NATYCAKES, yummm!

What is a quinceañera and how is it celebrated?

In Mexico, a girl who is having her 15th birthday is called a quinceañera. It is a combination of the Spanish words quince "fifteen" and años "years".The term may also be used to refer to a girl's 15th birthday party, although this is more often referred to as a "fiesta de quince años" or' "fiesta de quinceañera."

In many countries in Latin America, it is customary to celebrate a girl's fifteenth birthday party in a very lavish manner.

This celebration traditionally marks a girl's coming of age and afterwards she is considered a mature person who is ready to assume family and social responsibilities. It is somewhat equivalent to a coming-out party though these tend to be associated exclusively with the upper class whereas a quinceañera may be celebrated by people of all social strata. In the United States it has traditionally been the sixteenth birthday which is celebrated most extravagantly as the "Sweet Sixteen", however the custom of the quinceañera is gaining traction in the United States in recent years, particularly among Latino families.

Quinceañera Customs:

A quinceañera celebration usually begins with a mass in church (Misa de Accion de Gracias or "thanksgiving mass") to give thanks for the girl making the transition to a young woman.

The girl wears a full-length ball gown in the color of her choice and carries a matching bouquet. Following the mass, the guests repair to a banquet hall where the party will take place, or in rural communities tables, chairs and a tent area may be set up to accommodate the festivities. The party is an extravagant affair that goes on for several hours. Flowers, balloons and decorations matching the birthday girl's dress are ubiquitous. The party will consist of dinner and dancing, but there are also several special traditions that are a part of the celebration though these may vary regionally. The parents, godparents, and often other family members have roles to play in the celebration.

The cake represents the meaning of a quinceañera in many ways, since guests get together to have a piece of the cake as some sort of closing ceremony. For this reason, it's very important to make the right decisions when choosing a cake.

For this special occasion we decided to make a two tier cake (8" and 10"), covered in white fondant, with a silver pearl border colored with silver color dust. The cakes were decorated with 3D red and orange roses made out of fondant and gum paste (matching the quinceañera dress). The flavor was vanilla with a dulce de leche filing in between layers. The topper of the cake looked like a bouquet of roses and we decided to add the #15 to make it look more elegant and sophisticated.

I think that it looks beautiful and, I hope that it taste as well as it looks.

COMGRATULATIONS!