Yesterday, I went to a fantastic birthday barbecue in Bed-Stuy, the neighborhood that epitomizes drinking before noon. The host-of-honor's girlfriend made this crazy cake as a chocolate base with mocha frosting. Marshmallows, mini chocolate chip cookies, and candy adorn it in a wacky orgy of Alice in Wonderland meets the gingerbread house. I especially like the M&M premiums used and the shiny glitz they add to a cake that would otherwise look like a deviant child put it together.Since we were surrounded by crack houses armed with pitbulls and chain-link fences, the cake was a lovely finish to BBQ ribs and PBR in a can. Naturally, it should look a little tweaked out.
A note on the M&M premiums: they come in mint chocolate, chocolate almond, raspberry almond, triple chocolate and mocha flavors, at about ten bucks a pound, give or take. That is a little crazy for decorating a cake. If money is no object, they are a great find. Since food on the cheap is an issue in this blog, keep in mind that gumdrops and dragees can be cheaper alternatives. What's best about this cake is that the chaos gives it its charm.
So how do they put that shiny lacquer in the gourmet M&Ms? Guess that's a question left to the mad scientists in the M&M lab who invented them.
