cake is so fabulous!

    My sister is expecting her first baby at the end of this month and I thought I would make a cake for the christening/naming ceremony. This would be perfect as she is making all the soft furnishings for the nursery in this theme.

    I have some experience of cake making and decorating, but would appreciate some guidance on cake sizes and the products used to make such a brilliant creation!

    All help would be very welcome if you have a spare few minutes.

    Thanks in anticipation

    Sam
    samanthaclark_2000@yahoo.co.uk

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  28. AnonymousJuly 1, 2011 at 9:53 AM

    I too love this cake. I want to re-create it for my nephew's 1st birthday coming up this July. I have questions about the caterpillar on the cake. Is that made from fondant? And I'm assuming the circles and the one on top are gum paste?

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  29. MelanieJuly 7, 2011 at 2:33 PM

    Yes, this cake was covered with fondant and all the decorations you see are fondant. If you've never worked with fondant before, it's just like an edible play dough. Mold the shapes you want, apply a little water to the cake, and stick them on! I inserted toothpicks into the cake for extra hold on the bulkier items (like the caterpillar).

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  30. AnonymousJuly 11, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    First of all, let me say that this cake is amazing! I just received an order for a cake very similar to this one. Can you tell me what size of pans you used? You are very talented!

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  31. AnonymousJuly 14, 2011 at 8:49 AM

    Melanie, what a awesome cake! I'm attempting this design this Friday for my nephew who's also Grayson! He's turning 1. I've worked just a few times with fondant. Where I get anxiety is mixing the colors for the fondant. I'm stressed about making the 3 different greens. Can you give me any pointers and also any pointers about making the butterfly in swirled colors.

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  32. AnonymousJuly 24, 2011 at 10:50 AM

    Hi Melanie, Where are you based? I would love to buy this cake for my son's first birthday in Oct.-many thanks in advance.

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  33. MelanieJuly 26, 2011 at 8:44 AM

    I'm based in Tampa, FL. If you'd like to order a cake, my contact information can be found at www.phdserts.com. Thanks! :)

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  34. MelanieJuly 26, 2011 at 8:46 AM

    Many people email me/leave comments asking tips about this cake so I'll just post them here for you!
    -The cakes are 6- and 10-inch round tiers covered in white fondant.
    -The caterpillar and other decorations are made with fondant and attached to the cake tiers with a little water/clear alcohol.
    -To make the swirled colors of the butterfly, simply take 2 different colors of fondant and knead them together until it looks marbled.
    -And the round balls around the base of each tier and on the top of the cake are gum balls! :)

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  35. AnonymousJuly 26, 2011 at 6:34 PM

    Could you please tell me the ingredient quantities for your 10 inch pan. Many thanks Adele

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  36. AnonymousSeptember 2, 2011 at 3:24 PM

    Melanie, this cake is adorable! I have a few questions for you - I also sent you an e-mail with the same questions. You said you made the caterpillar out of fondant - would you recommend doing that rather than using gum paste? Did you make the caterpillar the same day that you attached it to the cake, or did you make it ahead of time and give it time to dry? If you made it ahead of time, how did you store it? How far in advance did you cover your cake in fondant? Thank you so much Melanie!!!! -
    Courtney

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  37. DJ Jazzy JeffOctober 14, 2011 at 7:01 AM

    Hi, LOVE the cake!

    Could you tell me how much fondant you used and how far in advance you made all the pieces?

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  38. AnonymousNovember 21, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    Wow!! What a wonderful cake!!!! You are extremely talented.

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  39. AnonymousNovember 21, 2011 at 4:14 PM

    Wow this cake is wonderful . Its the best very hungry catepillar cake I've seen. My sons birthday is coming up quickly (dec 4th) ad I would love to try and do this. I have no experience really so I would love any tips and how toos you would be wiling to offer. They would be very much appreciated! My email is bartzinc@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you soon . Thank you so much for your time. Take care and God Bless,
    Sarah

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  40. AnonymousDecember 2, 2011 at 11:52 PM

    This cake is awesome and is the inspiration for the cake I am making for my sons first birthday party! I am almost done, although mine is nowhere as good as yours, I thank you for posting this to help me on my way!

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