Baby Juliet is 100 days old!
We recently had a very small family party to celebrate, and of course I had to make a cake.
What is the Chinese 100 Day Celebration?
In our family, we typically throw a big party for a baby’s 100th day, complete with Chinese banquet food, red envelopes, and potentially rubbing a red egg on the baby’s head. Some families do this party at the baby’s one month birthday, some do it at one year, but I quite like the timing of ours at 100 days. By the end of the “fourth trimester,” I’m ready to celebrate.
Obviously, this being pandemic times, we couldn’t go all out with a banquet. Poor Juliet, already experiencing second child hand-me-downs and now not even a party. I was mostly disappointed we wouldn’t get to recreate Jemma’s Crazy Rich Asian photoshoot.
Anyway, we still had fun ordering Chinese takeout, getting dressed up, and eating my homemade cheongsam cake!
How to Make a Cheongsam (Qipao) Cake
About that cheongsam cake – it’s actually quite easy. I just used a box mix from Trader Joe’s baked in three 6″ round cake tins. I frosted it with American buttercream dyed pink: 3 sticks butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, 3 tbsp milk, and 1 tbsp vanilla. It was the perfect amount.
To make the cheongsam (or qipao, if you speak Mandarin) cake decorations, I used 4 oz. of store-bought pink fondant. Roll out the fondant into a rectangle roughly 13 inches long and 1 inch tall. I used a knife and a ruler to cut out straight edges. Then, fold the rectangle in half and free-hand cut the curved angle of the mandarin collar. Next, arrange the collar into a circle and place on top of the cake. Use the remaining scrap fondant and roll it into a thin rope. Make two figure 8’s for the “buttons” and then use the remaining rope to line the collar and the center “seam” of the cake. Voila!
Okay, I know my frosting and fondant work is a little sloppy, but I literally did some of this one-handed while holding Juliet, so cut me some slack. Or better yet, cut me some cake!
Happy 100 Days, Juliet!