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

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.