🎼I Can Sing A Rainbow

So, my youngest turned the big 11 on Sunday.....she was beyond excited! When she was 7, her elder sister got a mobile phone, and poor little Emily (aka Monkey Socks) sat in the bath and cried and cried because she couldn't have one. My man promised her through the tears that when she turned 11, she too could have a mobile phone, and so the day finally arrived, after three and a half years of waiting. Last years birthday was a complete wash out as it fell the day after my Dad's funeral. As I was his next of kin, all preparation fell to me, on top of my devastation, and so the birthday fell into the shadows. THIS YEAR HOWEVER, full steam ahead!
We decided to have a Vintage Tea Party in the garden for Monkey and three friends. Of course, after 4 days of glorious sunshine, the Great British weather took a turn for the worse and rained on my bright yellow optimistic flip flops! We'd strung bunting in the garden, bought a chintzy table cloth.....I got a cracking Glenn Miller album, and had rummaged through lots of charity shops for headscarves, to tie our guests heads up in like 50's housewives :) and sang please please let the sun shine! It didn't, so we brought everything inside, and had a fantabulous time anyway!
There of course is the matter of a fabulous birthday cake. Man and I have had competitions over birthday cakes, and one year he was requested to make the cake over me!! Yes, over their mother! What's that about!? I think I equalled him when I pulled off a cracking Red Velvet cake once, but he seems to bake an incredibly good and light sponge. Pfft. Whatever. Soooo, I had to come up with something extraordinary this year, to make up for last year, and to knock him and his Victoria sponge out of the baking water. In blog hopping, I found a great tuition in Rainbow cake from http://kerrycooks.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/rainbow-cake/ and set about it a few days before the actual birthday, as I felt a wee bit anxious leaving the masterpiece until the night before the big day. Oh and how great it's going to be :)) I baked all six brightly coloured layers, and wrapped them carefully before hiding them at the bottom of the freezer. I assembled it the night before, and hoped that there was no leaning tower of Pisa'ness, as I'd read this is one if the perils. I bought gel food colouring from eBay, as I heard that the liquid ones are far too weak and wishy washy, and I must say, they worked great. It was really exciting (like kid exciting!) waiting for Monkey to cut into it and find a rainbow!