Chinese Take-away cake

This cake has been a difficult cake to do.  Not in the sense that it was complicated but in the sense that the reason I made this cake was difficult.  This cake has been made as a good-bye to a very close couple of my husband and I who are moving to China for two years. When they told us they were moving it felt like it would be ages before they left and there was plenty of time to catch up and spend time together but now the time is nearly up and I am left feeling quite sad.  Its never nice being the person left behind but even more than that I am losing my 'go to' person as I would call it.  The person I call whenever there is the slightest problem, whenever I am stressed or just want a good chat.  These two are more than friends, they are family.  We have said quite a few good-byes with them over the years and we always pick up where we left off but its still hard.

In spite of the fact that they are leaving and I am sad I am also super excited for them.   What an opportunity to work in another country for two years!  My husband and I had the opportunity to travel China a few years ago and we fell in love with it and know that if we were in the same position as them we would probably be doing the same thing.

The cake itself is a vanilla pound cake with a chocolate buttercream covered in fondant.  The lid, fortune cookies and veggies are made out of gumpaste which is a first for me.  The noodles are made out of fondant and the chopsticks and prawn are made out of modeling chocolate.  The pagoda has been hand painted with a mixture of food coloring and lemon essence.