My name is Jenna, and I am certainly not a professional cake decorator; in fact, I made this tennis racquet cake when I was only 14 years old! (I am now 15) When I was 13, I discovered the TV show, Cake Boss, which inspired me to make cakes, and since then I have had a love for baking and decorating cakes. So I jumped at the idea of making a cake for my cousin’s 12th birthday. I wanted to make it a personal cake; not your standard “Happy Birthday with candles” cake. I knew he loved tennis, so I figured, why not challenge myself by making him a replica of his own racquet?
This cake consisted of four oval layers of homemade chocolate cake, separated by a layer of chocolate ganache and Italian whipped cream. For the rectangular part, which would hold the handle of the racquet, I used homemade rice crispies treats, which I think was a tasty added bonus that set this cake apart from most others. I then covered the cake and rice crispies with a thin layer of butter cream frosting, and covered that with white fondant. To create the racquet, I rolled out different colors of fondant and shaped them by hand into what looked like my cousin’s real Head tennis racquet.
To create the strings, I piped white butter cream frosting in rows and columns, leaving spaces in the center for the black butter cream Head symbol. I used a toothpick to make indentations on the handle, as if it was really wrapped with tape. For a final touch, I piped some green butter cream grass along the base of the cake. Now, it was time to deliver the cake.
I arrived with the cake as a surprise at my cousin’s house, and set it on the kitchen table. My aunt left to go get us some sandwiches for lunch, and meanwhile, my cousins and I played in the other room. Suddenly, we heard a loud noise. While out of sight, my cousin’s dog, Fudge, had jumped onto the table and started to chow down on the cake! We ran into the kitchen and stood there in shock. We couldn’t help but laugh! It was like a scene out of a movie where a dog jumps on the table and eats a family’s Thanksgiving dinner, but it was happening in front of our eyes! Fortunately, we were able to salvage about ¾ of the cake, and it was well-liked by all, including the mischievous dog, Fudge!
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