My little sister is getting married in a couple weeks.  It’s hard to believe that the annoying little kid in the tankini with the wispy blonde mullet that knew exactly where to tickle me (and push all my other buttons) is a woman who is getting married. 

Thing is, though, she’s marrying the perfect guy.  They’ve been together, in some way or another, since they were babies.  And unlike many relationships that start early in life, theirs has weathered every challenge that has been thrown their way and somehow made them even stronger.  

My sister is smart as a whip and prizes her filet knife like some women value their purses.  There is nothing she’d rather be doing than fishing.  When she’s not making jewelry, she’s scuba diving in an aquarium, where she feeds the sharks several times a week.  She has impeccable taste, always rocking some strange combination of mohawk and leather bracelet and patent leather platforms like they were meant to go together.  She is everyone’s best friend.  Lucky for me, she loves to bake, too, and has ridiculous talent when it comes to laying fondant on cake and making tiny little buttercream roses.  (in case you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s because she has ridiculous talent in general).  

{I’m pretty sure she takes after me in this regard}

Her hubby-to-be is also insanely talented:  he masterminds the science behind knee replacements for a living, loves a good beer and some salsa, and is just, as my Newfoundlander in-laws would say, “the best kind.”  He’s as genuine and thoughtful as they get, and he can keep my daughter Ada occupied for hours on end with his strangely powerful kid-skills.  

So I’m making them a wedding cake.  I found out a couple weeks ago that my sister hadn’t planned on having a wedding cake, decided that was an abomination, and set about summoning all my culinary skills to create one for them.

 I’m terrified.

So I decided to make a prototype to serve at a BBQ where I enticed people with these ribs and the promise of cake.  

It turned out pretty well!

It’s an amaretto flavoured cake with banana pudding between the layers and a banana-almond buttercream.  I used a combination of the recipes from a collection of some of my all-time favourite bloggers, including:

• This funfetti cake from Sally’s Baking Addiction – plus some amaretto and minus the funfetti
• This banana pudding from Annie’s Eats – with the addition of some banana liqueur
• This buttercream, also from Annie’s Eats – with banana and almond flavours added

And I got a whole whack of inspiration from cakes made by two of my favourite local bloggers, Movita Beaucoup and Gateaux Rose.  

I tried not to eat too too much of the prototype cake, what with having to fit into my maid of honour dress and everything, but I totally had three slices.  That’s what tailors are for, right?  And pashminas!  

I hope my sister and her hubby-to-be love it as much as I did.