I love baking and I love baking cakes but I never bake my children's birthday cakes, I always purchase them. I discovered long ago that organising and hosting your child's party for 20 AND baking a showstopping cake on the day before the party, is just to stressful and the result is too disappointing.
Some people manage with ease to lovingly bake their child a wonderful cake for their special day, I instead opt to make a birthday Pinata (and I make it well in advance of the big day).
When my children were very little we used to cover a small balloon in paper mache and when dry I let them loose with the paintbrushes to decorate the now hard balloon before hanging it outside and allowing them to pummel it with a child's bat. Over the years this tradition has grown and we have made rainbow pinata's, Peppa Pig pinata's, number pinata's and halloween pumpkin pinata's. My latest pinata is for a gorgeous little poppet's first birthday, yes she may be a llittle small to hit it with a bat but the older children at the party will enjoy it and I am sure she will love to watch it explode its confetti and goodies everywhere. It will also look pretty in the birthday photo's! AND it is so easy!
Forgive me for the lack of photos of the process but this is how you make it:
1. inflate a round balloon - an 18" Round Balloon is about the perfect size.
2. Make up a glue - a mix of water and plain flour until its the thickness of runny custard.
3. Use strips of newspaper, dip in the flour glue and cover the balloon, leave a hole by the balloon neck/knot to eventually pop the sweets inside.
4. Let the first layer dry completely (outside in the sun is ideal) and then repeat. Also at this point add some string to hang the pinata (you can do this by piercing the pinata with a sharp implement and inserting string)
5. Cut strips of tissue paper/metallic paper/wrapping paper etc. Cut a fringe to on one of the long edges of the strips and carefully stick with pva to your dry pinata. cover the pinata starting at the bottom and working upwards.
6. Fill the pinata with sweets and more tissue paper, then cover the hole by gluing on a piece of tissue paper