Lion cake

I have a friend, whom I have known for a very long time.  She now happens to live on the same street as me.  She has a total of 4 children.  He baby, the only boy, had a birthday recently.  Mom asked me to do the cake, which of course I said yes.  She asked me if I could do a lion.  Ummm...sure.  I'll try anything once.  She then showed me a picture of this child's favorite stuffed toy, a lion, and asked me to get as close to it as I could.  No pressure!

I asked her the usual questions about flavor, filling, etc.  I was really thankful she did not want a three-dimensional cake.

I used my tried and true, go-to chocolate cake recipe:

2 C flour
2 C sugar
6 Tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 C warm water
2/3 C oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp vanilla (or 1/2 tsp mint) extract

As she was expecting a fairly big crowd, I actually made two cakes, one recipe in a 16 in. round pan.  I used standard buttercream between the layers and to crumb coat the cake.  I then cheated, went to Wal-Mart and got one of their flesh tone pre-made fondant kits.  I only put the fondant on the top of the cake because I needed to make a lion's mane around the outside anyway.  

The only thing I was really disappointed about was that mane.  I tried my "hair/grass" tip.  No go.  I have hot hand syndrome (don't laugh, it's a thing) so after the first few bits, the buttercream was coming out in a big blob.  PLUS...did I mention it was a 16 inch round cake?  That's a LOT of piping with the hair tip.  Soooo...take 2 was a star tip.  I got the entire mane piped on, allowed it to chill again in the fridge.  Then, I took the tines of a fork to make it look like the stuffed animal with a mane that had seen better days.  

Anyway, here is the end result.  Mom loved it, the little boy loved it.  I was less than 100% pleased, but I'm not the one who mattered...

Happy Birthday Mario!

I can't believe, I won't believe it!  My grandson is 3 years old already!

When my daughter called to tell me the party details, I asked her what she wanted for a cake.  She asked my grandson, who screamed MARIO!!!!!!

I did some digging and found a few ideas for cakes.  My daughter had told me there would be several of the neighborhood kids at the party, so I thought cupcakes for little hands might be better.  I decided to do a combination of cupcakes and a smaller cake.

I used my go-to chocolate cake recipe for 1 layer of the cake and half the cupcakes:

2 C flour
2 C sugar
6 Tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 C warm water
2/3 C oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp vanilla (or 1/2 tsp mint) extract

I then went to work trying to find a white cake to match the moisture of the chocolate.  I have tried and tried with little result.  However, this particular cake came close:

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1½ cups sifted cake flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups sugar
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup vegetable shortening at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons good quality vanilla extract (if you want pure white use clear vanilla extract)
• 3 large eggs
• 1½ cups buttermilk

Instructions

1. Sift together both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set aside.
2. Grease and flour 2 nine inch round cake pans and line the bottom with 2 circles of parchment paper.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the vegetable oil, shortening and vanilla. Beat well at high speed with whisk attachment until light and fluffy
4. Beat the eggs in one at a time.
5. Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.
6. I always add dry ingredients in three divisions and liquid ingredients in 2 divisions. It is very important to begin and end the additions with the dry ingredients. Do not over mix the batter. As soon as it has no lumps in the batter, pour into the two prepared 9 inch cake pans.
7. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Now I went to work...I made a standard 8-inch, 2-layer cake and a total of 20 cupcakes.  I decorated the cupcakes like the little mushroom people in the video games.  I then made the actual cake to look like a scene from the video game.  Here's the problem!  My grandson's birthday was in late March, and we were still in the middle of very cold weather for the date.  However, my husband insisted that the cake would be destroyed during the trip unless I held it (umm...think I know how to transport cakes, but whatever).  I wanted to leave for the party without incident, so I gave in.  Big mistake!  It was a rare sunny day that day, and the sun beating in the car started to melt the cake!  My green hills were becoming green puddles.  Luckily, I cheated and used a Mario toy for the top of the cake.  I shudder to think of what poor Mario would have looked like after the trip.

When we got to my daughter's house, I put the cake in the fridge for a few minutes and then did my best to reconstruct my scene.  Everyone loved it, but I was still stewing about my poor judgment listening to my husband.  LOL.  I won't make that mistake again!  

At the end of the day, the most important part was the fact that my grandson jumped up and down yelling Mario cake, Mario cake, thank you Mimi! the whole afternoon.  Some day maybe I can learn to look past the imperfections...

One more Frozen cake

You have to hand it to Disney.  They know how to hook the wee ones with their movies.  When my daughter was young, it was The Little Mermaid.  Now, my granddaughter is 6, and she is obsessed with the movie Frozen.  When I say she is obsessed, I mean it.  The girl is hardcore.  She is about as girlie as they come.  She loves to play dress-up and wear a tiara.  She recites the movie when she is playing with her dolls like she is re-enacting the movie.  Then comes the singing.....oh, the singing.  It's actually more like screaming...like those of you on the West Coast need to hear her singing in order for the world to stay on its axis.  There are arm motions and choreography to go along with the vocals.

So...my granddaughter turned 6 in mid November.  When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted, she looked at me with that tilted head and her hand on her hip and said "Oh Mimi, you know I want a Disney Frozen cake."  As if there might actually be other Frozen merchandise out there, she feels she needs to specify that it's Disney Frozen.

I asked my daughter to sit down with my granddaughter and decide what they wanted to see on the cake and they were more than happy to comply.  Of course Elsa was on the top, of course it was blue, of course there were sparkly bits.

I was actually pretty excited to make this cake because it gave me the opportunity to try some new techniques.  I did cheat and got the actual dolls to add to the cake as I was not going to take the time or the chance actually that I would not get the look right.  The 6 year-old would call me out in a heartbeat....just as she had when she turned 4 and I made cupcakes with frosting the color of all the Disney princess dresses and I happened to forget the green one, whomever she may be.  Ugh..the innocence of youth.

Anyway...this was the final product.  She loved it.  The other little girls at her party loved it.  I was once again a rock star in my granddaughter's world.....which is the absolute best place to be.

Easy Recipe Pecan Pie minis

I was explaining to someone the other day how I love to bake.  He asked me if I would be willing to bake a pecan pie for his significant other's birthday.  He wanted the kind with the whole pecans, and nobody had them around our area.  I told him I had not made one before, but I would be willing to find a recipe and try.  I told him to come by the house and I would give him a sample.

One problem with that theory...I don't eat pecan pie.  I asked my guinea pig husband if he liked pecan pie and he said NO in no uncertain terms.  Hmm..what to do?  Who is going to tell me if the pie tastes good?

I decided instead of making a full-sized pie, I would make little individual sized pies so I could shop for more opinions.

I found a recipe from Paula Deen for the pie...
1 cup sugar 
3 tablespoons butter, melted 
1/2 cup dark corn syrup 
3 large eggs, beaten 
1 1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves 
2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon (I left this part out in my pie)
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, eggs, pecans, and bourbon, and stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell, and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until pie is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack

I thought they looked pretty good.  I still had the problem of who would try them.  I turned to Facebook armed with this picture and these words..."I have 6 more of these left.  First one to comment gets them."  Problem solved!  I had a willing participant within 5 minutes.  Luckily, she gave me a glowing review!  

The real pie will be due at the end of the month.  I hope his family enjoys the pie.  

Minion cake

My grandson recently turned 2 years old, and the term "all boy" could not be more true with him.  My daughter is having a bit of a hard time with this concept because her first child, a girl, is the true definition of princess...not to mention that my daughter was a princess herself when she was little.

My grandson loves trucks, trains and playing in the mud.  What he loves most of all though...are minions.  If you are not familiar with minions, look them up on Google or YouTube.  They are the little yellow guys in the Despicable Me movies.  

The week before I was to have this cake completed, I decided I was not going to procrastinate like usual.  I made a list of things I needed for each layer.  I made a task list for each day during the week.  I was so excited.  I was not going to have to be up until all hours of the night!  About that....nothing got done until the night before the cake was due.  Nothing....well except 1 batch of fondant.  I was up until 3:30 a.m. the night before and then back up at 7:00 a.m.  I had to cut details that I wanted to add.  

All in all, I think my little minion cake looks pretty good.  I wanted purple cotton candy for the purple guy's hair but could not find it.  The purple guy's arms were supposed to be the other direction and holding the candle and sign, but the fell.  I forgot to take the yellow guy's hair with me to the party.  My silver dust filled in all of the stone texture I put into the bottom layer so it just looked poorly covered; but hey, my grandson was happy...and that's just fine with me.

Snickerdoodle cake with cream cheese frosting

It was my dear husband's birthday last week.  In my house, when it's your birthday, you get to choose the flavor and the design of the cake.  I knew he would never, ever ask for anything...it's just the way he is.  I happen to know that his very favorites are cream cheese and cinnamon.  Armed with this knowledge, I went to work finding an easy cake recipe that would combine the two.

Along came the snickerdoodle cake with cream cheese frosting.  I knew he would love it.

From http://caribbeanmissionarywife.blogspot.com/

preheat oven to 325 deg fahrenheit and butter and flour 2 round pans
  (I use 9 inch but 8 inch would be just dandy)

 Whisk together

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

 In a separate bowl cream together  till they are nice and fluffy

2 sticks (softened) butter

1 3/4 cups fine sugar

1 cup sour cream

Add  to cream mixture one-at-a-time

4 large eggs at room temperature

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

1 1/4 cups whole milk (room temperature) 

Don't let this confuse you, 

 add 1/3 cup of flour mixture to cream mixture....a little milk and stir....

1/3 cup of flour mixture.....a little milk and stir.....

etc, until all the flour and milk are added

Bake until a toothpick comes clean.  Mine took a little under 30 minutes.
Cool before slicing again and frosting.

For the frosting, I used this recipe loosely and added cream cheese and cinnamon:

1/3 cup butter

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

cream cheese (I used 8 oz due to my husband's love of the stuff)

cinnamon (I used enough to sort of thinly coat the top of the bowl  - again due to my husband's love of cinnamon)

He loved the cake.  He made that OMG face and everything.  I think he had a happy birthday.  Mission accomplished.

Happy Birthday to me!

Yesterday was my birthday. My husband asked me what kind of cake I wanted, and I told him I would be making my own.  I wanted to practice my ombre frosting flower technique.  

I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe (click here for the recipe) and then filled it with a peanut butter mousse frosting (peanut butter, butter, Kool-Whip, milk and powdered sugar).  Oh my...almost forgot to fill the cake because the mousse was so good.  I put a crumb coat of this peanut butter mousse on the outside of the cake to keep it neat and tidy.

I should mention with the chocolate cake recipe that you NEED parchment paper in the bottom of your pans.  I ran out of parchment paper, so I decided that Bakers Joy would just have to do.  Nothing against Bakers Joy, it's a fine product, but this cake is so moist that it will stick like super glue to the pan if you don't have parchment paper.

Now comes the part about the flowers.  I was so transfixed with tinting the frosting that I did not realize I did not make enough.  I had to make the flowers smaller than I wanted and could not overlap them like I wanted.  Lesson learned.  Overall, I was pleased with the way it came out, gaps and all.  

I served it to my family last night after our celebratory dinner at Carraba's (if you have not been, you MUST go).  You could almost literally hear my 5-year-old granddaughter inhaling her slice.  Everyone else also loved the cake and gave me great compliments.

My little monkey.....cake

Even before my grandson was born, his world was covered in monkeys.  Monkeys on the onesies, monkeys on the bibs, stuffed monkeys and monkeys on the crib sheets.  It only seemed fitting that when his first birthday rolled around that his smash cake would have a monkey.  The only problem with that logic is that Mimi (that's me...to the little ones) didn't know how to make a monkey from fondant.

My answer to my 18-year-old son when he asks me about something is "Google it."  Now faced with my own dilemma, I decided to take me own advice.  I sat down and googled "how to make a fondant monkey."  To my surprise, up popped some YouTube videos!  That's all fine and good, I thought to myself, but can I really get mine to look like the one in the video?  Well, here's the finished product.  Aside from the face looking a little like a cow-monkey combination, I thought it looked close.

The day came for my grandson's birthday.  My daughter and son-in-law took their places in front of him and waited for him to dig into the cake.  NOPE!  This boy proceeded to pick the blue and green circles very carefully and delicately off the cake and eat them.  I have never found fondant to be especially appetizing, but hey, to each his own right?  He giggled and giggled about the monkey and tried to eat him too.  My daughter had enough of this, so she put his hand in the cake and tried to show him how to smash it.  He still was having no part of this, so it was decided to just break off a piece of the cake and let him taste that.

Am I the only one who thinks it's hysterical when 2 adults are outsmarted by a 1-year-old?

Doc McStuffins cake for 5th birthday

Each year, my granddaughter asks me to make her birthday cake.  This year's request was for a Doc McStuffins cake.  It has been quite a long time since I have watched television for the little ones.  I had no idea what a Doc McStuffins was.  I did some research and found out some details.  It's a really cute show!

Something you should know about my granddaughter is she just turned 5, but inside this girl is trapped a 25 year-old woman.  Nothing gets past this child.  Last year, she asked for Disney Princesses for her birthday.  I made her a small cake with a tiara and then made cupcakes in all the colors of the princesses gowns.  I then added some coarse sugar to make them sparkle.  Well, long story short, she was thrilled with her cake and her cupcakes, but then told me how I missed a princess in the cupcakes.  Apparently, there is a princess from the movie Tangled that I did not know about.

Anyway, I'm getting off track.  I did feel a bit of pressure as I started to put the pieces together for this cake.  I am completely self taught, so the thought of making figures for the cake made me quiver.  There are things I would do differently in hind sight; but overall, I am pretty proud of this cake.

The bottom and middle tiers are 3 layers each alternating white cake and chocolate cake.  Cheater alert:  I used box cakes.  They were on sale at the grocery store, and I add thing to them to boost them up a bit.  The top layer, the medical bag, is a total of 4 layers...all vanilla dyed to be purple and pink.