POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_Diane Arbus Cake

2cbw0330_1One can safely assume that my husband’s 50th birthday cake was probably the only cake EVER to have a Diane Arbus photograph painted on it in icing.

And that’s not all. The cake also had photographs by Muybridge, Stieglitz,  Julia Cameron, Ansel Adams, Feinineger and even Hugh Crawford,  painted in gorgeous sepia hues.

Created by Park Slope cake designer, Ruth Seidler, the cake was a vertible history of photography. And it was a smash hit at my husband’s 50th birthday party on Saturday night at The Old Stone House. An almond sheet cake with rasberry frosting on the inside and marzipany frosting on the outside, it was astonishingly delicious.

JollyBe Bakery  is the name of Ruth’s baking business. A former art restorer, she makes all kinds of painted, stained glass and sculptural cakes. For my father’s 75th birthday she created a Matisse cake that was also quite wonderful.

2cbw0417Last night, we had an impromptu after-party in our front yard on Third Street. The kids enjoyed singing Happy Birthday. Then they got to the part about "Are you 1?. Are you 2?   Are you 3,? Are you 4?…" etc.

Finally, my daughter shouted out: "Let’s just count by tens!

And yes, that was a more expedient way to reach the momentous number.