A Roarin' Good Cake

When I asked our now 3-yr-old what kind of cake he wanted for his 3rd birthday, I was not expecting him to say, "A dragon!" As I tried to hide my dismay behind smiles of excitement (how on earth was I going to make a dragon of all things?!), my mind immediately went to the internet.

You can find anything on the internet these days, and sure enough I found this tutorial for how to construct a dragon cake! The design was so easy to follow as far as how to construct the dragon out of cake, and all you need are two round (8 or 9 inch) cakes.

The absolute best thing about this cake was how much Asher loved it. I mean he loved it! He kept going upstairs to look at it and would call down, saying, "Mommy, Daddy, come look at my dragon cake!" Talk about making a mom feel good. :)

I used my favorite doctored up white cake recipe, and added sprinkles to it because Asher loves sprinkles. I also used my go-to buttercream frosting and made 1 1/2 times a regular batch just to make sure I had enough.

The original tutorial used different kinds of candy than I did to make the spikes, talons, etc. and you can certainly use whatever you think will work best.

Supplies
2 8-or-9-inch cakes
3-4 cups buttercream frosting, tinted the colors you like (I did blue and green)
Starburst candy
Chewy Spree
1 large marshmallow
2 fruit roll-ups (I used the tie-dye kind)
4 chocolate chips
2 skewers
candles (I found those crazy squiggle ones at Hy-Vee)
a large cutting board, or some other flat surface to use as the cake base

1. Cut the dragon out using the tutorial link above.
2. Secure each piece to your cake base using a dollop of frosting, and also secure the cake pieces together using frosting (this helps the pieces from separating after you've finished frosting it).
3. To frost the cake you can either slather the frosting all over and then use some type of round bottle cap and make indentations for scales, or you can do what I did. Fill a plastic baggy with frosting and snip off the end. Pipe a line of dots (about 1/4-1/2 inch big) straight across the top of the body. Use a spoon and lightly press into one dot at a time and pull down gently. Pipe the next row of dots close enough to the first to not see cake in between (I alternated my blue and green colors). Continue doing this until the entire dragon is covered with frosting. *Don't be discouraged if it doesn't look perfect - some of those angles are tough, and some of those spaces are hard to get to with piping. The end result will still look good!
4. For the spikes along the spine, slightly flatten the Starburst and cut in half diagonally into triangles. Insert each triangle into the dragon spine and down the tail.
5. Use Sprees and insert them vertically into the dragon's feet.
6. Snip the marshmallow in half horizontally and press each half onto the face for eyes. You can either use black icing to make the pupils, or insert a chocolate chip into each so the round part is facing out.
7. Use 2 chocolate chips to form the nostrils.
8. Insert candles into the snout to look like fire.
9. Wrap fruit roll-ups around each skewer and stick it to itself. Then insert each skewer into the cake to make the wings - you may need to cut the skewers to fit (you can scallop the edges of the fruit roll-ups just by using a scissors).

Look out, he's breathing fire!

It looked good, but does it taste good . . . 

The official verdict was a resounding, "YES!" :)

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

Candy Lover's Cake

Asher's 3rd birthday came and went, and I still can't believe he's 3! He had an absolute blast with his birthday - he was so excited about everything: cake, candles, presents, singing, seeing family, everything. In fact, today he said, "I need some more birthday, Mommy." Made me feel good to know that he really enjoyed everything about it.

For my little sweetie's actual birthday, I knew I wanted to make a cake that didn't require any fancy decorating by me, since I had already made a dinosaur birthday cake when we had family down to celebrate over the weekend (a post on that cake to come!). This cake couldn't have been easier as far as decorating goes, and the cake and frosting recipes are easy, too.

I used my favorite Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake and Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting recipes because you really can't go wrong with either - they turn out every time. I love them.

And, since Asher loves Oreos, I decided to use them in the filling between the cake layers:

Oreo Cream Filling (original recipe can be found here)
8 oz. container whipped topping
4 oz. softened cream cheese
7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
12 oreo cookies, crushed
1. Combine first three ingredients until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate about 1 hour.
2. Stir in the crushed oreos, and spread on top of first cake layer.

Additional Supplies
fun size Kit Kats (I'm not sure how many, so just grab a Halloween sized bag of them)
M&Ms
sprinkles
Assembly
1. Place a dollop of frosting on the center of your cake plate, followed by one cake layer - this keeps the cake from sliding around.
2. Spread the bottom cake layer with the oreo cream filling, leaving about a 1 inch border.
3. Place the second cake layer on top of the oreo filling, and use chocolate frosting to frost top and sides of cake. Don't worry if it doesn't look pretty, it'll be covered with candy!
4. Place Kit Kats vertically around the entire cake and press slightly to stick them to the frosting.
5. Grab some M&Ms and place them in the space between the top of the Kit Kats and the top of the cake.
6. Cover the top with sprinkles and keep in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat!

This cake screams party! And, it's so fun for kids to eat because it's covered in colorful and chocolate-y candy goodness . . . You probably won't get many complaints from the adults either. :)

Waiting patiently while we sing . . . 

Working hard to blow out those candles!

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

Strawberry Shortcut Cake

Nothin' says summer like a strawberry cake with whipped cream frosting! The cake is light and moist with a layer of strawberries on top, followed by dollops of fluffy whipped cream. It's definitely one I would make again, and I might even try a white cake mix with raspberry jello and fresh raspberries next time . . . Hmm, that's enticing.

The whipped cream as the frosting is wonderful - it's not overly sweet, which is a nice complement to the sweetness of the cake and strawberries. Bring this to your next picnic or get-together and it'll be a hit! (And so will you.)

Strawberry Shortcut Cake (original recipe here)
1 box strawberry cake mix
eggs, oil, and water as called for on cake box
3 c. fresh strawberries, sliced
1 Tbls. lemon juice
2-3 Tbls. sugar
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. (3 oz.) strawberry gelatin
1. Prepare and bake cake in a 9x13 pan as directed on cake box. Allow to cool.
2. Dissolve gelatin in 1 c. boiling water, and stir in 1 c. cold water. Place in refrigerator until cool, but don't let it set up into jello - it should still be liquid.
3. Mix together sliced strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar. Allow to macerate for 20 minutes.
4. Poke holes all over cooled cake with a straw. Slowly pour the liquid gelatin over the entire cake.
5. Spread strawberries over the top and place in the refrigerator.
6.Whip cream and powdered sugar together on med.-high speed until stiff peaks form. Don't overbeat or you'll get butter! Spread over cake and refrigerate cake at least 4 hours before serving.

 This is what the cake looks like after the jello and 

strawberries have been added - so summery!

Hope you're all enjoying the summer so far!

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

German Chocolate Cake Bars (One Bowl!)

Oooh, these bars are good. I love German chocolate cake - you know, the kind with the frosting that's almost caramel-y and is loaded with coconuts and pecans all piled on top of chocolate cake? Yum.

These bars hit all the flavors of the cake, but in an easier, more portable form. You start with a cake mix as the crust, which simplifies things even more! There aren't any complicated techniques in this recipe, and the result is won-der-ful. My only tip would be not to overbake them. You don't want them to dry out on you; I recommend checking them a couple minutes before the timer goes off, and if the center looks set, but maybe slightly jiggly, go ahead and take them out.

I really don't think you'll be disappointed with these gems! Maybe they'll even please your Dad or your hubby or your grandpa on Father's Day!

German Chocolate Cake Bars (I found the recipe here)
Crust
1 pkg. devil's food cake mix
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 egg

Filling
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sweetened coconut
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 pan.
2. Make the crust: Combine all ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly mixed. Press into bottom of prepared pan and bake for 7 minutes.
3. While crust is baking, make the filling. Combine sweetened condensed milk, egg, vanilla, coconut, and pecans (can use the same bowl you used for the crust) until completely mixed.
4. Pour filling over warm crust and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
5. Bake 24-27 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

White Chocolate Raspberry Rose Cake

I've been wanting to make a "rose cake" for quite a while now, but nothing had come up to justify making and decorating an entire cake. But, when Mother's Day rolled around and I knew we'd be spending it with my mom and the rest of my family I thought "OK, this is a great opportunity for this and I know it'll get eaten!" I'm the second of six kids, and everyone plus significant others and grandkids was there, so it's a big family.

The tutorial uses a 1M star tip to make the roses, and for some reason I assumed my mom would have one at her house so I didn't bring my own . . . Oops! She had one that was much smaller, so I gave it a go with that, and it still turned out so pretty! This decorating technique is very forgiving, and yet so elegant.

You start with a thin crumb coat of frosting over your cake, so if you mess up on a rose you can just wipe it off and redo it. It's great.

The tutorial I used can be found here. It's very easy to follow. Obviously my cake looks quite different than hers - I think using the smaller tip made it look more vintage-y, so I guess I'm glad it worked out that way because now I know the look of the cake can vary depending on what size tip you use. That's great to know considering you might want a different look depending on the type of situation you're using the cake for (i.e., if you're providing the cake for a wedding, engagement party, birthday, shower, that has a more vintage feel.) Either way you frost it, it'll look gorgeous.

I used a white cake for the layers, and you can find the recipe here (it's the same recipe I use for my white wedding cakes/cupcakes).

For the filling between the layers, I used a raspberry buttercream frosting.
Raspberry Buttercream Filling
1/2 c. softened butter
1/2 c. seedless raspberry jam
3 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbls. milk, if needed
1. Beat butter and jam until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add in powdered sugar (with mixer off) and beat until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
3. If frosting seems too thick, add in milk until desired consistency.

To frost the top and sides, I used a white chocolate buttercream (the original recipe can be found here.
White Chocolate Buttercream
1 1/2 c. softened butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbls. milk
9 oz. white chocolate, chopped (do not use chocolate chips)
1. In a microwaveable bowl, melt the white chocolate at 50% power at 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Beat butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla on med./high until light and fluffy, approximately 4 minutes.
3. Add in milk and beat again until combined.
4. Pour in the melted, cooled chocolate and beat again for about 1 minute.

Frosting/Assembly
1.Place a small dollop of frosting on plate or cake stand to hold the cake in place. Place one cake layer in the center.
2. Use raspberry buttercream filling to frost the top of the first cake layer, leaving about a 1/2 inch border.
3. Top with second cake layer.
4. Frost top and sides of entire cake with a thin layer (a crumb coat) of white chocolate buttercream. You should still be able to see the cake through the frosting - it does not need to perfect!
5. Place your decorator's tip in your pastry bag, and fill about 1/2-2/3 full of frosting.
6. Starting with the sides of the cake, position tip of pastry bag in the center, and slowly circle around in a spiral motion until you reach the top and bottom of the cake. Continue doing this until you've made roses around the entire side of the cake.
7. Do the same thing with the top, but start on the outsides and work your way to the center.
8. Once you've completed all your roses, go back and fill in any empty spaces with smaller roses, or a little swoop. (I used both depending on the size of the gap.)
9. Admire your handiwork and eat up!

The only complaint I got about this cake came from my brother (so that doesn't count, right?). His complaint was that there was too much frosting . . . I tend to eat all the frosting because I love frosting. But, just to warn you, using a piping bag and doing the roses does require a lot of frosting, so you'll end up with more than if you just frosted it with an offset spatula. That being said, know that you don't have to eat all the frosting. :)

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

It's Oreo's Birthday . . .

Yep, Oreo, the cookie, has a birthday and it's today! It's its 100th birthday, to be exact. Sounded like a great excuse to bake this delicious cake I've had my eye on . . .

Oreo Pudding Poke Cake (original recipe here)
Chocolate Cake (adapted slightly from this recipe)
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. boiling water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 in. square cake pan.
2. Whisk together all ingredients except boiling water, until thoroughly combined.
3. Slowly whisk in water until incorporated, then beat for 2 minutes. Batter will be thin.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake 28-30 minutes.
5. Allow to cool for a few minutes while you make the pudding.
**You can also use a chocolate cake mix - just bake according to the package directions in a 9x13 pan, and double the pudding part below.

Pudding
1 pkg. Oreo pudding (4 oz.)
2 c. cold milk
1. Whisk together 1 minute. Let sit 2 minutes to thicken slightly.
2. Poke holes with the handle of a wooden spoon about 1/2-1 inch apart all over cake. Pour pudding over cake and spread to edges.
3. Allow to cool a little before placing the cake in the fridge to set up. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
4. You can crush some Oreos for the top if you want, which I did, and I also drizzled some hot fudge over it - mm, mm, good.

Poke holes . . . 

Pour pudding . . . 

Spread pudding . . .

Accessorize . . . 

Enjoy!

On a Side Note: It was gorgeous outside today - I'm talking upper 60s and sunny! We got out the table and chairs, Asher's basketball hoop, the bats, the balls . . . we may have jumped the gun since I'm sure we'll be in for colder weather, but we couldn't resist! I can't wait for spring/summer when the boys can run wild outside. Also, both boys have had nasty coughs and ear infections, so for the past week this is what I've been dealing with every day, every time he's not being held . . .

Thank goodness the meds are taking effect because his mood was much improved today! And so was mine.

Molten Lava Cakes

It SNOWED!!! I was so excited this morning that there were actually a few inches outside so I could take the boys out to play. I made sure to hurry up and do it this morning since who knows how long it'll stick around - I did not want it melting before we got out there.

As I was putting on all their gear, I started to wonder if it would even be worth it - once Aiden was decked out, he couldn't even sit. He looked a little bit like a turtle because he kept falling onto his back and then tried to roll onto his side so he could crawl, but then his snowpants were too slippery so he didn't get anywhere . . . and he was maaaad. Very mad. So I was rushing to get Asher dressed, and was pretty frustrated before we even got out the door.

SO WORTH IT!!! We had so much fun! Asher's not into snowmen yet, but loves to walk around, be pulled in the sled, and I even got them to both go down the little hill in our front yard. Aiden didn't care if snow was all over him; he crawled in it, laid in it, even put his face in it and came up smiling. Totally glad I took them out.

If you got snow and are feeling a little bit chilly, these lava cakes will warm you right up! If you're not cold, and it didn't snow, you should make them anyway. Oh. So. Yummy. I made them on Valentine's Day, and they are so chocolate-y and really decadent. They fill you up fast, but if you're like me you'll keep taking bite after bite despite how full you feel. The chocolate literally flows out of the middle when you poke it - it's like a warm chocolate brownie that comes with it's own hot fudge sauce. At the last minute (after photos) I scooped a little vanilla ice cream to go alongside . . .

Molten Lava Cakes (original recipe can be found here)
1/2 c. butter (plus some for buttering dishes)
2 tsp. sugar
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
3 eggs, plus 3 egg yolks
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 4 6-ounce ramekins and sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp. sugar.
2. Place butter, chocolate chips, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a saucepan and melt over med-low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Whisk together flour, powdered sugar, eggs, yolks, and vanilla until creamy. Whisk in melted chocolate mixture and divide evenly among the ramekins.
4. Place ramekins on a baking sheet, and bake 12-14 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and turn onto a plate. Eat while still warm so the chocolate in the center is still molten. You can also eat right from the ramekin, but be careful because of course they'll be hot!

Here's some more pics of our fun in the snow today!