Happy Birthday 100 Times Over!

It is not everyday that you get to design a centennial birthday cake. As a matter of fact usually it only happens every 100 years or so. This year I got the privilege to do such a thing. Being a 4-H Agent (which is my real job) gives me some special opportunities to make cakes that I normally would not get to do. This is one of those cakes.
2009 marks the centennial for North Carolina 4-H. The national 4-H centennial was in 2002 and I actually got to design that cake as well, however that was before I was a 4-H Agent. Funny how that works isn't it? Any how I digress.
November traditionally marks the annual Robeson County 4-H Volunteer Appreciation Banquet and this year was something extra special, not just because of the centennial but there were some history making surprises.
For the banquet we needed a special birthday cake for our volunteers so I set forth to design something, not too flashy, but something you normally would not get to have (okay I was trying to stay away from the standard sheet cake...I dislike them intently and try to stay away from them whenever possible). The original design included three tiers with photo separators between the cakes and photos of our volunteers working with youth between them. After careful consideration of the amount of people (130 RSVP their attendance). I decided that might not be the best idea because if someone accidentally bumped the table they would knock the cake over and that might cause a kink in the program. Instead I used a floating cake stand and designed a 14 inch butter golden base with a 10 inch one layer butter one layer fudge cake, and topped it off with a six inch fudge cake. I figured that was everyone could have what they wanted.
The decorating was fairly easy, white icing with green writing. It matches the 4-H colors and worked for a birthday celebration. I did my best to do the writing on the sides so everyone could see it and finished off with having our 4-H super stars .
cut the cakeIn the photo are Clinton McRae, the South Central District Director for North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, Sharon Rowland who is in charge of the Development Fund, Everett Davis, the Robeson County Director and Dr. Marshall Stewart, Department Head, State Program Leaders, Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family & Consumer Sciences. As our illustrious County Director declared as he cut into the cake, "Oh wow! It's real cake!" Thanks to our volunteers it was a real cake that they took a big chunk out of and enjoyed with their dinner that night. It was a spectacular way to kick off a spectacular night.