The Disneyland surprise story; it’s in videos found all over You Tube and commercials that entice parents to try their own version of the perfect Disney surprise trip. I knew our story probably wouldn’t compare, but still wanted to attempt that Disney surprise on my son’s 13th birthday. Luckily, a local business owner was willing to help me on the “surprise road” to Disneyland, as well as willing to make the key component completely allergen-free – not a simple task.
We’d been talking about a trip back to Disneyland for a couple of months. We’ve traveled to Disneyland the past two summers, the whole family of six, and really enjoyed ourselves. Last summer we witnessed lots of construction at California Adventure. So only as Disney can do, they were luring us back to see the finished Car Land project and new park entry, Buena Vista Street. We were still at the point of just talking about a trip back to visit the mouse, but had not committed. We opted to make the commitment part a special birthday surprise.
A key part of “Operation Disney Birthday Surprise” was asking Cyntha Golpe, owner of MyCakes, if she could make a Disney-themed cake; a cake that would make my son realize we had actually booked the trip. But there was a catch, if I was going to attempt the whole Disneyland surprise, I wanted the special cake that announced it to be one the whole family could eat – and my youngest child is allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts and every other nut on the planet. Yes, I know, not fun when it comes to desserts.
In the end it all worked out – perfectly. Actually, it took my son a little longer to figure it out than I’d envisioned, but he finally put the cake and the Disneyland gift card together and got there. Better late than never I guess. The cake was a success; a combined Disney and allergy miracle; beautiful and completely dairy, egg and nut-free.
There is birthday cake hope for parents of “food allergy kids.” MyCakes proved it’s possible to make a beautiful and delicious chocolate cake – one that includes the little girl allergic to everything and doesn’t leave her yet again eating a separate, different dessert.
So thank you to MyCakes. Thank you for taking a huge, two-fold, special request cake order. Thank you for coming up with the design that announced to my son he was actually going on the vacation he’d been hinting at and dreaming about (to the point of me wanting to tape his mouth shut) for months. Most of all, thank you for making a cake that ensured each family member was included in “Operation Disney Birthday Surprise.”
** It should be noted that nuts are used at the bakery. MyCakes was safely able to accommodate my child’s allergies, but it is not a allergen-free facility. **
