Home » Sweet 16: Here’s a Mexican Freak Cake!

Sweet 16: Here’s a Mexican Freak Cake!

I made this Mexican Freak Cake in honor of CraftyChica.com’s 16th birthday! It was May 2001 here in my Phoenix home that I officially launched my site and started sharing crafty ideas. I always had the mindset “I love doing this so much, I’ll keep going until people make me stop!” And here it is 16 years later. Wow – who would have thought it would not only still be going strong, but thriving! I used to work on it late at night after my family went to sleep. Now it’s my full-time gig!

I hadn’t planned to do anything for the date, tradition dictates that we stick with intervals of five. I missed my Crafty Chica quince party, so I assumed I’d wait for the big 2-0. But through a series of emotional events (if you follow my Instagram Stories, you’ll know what I’m talking about!), I hired my first ever virtual assistant – Tennille Martinez, a wonderful woman I met years back at the Chica Lit conference. This is our first week working together and I told her about the anniversary and the possibility of a press release – and she responded with the idea of a Sweet 16 theme!

That’s all I needed to get going! Thank you, Tennille!

While she worked on the press release, I did what I do best – I got crafty! My original idea for this post was to share “16 Things I Learned in 16 Years.” I looked through my online photo service for a stock photo of a birthday cake and then realized I needed to get my butt off the chair and go buy a special cake.

A Mexican birthday cake for my Sweet 16! I went to Ranch Market and after much nail-biting decision making, I selected this Chocolate Tres Leches beauty.

Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

I didn’t stop there. As usual, my mind went into overdrive.

Have you heard of Freak Shakes and Freak Cakes? It’s a trend that started in London, Australia, and then New York City, a local ice cream shop made these crazy over-the-top epic shakes. Then, of course, it spilled over in DIY land. Here is a recent Freak Shake my friend, Jennifer made!

By Jennifer Priest of SmartFunDIY.com.

BOOM! Idea! Why not make a Mexican version of a Freak Cake? As far I can see, it hasn’t been done.

You can search online for “freak cake” to see all kinds of crazy ideas. The idea is to take a basic cake and load it up with goodies. Like this Fried Chicken and Waffles Freak Cake. Check out this round up of awesome Freak Cakes!

By Church of What’s Happening now: http://churchofwhn.blogspot.com/2016/08/hey-freak.html

Deep breath.

I can’t think of the last time I got so excited! I bought a variety of Mexican pan dulce and even some Mexican candy.

I also asked the baker for some roses. If your local baker doesn’t have them, you can try a cake decorating store. You can’t have a Mexican Freak Cake without red roses, right?

I started by inserting the bigger pieces into the back of the cake. You can’t place them too close to the edge or it will break the cake. It helped that the cake was very tall and very dense. 

I used frosting in the tube – not from a can – as the glue to hold the pieces on the sides.

RELATED ARTICLES:

How to make delicious mole popcorn!

Pan Dulce Waffles!

Empanada Cupcakes!

Mexican Freak Cake by Crafty Chica.

After all your big pieces are set in place, then fill in with smaller pieces, like the candy, roses and sprinkles.

Mexican Freak Cake by Crafty Chica.

If I had to do this again, I would FIRST center the letter candles. You can see they are pretty off balance.

Mexican Freak Cake by Crafty Chica.
Baby pinata from https://www.etsy.com/shop/jballoonfiesta

Here are my Sweet 16 Tips I learned in 16 Years from working on Crafty Chica: 

  1. If it is truly a passion project, you’ll find the time. Late at night, an hour early each morning, on your lunch breaks at work…AND actions speak louder than words. GET BUSY!
  2. Input all experiences as a lesson learned. Always process the takeaway of every situation to help you grow and prosper. Expect lots of trial and error. Things won’t always go your way, break it down and find out why. Learn so you can get it right next time.
  3. Envision the result you want. Try to do this for every situation – traveling, business meetings, even looking for the perfect outfit at the store. In my case, it was at the craft convention when I wanted to have a national product line! Or seeing my novel on the “New in Fiction” section at the bookstore. I never gave up until my vision came true!
  4. Read/listen good books to help you see the long view. For those days when you feel crusty and unmotivated, listen to these celebrated businesspeople read their books. My three faves are The Success Principles by Jack Canfield; Self Made by Nely Galan; You Are a Bad Ass by Jen Sincero.
  5. Cry or be mad, then move on after 15-30 minutes. For reals. Cussing and sobbing won’t really help fix the situation, so put on your big girl chonies and move forward. I love that phrase “If this won’t matter in five years, I won’t spend five minutes worrying about it.”
  6. Know that the more successful you become the more people will pick you apart. Also – most people don’t care. It’s human nature. Pay no mind. See if there is a kernel of truth to learn from, if not, keep doing you, boo boo. Stay focused. Show gratitude to those who have always been there for you!
  7. Surround yourself with good people who have healthy attitudes. Work together to naturally lift each other up. No strings attached. It doesn’t mean you have to have the same viewpoints, but that you are respectful and willing to listen and see new perspectives. And not just complimenting, but truth talks as needed!
  8. DIY it until you can afford to hire help. Don’t wait “until this happens” or “as soon as I” or “all I need is…” I’ve found that if I make the effort to learn it myself, the help will come.
  9. MONETIZE without shame or guilt. It is possible to follow your dreams and prosper with abundance. It does not mean you are greedy. It means you want to have your finances in order to free up the energy to motivate/help others do the same.
  10. Respect and take care of your money. Get all up in that ish. Create a budget, track every dollar, spend wisely, invest in yourself and your business! It doesn’t mean to skimp on everything and have a cheap mindset. The opposite! It means to know that you have the brains to bring in the income you need for the lifestyle you want. You just have to make a plan and work at it! Stop whining about not having money. Take action on how you can work smarter not harder. And yes, like our nanas told us – keep those bills face up, all in the same direction.
  11. Strive to develop good habits: Keep your space clean and tidy, eat clean, share positivity, take time for self-care, exercise, travel! Sometimes this can be a daily struggle, but every day is a new chance!
  12. Prepare for big opportunities. Never think of yourself or your business a “just a little something I do.” OWN IT. EXPECT BIG THINGS. MAKE ROOM IN YOUR PLANNER.
  13. Embrace your local community. Get involved, form collectives (mine is The Phoenix Fridas) or join them, help grow your neighborhood and other local entrepreneurs!
  14. Look like the money you want to charge. Invest time into making you and your business look legit!
  15. The best fix for a crappy day is to do something nice for someone else. It will fix your mood instantly!
  16. Stop saying “I know” or “I can’t.”  Open your mind to take on new skills, meet new people, give yourself a chance to do great things!
Mexican birthday cake
A “slice” of the Crafty Chica Mexican Freak Cake.

After having the Mexican Freak Cake in the fridge all day, we finally cut into it. Granted, this is a slice for two people to share, but wow – so grandiose!

As for Crafty Chica, here is my very first You Tube video, 10 years ago! NOTE: I got the idea for Crafty Chica in 2000 and set up a wonky site, but I officially launched it in May 2001!

YouTube video

Mexican Freak Cake by Crafty Chica.

Thank you so much for reading through this crazy post, here’s to another 16 years! I hope you have a great day!

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment below sharing your favorite Crafty Chica project/book, etc and I’ll choose six people next week to receive a free gift that I’ll mail to you!

Wanna Try My Bug Cookies?

Mexi-Jamaican Oxtail Bean Stew

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32 thoughts on “Sweet 16: Here’s a Mexican Freak Cake!”

  1. Congratulations on 16 wonderful years. I think I’ve been a regular reader since the very beginning. While I’ve loved and learned from all your books and posts, my very favorite thing was your micro-business class. It’s still the information I fall back on when I am in a rut or am not sure what to do next.

    The best pieces of advice from that class was:
    1. When you make a bunch of something expect to sell a few full price, a few sale price, a few rock bottom and a few ‘gift with purchase’. The math works out in the end.
    2. When sales (or spirits) are flagging – GIVE!
    3. Work in a series (like, that was my Blue period).
    4. Move your customers towards new things in baby steps so they are comfortable and still recognize what they love about your work.

    Thank you so much for being you and for all you’ve contributed to the crafting/lifestyle/entrepreneurial/art space. You are a goddess.

    Reply
    • Hi Nicole!

      It’s Tennille from the Crafty Chica support team! Thanks for checking out and celebrating Kathy’s Sweet 16 with us!

      Your name was randomly chosen as one of the winners of the print! Please email me back at [email protected] with your mailing address and we’ll get it mailed out asap!

      Thanks again for checking out the site, have a great holiday weekend!

      Reply
  2. Sweet, sweet, sweet 16! Congratulations and what a freakin amazing cake you made to celebrate. I just love your energy and way of sharing your new finds and crafts! I’m going to save your 16 tips because they’re great and funny! My favorite memory of you was a live session you had and then Patrick followed with the camera to another room so you could show us his beautiful muertos musical figurines… I was enchanted by his artwork but more so by your admiration and pride of his work as much as you are yours! Cheers to may more years of Crafty Chica and thanks for sharing yourself so authentically!!!

    Reply
  3. Congratulations! I honestly haven’t made time to try any projects other than the mini foldable books, but I enjoy seeing all of your work. (But, hey, summer break is around the corner!) I’m looking for projects I can incorporate into my library’s maker space. I’m at an elementary campus with a Hispanic population of over 85% and I’m working at getting plenty of supplies to make some of your projects such as painting the plastic toy animals into Mexican style wooden animals. In addition to the mini albums because books and anything paper oriented is my favorite.

    Reply
  4. My favorite was the tutorial you had for La Muerte costume hat from The Book of Life. My daughter loves that movie and when it came out, there was no costumes for it. With your help I made her La Muertes hat and did her make up! She looked awesome! Thank you for all your crafty help and ideas! Here’s to many more years to come! SI SE PUEDE! ???????? Felicidades!

    Reply
    • Hi Abi!

      It’s Tennille from the Crafty Chica support team! Thanks for checking out and celebrating Kathy’s Sweet 16 with us!

      Your name was randomly chosen as one of the winners of the print! Please email me back at [email protected] with your mailing address and we’ll get it mailed out asap!

      Thanks again for checking out the site, have a great holiday weekend!

      Reply
  5. Aww Kathy!! Congratulations!! That is so amazing 🙂 Happy sweet 16! That cake looks delicious haha 😉 my favorite project was your Mexican gingerbread house, I tried to decorate one and it was way harder than I thought so props to you haha

    Reply
  6. Congratulations, Crafty Chica! My favorite book is still Crafty Chica’s Art De La Soul because it was so unlike anything else and it’s visual language made my heart sing! But a very close second is Miss Scarlett’s School of Patternless Sewing. There’s so much depth of emotion in that book. Keep on blazing new trails. You’re inspiring!

    Reply
  7. Feliz 16! I’ve been following your blog for about 3 years and love your creativity. I’ve only tried the mini books but have saved many other projects. After reading your tips today, I’ll have to pull them up and just do them! Thanks for everything!

    Reply
  8. Oh, Chica, where do I begin? I’ve been a fan for a few years now. Feliz cumpleanos. Sadly, I’ve haven’t always embraced my heritage. I grew up in an era of prejudice. As I got older, I learned to be proud of who and what I was. I also started crafting. Then I began looking for supplies with a Mexican vibe. There wasn’t much to pick from locally. Then came the age of internet. This opened up a new frontier, but I still didn’t find too much. I didn’t give up though. I diy’d lots of things but kept searching for the elusive papers, dies, stamps, and crochet patterns. I eventually found not only yours, but others. I have built a nice cache of supplies, keeping me busy and happy. I’m still looking for more, and you, Chica, never fail to inspire this old gal. I’m 67, but still young at heart and love learning and honing my crafting skills. I don’t intend to stop until God tells me I can’t do it anymore. Thanks for the inspiration and letting me share my projects thru your Facebook page and blog. You wouldn’t recognize me if we passed on the street, but I consider you a friend. Love– Lupe

    Reply
    • Hi Lupe!

      It’s Tennille from the Crafty Chica support team! Thanks for checking out and celebrating Kathy’s Sweet 16 with us!

      Your name was randomly chosen as one of the winners of the print! Please email me back at [email protected] with your mailing address and we’ll get it mailed out asap!

      Thanks again for checking out the site, have a great holiday weekend!

      Reply
  9. Your Sweet 16 tips are on point! We just opened our own DIY store in Hartford, SD and I strive for every single one of those! I am going to print them out & place them on my desk wall as a reminder to keep going forward. Thanks for all of the inspiration!

    Reply
  10. WoW Feliz 16, love love love the cake idea might use it this summer, so festive. It’s hard to pick a craft to like more but if I have to… las tazas With the phrases. I also love that you share your knowledge which is full of passion. Thank You…

    Reply
  11. I discovered Crafty Chica one day at a store selling your Bracelet KIT probably 2010 or so– as a Latina, I was immediately drawn to the inclusion of your hearts and Frida beads!! I came home to google you and started to get excited about the crafts. Instead of a bracelet, I turned the beads into a Crafty-Chica style necklace I still love to wear. I also ordered myself the Guide to Artful Sewing — so much fun!! Everyday I use my laptop case — made with a favorite Kokopelli fabric….and I decorated my denim jacket with some beautiful fabrics I bought in New Mexico — I get compliments all the time.

    thank you for your inspiration!!

    Reply
    • Hi Magdalena!

      It’s Tennille from the Crafty Chica support team! Thanks for checking out and celebrating Kathy’s Sweet 16 with us!

      Your name was randomly chosen as one of the winners of the print! Please email me back at [email protected] with your mailing address and we’ll get it mailed out asap!

      Thanks again for checking out the site, have a great holiday weekend!

      Reply
  12. Thanks Kathy! And congrats!

    You’re an inspiration. Love the list of sixteen.

    My mom lives in Scottsdale and I’ll likely be there the first week of August…we might even be moving there. Would love to connect up with you if it works out.

    Keep up the great crafting and life work.

    Cheers,
    Molly M in NorCal

    Reply
  13. Happy anniversary!
    I think about your gold glitter floor all the time. One day when I have a house of my own, it will probably be the first thing I create!

    Reply
  14. I totally love all your ideas especially the sugar skull ones. I want to have a Dia de Los muertos party in the end of October so friends can bring a loved ones pictures so we can celebrate there life’s and I can’t wait to see any ideas you may have. Your awesome and talented. Please continue sharing your gifts.
    Gracias ????

    Reply
  15. Congrats that is awesome! I love the cake by the way…I have been following you for the past 6 years and love your blog because of how personal you are.
    1. You are just as excited about the projects that your husband is working on as you are of your own.
    2. We have gotten to see your kids grow up and become very smart, talented professionals in their own right.
    3. You have opened up your home to us on Saturdays to share your latest creations, endeavors, ideas, and all your bubbly energy that is so inspiring. Thank Patrick for allowing us in as well!
    I have really enjoyed everything you have shared here, but if I had to pick one thing. It would have to be the one thing that I have gone back to a few times and actually made myself…. your scarves.
    Thank you for all your wonderful ideas.
    Continue to dream big and keep reaching for the glitter!

    Reply
    • Hi Sheila!

      It’s Tennille from the Crafty Chica support team! Thanks for checking out and celebrating Kathy’s Sweet 16 with us!

      Your name was randomly chosen as one of the winners of the print! Please email me back at [email protected] with your mailing address and we’ll get it mailed out asap!

      Thanks again for checking out the site, have a great holiday weekend!

      Reply
  16. The gel press demo with the sacred heart…it was life! I did not even know what a gel press was but knew I had to have one. Congratulations and happy 16! You are an inspiration on how to make many interests and art forms blend.

    Reply
  17. I’m new here, but I love what I see. I have a newer business and I love your advice! I’m going to write it all down ❤️. I’m going to a graduation party later today and am considering putting a cake together ????. Thank you!

    Reply
  18. My all time favorite is the glitter floor!!

    I love all of your recipes and content! One day I will have my glitter floor when we finally settle.

    Happy Blogiversary Crafty chica! To many many more successes!! Xoxo

    Reply
  19. Congratulations, Kathy! My family and I have been following your family’s journeys for many, many years! You are all so positive and inspiring. You make good days happier and bad days better!

    May you continue to find your blessings and inspiration for many more years to come, as you continue to be a blessing and inspiration to all of us!

    Happy sweet 16! The cake looked so fun!

    ~Anna

    Reply
    • Hi Anna!

      It’s Tennille from the Crafty Chica support team! Thanks for checking out and celebrating Kathy’s Sweet 16 with us!

      Your name was randomly chosen as one of the winners of the print! Please email me back at [email protected] with your mailing address and we’ll get it mailed out asap!

      Thanks again for checking out the site, have a great holiday weekend!

      Reply
  20. Hola, Chica! I was one of your lucky winners. I responded with my address but didn’t get my prize. I wanted to be sure that you didn’t think I had ignored you by not responding. Shall I message you on your Facebook page with my address again? It was an honor to be chosen. Thank you.

    Reply

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