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Need Cake Ideas for dad's 80th bday

Tepee

By Tepee
in China: Cooking & Baking

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Tepee

Tepee

Posted
Posted

My father will be turning 80 in chinese years come July. If we can straighten out the politics behind the invitation list (soon!), I can get down to planning the size of the birthday cake. Oh, did I say I get to make the cake since I'm the enthusiastic cake-decorator of the house?

Mother is saying that they don't want the word, "sau" (longevity) on the cake, or any symbol which speaks too loudly of long life. Er, that will be like tempting fate, know what I mean? I'm christian, so I don't subscribe to all that superstitions, but I will respect their wishes. He's born in the Year of the Tiger.

So, what am I left with? Peach? Fishes? Mynah bird?

I would appreciate ideas, please. Thank you.

TPcal!

Food Pix (plus others)

Please take pictures of all the food you get to try (and if you can, the food at the next tables)............................Dejah

JasonZ

JasonZ

Posted
Posted

For the New Year, long noodles would be a symbol of longevity ... could you provide a long border in a different color of icing to represent a long noodle?

If you wish to mix religious metaphors, in Judaism, for the New Year, a braided bread (challah) is often made circular, so that it has no end ... perhaps if your border noodle is continuous ...

JasonZ

Philadelphia, PA, USA and Sandwich, Kent, UK

PCL

PCL

Posted
Posted

Hi Tepee... are they traditional? Must be given they don't want the 'Sau' on the cake. My idea is not really baking/decorating related, more like a cake garnish??...

I've seen significant birthdays like 80th's celebrated with small servings of 'Fatt-Kou', you know the little pink ones for festivals and stuff?

Peaches are always good though, and the traditional chinese bats. All say long-life without 'screaming' out the significance.

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

PCL

PCL

Posted
Posted

I like the Jewish theme.

Chinese and Jewish people have a lot in common...

The Diaspora, Family Matters, Wide and Varied Holidays... sometimes I think we're like mutually related Lost Tribes.

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

JustKay

JustKay

Posted
Posted

Maybe I don't 'get it' (but you know I'm curious like the cat :biggrin: ) but why can't you just make a regular man-cake? And write a Happy 80th Birthday on it?

Do the Chinese have 'special' requirements as to what is deemed a birthday cake?

Dejah

Dejah

Posted
Posted
Maybe I don't 'get it' (but you know I'm curious like the cat  :biggrin: ) but why can't you just make a regular man-cake? And write a Happy 80th Birthday on it?

Do the Chinese have 'special' requirements as to what is deemed a birthday cake?

I don't recall birthday cakes at Chinese birthday parties...at least not until we came to Canada. We've only recently started having bday cake at my Mom's bdays...assimilation into the N.A culture and all that. I usually write Sang Yut Fie Lok in big bold red characters. My Mom loves flowers, so I'd do a bouquet of icing flowers in the corner. (one flower for each of the great grandchildren)

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

Ben Hong

Ben Hong

Posted
Posted

Come to think of it, I never saw a cake at a Chinese b'day celebration either., just oodles of noodles and the usual suspects of whole chicken or duck and other dishes.

Tepee

Tepee

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Chinese and Jewish people have a lot in common...

The Diaspora, Family Matters, Wide and Varied Holidays... sometimes I think we're like mutually related Lost Tribes.

You don't say....DH says he's Teo Jew (*sic)!

Sure, birthday cakes are a western thing. Being the youngest daughter has a lot of say in our house ( I wonder why ), so I get to say we need to have a birthday cake. And a 3-tier one at that! :rolleyes: I really want this cake to be very unique. An 80-year birthday doesn't come by very often. Mom wants to keep the guest list as short as possible and it's looking like 10-14 tables already. We did one for mom's 70th birthday 2 yrs ago, and we had problems getting 100 over of the same bowls, spoons, chopsticks we were giving away as favors.

Kew, there is not much requirement in a 'chinese' birthday cake, except it shouldn't be too white, too dark, too auspicious(mom's requirement), or feature inauspicioius number of symbols/embellishment. :wacko:

Many thanks for the ideas. Much as the artist in me like the noodle idea, Jason, I think I don't want to risk having the 'noodles' break on me. Will peaches be too feminine? Perhaps, I should make them gold. Will look into bats, though.

Keep 'em coming! :smile:

TPcal!

Food Pix (plus others)

Please take pictures of all the food you get to try (and if you can, the food at the next tables)............................Dejah

origamicrane

origamicrane

Posted
Posted

light fluffy black sesame cheesecake with a layer of sponge

topped with some berries and dragon fruits.

If you want a safe decoration make it a tiger.

"so tell me how do you bone a chicken?"

"tastes so good makes you want to slap your mamma!!"

Tepee

Tepee

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

LOL! I'd love to do a 3-D tiger (growl) but think of the implications of 'slaughtering' it.

TPcal!

Food Pix (plus others)

Please take pictures of all the food you get to try (and if you can, the food at the next tables)............................Dejah

JustKay

JustKay

Posted
Posted
Kew, there is not much requirement in a 'chinese' birthday cake, except it shouldn't be too white, too dark, too auspicious(mom's requirement), or feature inauspicioius number of symbols/embellishment. :wacko:

:biggrin: Thank you for explaining that.

Now I can contribute some ideas ... :laugh: what about a jade theme? Jades features prominently in Chinese right? Do that fondant thing that you do ... make the cake covering jade-like and maybe then have the small jade trees I often see in Chinese houses.

Or the conch shell - that means good luck.

What about goldfish or carps ... you paint so well Tepee, I bet it will be swell. Maybe a further elabration of the lotus cake you did. Fish 'in pond' (cake top) and lotus at sides. And even throw in the lucky frog. And a couple of bamboo tree.

Oh Tepee .... I found this ... lots of Chinese symbols there. :biggrin:

Hope my ramblings help some. :wacko:

Okay ... just got hit by another bloomin' idea - make a 3 tier Pagoda. Won't that be cool and unique?

Shiewie

Shiewie

Posted
Posted

Here are a couple of ideas from an aunt's 89th birthday - in fondant so it's the kind of thing you do (like kew says :raz:).

This was the centrepiece on each table - old man "Sau" (longevity) from Fook Luk Sau sitting under a peach tree

gallery_3270_962_49697.jpg

- The same "sau tho" (longevity peach) theme was repeated on the cake that was shaped as a giant peach with a peach tree on top of it

gallery_3270_962_31167.jpg

Tepee

Tepee

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

:wub: Thank you, guys! These are fantabulous ideas!!!! :wub:

Psst...Shiewie, can you whisper in my ear who did your aunt's cake? Very interesting work of art.

TPcal!

Food Pix (plus others)

Please take pictures of all the food you get to try (and if you can, the food at the next tables)............................Dejah

Laksa

Laksa

Posted
Posted

I was going to suggest a cake shaped like a white peach but Shiewie beat me to it!

I saw a near-spherical cake that looked like giant white peach at a Chinese bakery once. I think there might've been some airbrushing work done on it too.

Dinner and a Show!
Shiewie

Shiewie

Posted
Posted
I was going to suggest a cake shaped like a white peach but Shiewie beat me to it!

It's the time difference :wink:!

herbacidal

herbacidal

Posted
Posted

If you wish to mix religious metaphors, in Judaism, for the New Year, a braided bread (challah) is often made circular, so that it has no end ... perhaps if your border noodle is continuous ...

Similarly, most Chinese restaurants use circular tables, symbolizing continuity.

Herb aka "herbacidal"

Tom is not my friend.

Seitch

Seitch

Posted
Posted

So, what am I left with? Peach? Fishes? Mynah bird?

I would appreciate ideas, please. Thank you.

I agree with PCL. Peaches and bats would probably be acceptable to most traditional Chinese.

canucklehead

canucklehead

Posted
Posted

I think that this may be an HK-Style thing - but what about a cake with the noodly-chestnut puree filling which would symbolise long life (or does cutting cake screw that up?). Oh - all this complicated symbolism.

When I was a kid - I HATED those chestnut cakes. Now I am older and love them - I don't know where you could get one or if they are made over here in Canada.

Tough Cookie

Tough Cookie

Posted
Posted
When I was a kid - I HATED those chestnut cakes.  Now I am older and love them - I don't know where you could get one or if they are made over here in Canada.

There are a lot of Chinese bakeries in the GVA that make the chestnut cakes. I myself do not care for the texture of the chestnut paste in the cake, but my mom loves it and we always order it for her birthday. She likes the bakery in Richmond that is situated across from Richmond Centre (in the same strip mall as Staples). Hope that helps!

Dejah

Dejah

Posted
Posted
When I was a kid - I HATED those chestnut cakes.  Now I am older and love them - I don't know where you could get one or if they are made over here in Canada.

There are a lot of Chinese bakeries in the GVA that make the chestnut cakes. I myself do not care for the texture of the chestnut paste in the cake, but my mom loves it and we always order it for her birthday. She likes the bakery in Richmond that is situated across from Richmond Centre (in the same strip mall as Staples). Hope that helps!

Hmm, I'll have to place an order with my sister to bring some when she comes in the summer. This will add to her list of wife cookies, gai jai bang, pai dan so, dan tat, etc, etc.

What's happened to member char sui bao? I thought he was going to give us a recipe for gai jie bang? :angry::smile:

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

hzrt8w

hzrt8w

Posted
Posted
Hmm, I'll have to place an order with my sister to bring some when she comes in the summer. This will add to her list of wife cookies, gai jai bang, pai dan so, dan tat, etc, etc.

Dan Tart? How long is your sister's journey? I am afraid the Dan Tart may not survive! :raz: The egg filling may shrink, crack... not easy for transportation.

What's happened to member char sui bao? I thought he was going to give us a recipe for gai jie bang? :angry:  :smile:

Shouldn't we have asked char sui bao for the recipe of char sui bao??? :biggrin::biggrin:

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Dejah

Dejah

Posted
Posted

No problem transporting dan TaRt as she flies. They have always arrived intact, minus acouple from the package. :wink: She picks them up enroute to the airport. The whole family brings max luggage, but very few clothes. Their cases are usually filled with goodies from Vancouver. She even brings noi mai gai!

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

  • 3 months later...
Tepee

Tepee

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

Father wanted a simple dinner...so no one other than our mothers-in-law (no FILs) were invited. Two tables. The menu was posted here.

Since there's not enough numbers for a tiered cake, and, besides, it had been very hot/humid the past month, the family requested a jelly cake, which actually is made from agar-agar and coconut milk, fragranced with pandan leaves. It's the in-thing in Msia at the moment (but mine is ultra-simple compared to those).

I'm quite shy to show this because it's so simple. You can't see from the pic but 'cake' has 8 layers of different hues of green, blue and clear. Inside - and I buried them too deep - swims 8 koi fishies made from agar-agar. You can barely make them out too. Lotus flower is made of white chocolate and as I took the photo, I saw it melting right before my eyes. It was upright and pristine when I made it...sob.

gallery_12248_1544_3716.jpg

However, it was very well-received.

Edited by Tepee (log)

TPcal!

Food Pix (plus others)

Please take pictures of all the food you get to try (and if you can, the food at the next tables)............................Dejah

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