Lizzy's First Birthday

My youngest granddaughter, Lizzy, turned one today.  Were did the time go!! 

I don't use molds much but Wilton puts out pretty cool molds so I thought I would try them.  It turned out cute, but I need to be cleaner around the edges when molding.  Other than that I think this cake turned out cute.

I usually make my own fondant, but lately I keep some store bought on hand for small stuff and when I don't really have time to make it.  This was Wilton's.  I am going to try other brands and will let you know what I like best.  However, I think I will always like home made the best!  I make Marshmallow Fondant. I also use Butter Cream Frosting for crumb coating.

I made  cupcakes to go with the cake and they turned out delicious.  I used the Old Fashion Butter Cake Recipe with Butter Cream Frosting and a bit of Chocolate Frosting under that. The Chocolate Frosting recipe is on the same link as the Butter Cake Recipe. Just scroll down a bit.

Lizzy isn't one for liking bread or bread like stuff.  She doesn't like the texture. It has to be in cracker form or toasted.  Once she tasted the cake though she was hooked.  

WOW! I HAVE THE CUTEST GRANDKIDS!!

Making Cupcakes with Abby & Cate

Just thought you would enjoy the results of our "playing" with decorating cupcakes.  Just for fun!  Grandkids always love doing these kinds of things.  Patricia Perry, my dear friend, was helping too.

Abby's 7th Birthday - Ninja Turtle Cake

Okay, okay....this is a cake for my Granddaughter, Abby.  She is unconventional.  She is in Martial Arts and loves Ninga Turtles, however, she likes being a girl so when she told me she wanted a Ninja cake or short notice I did the best I could to make a Ninja cake feminine.

Again, a trip to Walmart produced the Ninja toy atop the cake.  It came out really cute and, of course, she just loves it!

The cake is a chocolate cake (cheated with Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Fudge) with chocolate frosting (homemade) and filling - a chocolate lovers dream.  Don knows it's in the fridge and I think there could be a chunk carved out of the back.  An empty glass of milk with cake crumbs hanging on the rim by the sink is slightly suspicious.

Cate Bug's 5th Birthday - Princess in Pink Cake

My Cate Bug loves, loves, loves pink, princesses, and twirling.  She's in ballet and loves it, of course!

When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday she said she wanted a princess.  Her family went to Disney World and celebrated both her and her sister Abby's birthday.  So princesses were fresh in her mind.

I took her to the store and told her I wanted a princess that was a girl like her, not an adult, because she was only five.  She agreed and picked out this doll.  She does look a lot like Cate.

I didn't use fondant on this cake, just butter cream frosting.  It is the Old Fashion Butter Cake with chocolate filling.  I put that recipe in Davy's 6th Birthday post.  Making this cake was much faster than using fondant.  I can do more things with fondant but I enjoyed doing this cake.  She loves it!

Davy's 6th Birthday - A Toothless Cake

What a cutie!  

My Grandson, Davy, decided that he wanted a "Toothless" cake.  I was bewildered!  "What?"  He explained it was the dragon from "How to Train Your Dragon".  Uhhh.....I need to go to the movies with my Grandkids to keep up with the times!

I didn't have much time to make this cake so it was just going to be simple.  However, Davy wanted trees and a castle too.  I haven't seen the movie so I'm not sure if I got close.  I made the trees from fondant and gum paste mixed together.  I used luster dust to paint them and Royal Frosting for the leaves.

As a gift to each Grandchild I put a toy on their cakes.  In this case I went to Walmart and got "Toothless".  

I made the cake from scratch and this one really worked with the high altitude adjustments I used.  It tasted great.

Davy loved the cake!  "Grandma, this is the coolest cake ever!"  They say that every year. I love it!

The cake is an Old Fashion Butter Cake adjusted for altitude with a chocolate frosting that is super easy to make and way better than any store bought can product!  Here's the recipe:

Old Fashion Butter Cake

2 cups all purpose flour (measure after sifting)
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs - room temperature

High Altitude Adjustment: add 2 tablespoons flour to the 2 cups of flour, cut sugar back to 1 cup, cut baking powder to 2 teaspoons, and add 2 tablespoons milk to the 1 cup milk. Follow the directions below.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) or 325 degrees (F) for high altitude.

Grease and flour two 8 inch by 2 inch cake pans and set aside. (I use parchment paper cut the size of the bottom of the pan to help the cake not stick and come out easier.  First spray the cake pan, lay in the parchment, spray again and then flour.  For the right cut of parchment just set the pan on the parchment paper and draw around the base.  Cut it out and it fits perfect.)

In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  (Yes, this makes the second time you sifted the flour. I sift the flour before measuring and again when combining the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.)

Add butter, milk, and vanilla.  With a hand or stand mixer, beat for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time until just blended, then beat for 2 minutes more.

Divide batter equally between the two pans. Spread with spatula and then lightly tap the pans on the counter to let up any air bubbles.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (40 to 50 minutes for high altitude). If you put a tooth pick or knife in the center it should come out clean. I use a knitting needle.

I use cake boards that I buy at Walmart to fit the size of my cakes.  As soon as I take them out of the oven I carefully run a knife around the edges.  Then I place my cake board over the top and turn out the cake gently banging it on the counter.  I know that sound rough, but it works.  I do this hot because all of the moisture hasn't escaped yet during the cooling process. Then I cover it loosely with commercial grade or heavy plastic wrap.  If you cover it too tightly the heat will cause it to pull in the edges of the cake.  Let it cool that way and than put a second layer of plastic wrap around it and put it in the freezer for a few hours or until you need it.  Using this method keeps the cake moist and it is easier to frost when it is cold. (You can frost it as soon as it cools too.....you don't have to wait if you're craving dessert!)

Chocolate Frosting

1 stick butter (1/2 cup) melted

2/3 cup cocoa powder

3 cups powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)

1/2 cup half and half

1 teaspoon good vanilla

Melt butter.  Stir in cocoa.  Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency.  Add more half and half if needed.  Stir in vanilla.  Makes about 2 cups.

I let the beater really work on it for at least five minutes.  Makes it really glossy and spreads well.

Callie's Baby Shower Cake

I made this baby shower cake for my daughter who is having a baby girl in May.  I was going to make a two tiered cake but changed my mind when I decided that this would be a three layer cake with chocolate ganache filling.  I also made cupcakes for the kids and the Raspberry Lemon Tart.  The shower went smoothly and Callie got some really sweet things for my new granddaughter.

 

I found a pattern on Google for the baby shoes and made them out of gum paste.  I did them a couple days before putting the cake together so they would dry well. They turned out really cute.

 

For the Teddy Bear I used half gum paste and half Marshmallow Fondant. I didn't have a pattern but just did it from memory.  I have looked at so many Teddy Bears on line that it wasn't that hard.  I started with the body and then the legs and worked my way up.  I did use a tooth pick inserted in the body and up enough to attach the head do that it would be a bit more stable.  Purists wouldn't do that because you can't eat the bear with wood sticks in it. However it is dried so hard that people won't eat it anyway.  I also let people know what is edible and what isn't before cutting the cake.

 

I used Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake for High Altitude. To get the cake to be moist and a little dense I take it out of the oven and instead of waiting 10 minutes to remove it from the pan I remove it immediately onto the right size cake board and cover it with really good (restaurant quality) plastic wrap. Not to tight as it will shrink from the heat and pull your edges in.  I wrap it loosely two or three times and then put it in the freezer. Oh, before removing it from the pan take a tea towel and lightly press down on the cake until the dome is flat and even with the outer edges.  This will help it stay more dense and not too fluffy for fondant cakes.  Fluffy cakes don't hold up that well with heavy fondant. This also saves you from having to trim off the top to make it flat and even. Then remove as directed above. 

Yellow Cake with Raspberry filling and butter cream frosting
tiny confetti dots and Teddy Bears.

 

 

Callie with sister, Casey, and friends Patricia Perry and Darlene Maes.

Simple decorations was just how Callie wanted it.  The pink lanterns
are hanging over the baby crib now.  So cute!
 

Pirate Ship Birthday

I have three grand kids whose birthdays are all in the first week of March.  Abby and Cate asked for a pirate cake and Davy was happy to comply.  So here it is. 

This wasn't an easy cake. I had a cabin carved out but when I put it in the fridge to cool while I worked on the fondant  it cracked completely in half.  So I had to improvise!  It still turned out cool, but there is so much I would do better next time.  I let Davy pick the flavor which was confetti.  Not my favorite, but the kids loved it.  I used the usual icing and fondant. 

 

I used Tootsie rolls for the railing wood and roped fondant for the hand rail.  I tried to use just a flat piece of fondant for the railing but it wanted to droop between the "boards. The rope worked much better.  I also think I did much better on the palm tree this time. I used brown sugar for the sand and root beer candy barrels.  I made the treasure chest out of gum paste and filled it with decorating pearls and gold sprinkles. Rolos are the cannons on the sides of the ship.

 

For the masts and sales I used wooden skewers and gum paste to make the sails.  I laid the sails over a bottle to get them to curve until dry.  I painted the Jolly Roger with food coloring.

 

For the boards I used a pizza roller to indent the slats and then brushed with petal dust to get the woody affect on both the deck and sides of the ship.

 

I was going to make a pirate, but Davy wanted Captain Hook.  So I found a set of figurines that the kiddos could play with.