Corona-themed cake

Annie Voorhees, on left and brother Dayton, on right, celebrate Annie’s 11th birthday with a coronavirus-themed cake made by dad Coert. 

For special occasions, Coert Voorhees loves to bake cakes for wife Molly, son Dayton and daughter Annie. Deciding on a theme for Annie’s 11th birthday cake was challenging with the unusual circumstances surrounding her special day. He was inspired when a friend sent him a photo of their family calendar – their first-grader had put Xs on all their fun planned events and remarked that “stupid Covid ruined everything.” As far as Annie’s 11th birthday plans, this hit home. Spring Break was cancelled; their Disney cruise plans were cancelled. So Coert decided to bake that idea into a cake. He replicated the structure of the coronavirus in red and gray fondant, including the club-shaped spikes that give the virus its distinctive, crownlike appearance. He set the fondant virus on top of a circular cake that he decorated as a calendar and then wrote “Happy 11th Birthday Annie!” in bright pink icing. The cake was a hit. Pictured are Annie (on left) and Dayton (on right), all smiles with the coronavirus-themed cake. For more on creative cakes during quarantine, see "Baking in Place: Baking Rises During Stay-at-Home Order" by Jennifer Oakley.

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