I'm Thinking About Cheating

On the birthday cake, that is! 
Our little guy's first birthday is just around the corner -- July 7th. It breaks my heart to miss the big day in person, so Tony and I plan to have a very small celebration. We will head on over to a local Korean restaurant (King's) and then come back to our place for birthday cake. What I really want is a picture of Tony and I with a "Happy 1st Birthday" cake so we can keep it in his photo album for him to see when he gets older. I want him to know that even from afar we were loving him and thinking about him as he turned one.


Back to the cake. There are 3 problems:

1. There won't be many of us eating this cake, so I don't want something too big and expensive. We aren't hosting a big party, it will just be Tony and I and possibly the in-laws, if they're around (it's a holiday weekend after all). Most bakery cakes are not only expensive but sized for a larger group, which is a waste.
2. I have never actually decorated or written on a cake. I can barely ice a cake without having half of it wind up crumbly (one time I had to bring a "rustic" cake to book club because the frosting and the cake were at war with one another!).  Which means the bakery cake might not be such a bad idea. As much as I wouldn't mind learning how to decorate, this might not be the best time (see #3).
3. We are thinking of going camping for a few days leading up to the celebration (over the 4th), returning late in the afternoon on the day of the celebration. That means I'd only have a couple of hours to unpack/unload, get myself and the house cleaned AND make a cake from scratch.

My cheating options include Mr. Duncan Hines (and maybe some home made frosting and attempt at writing on the cake) or a trip to the local bakery. Either way, I always imagined myself baking birthday cakes from scratch and it is doubtful that will happen this time around. Sadly, I can't blame it on the fact that our lives are so busy with a nearly one-year-old, nor can I say it's because he asked for something specific. Oh well, I suppose lowering my own bar isn't the worst thing in the world. And, at the end of the day, there will be cake! And a one year old!