Yellow Birthday Cake

I made this cake for a 3year old's birthday. It was fun. 3 layers...for 3 years. I used a simple yellow cake recipe that I found from Martha. I used my own buttercream recipe. The cake was perfect for layers, dense for stacking but moist enough to love

Ingredients

1c  unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2c all-purpose flour

1/2tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

1tsp salt

1 1/2c sugar

2 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

2tsp pure vanilla extract

1c low-fat buttermilk

Method

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.



In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture;



mix just until combined.



Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack. Let cool completely. Place one cake, bottom side up, on a cake stand. Using an offset-spatula or table knife, spread top with Buttercream. Top with remaining cake; frost top, then sides.

Rum Cake

OMG like my cousin said, you had me at Rum... This Rum cake is my Grandma B's recipe. It is super easy and soooo good. This cake is the moistest I have ever had. Just make it you wont be sorry.

Ingredients
1c chopped pecans
1 box yellow cake mix
1 pkg vanilla instant pudding pie filling
4 eggs
1/2c cold water
1/2c oil
1/2c 80proof Meyers Dark Rum

Grease and flour, (or use baking  spray with flour) a bundt or tube pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom. Mix all the rest of the ingredients. Pour on top of the nuts. Bake at 325° for 1 hour. Invert onto a serving plate

Glaze
1/4lb butter
1/4c water
1c sugar
1/2c rum

Melt butter in pan add sugar and water boil for 5 min stirring constantly. Remove from heat mix in rum. While cake is warm brush and spoon glaze evenly on top and over sides until all is used.

RainBow Cake

I made this cake as a test, I will make it again on Saturday for an 10 year old girls birthday. I must warn you its  pretty labor intensive cake, but if you have baking skills it should be no problem. I calls for 5 egg whites, if you save the egg yolks, I have an amazing recipe for lemon curd... But the cake was sooo fun and its yummy all the same.

Cake Ingredients

1c butter
2 1/3c sugar
5 egg whites, room temp
2tsp vanilla
3c  flour
4tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/2 c milk, warmed for 30 sec in microwave to bring to room temp
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple GEL food coloring, if you use liquid use a lot.

Method
Preheat the oven to 350° Grease how ever many 9” cake pans you have, you can bake in shifts if you don't have 6. It makes most sense to bake 3 at a time anyway.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Cream the sugar and butter, then add the egg whites, and add them a little at a time. Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Then, alternating between wet and dry, add the milk and flour mixture in two parts.

Divide the batter evenly between 6 bowls, It's about 1 c each, and then mix a fair amount of the appropriate food color into each bowl. Keep in mind that the color of the unbaked batter will be the color of the baked batter. Pour into the pans and bake for 15 minutes each or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove them from the oven, let them rest on the cooling rack, in the pan, for ten minutes. Then flip onto a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients
4c butter
2tsp lemon extract
4c powdered sugar
1/2 c heavy whiping cream

Method
Cream butter until creamy, add sugar slowly, beat until creamy, add extract and cream until whipped creamy.You are ready to frost the cake.

First starting with purple on the bottom frost generously between layers, I used a whole ice cream scooper and some, level out, repeat next blue, green, yellow, orange, red. And finally frost sides and top until completely covered.

Game Day Cakes !!!Seahawks!!!

On the super bowl I made some fun cakes for my favorite team. You can choose any team and change the colors of the cakes and frosting. But why would you want to do that Seattle is really the best ya know!!

First I made a chocolate football cake. It was really easy. All you have to do is bake a 9x12 rectangle cake ! And Shape it



 For the cake recipe click link

Cut off the corners to shape it like a football. then you frost it and lace it

Then you gotta make team cupcakes. I use a red velvet recipe here but I think it would be better to use a yellow cake or a white one. If you do red velvet whatever colors of the team use that in the batter so half the batter then dye it. I also did that with my frosting which you can use a cream cheese frosting or a basic buttercream. Bake and frost after cooled. Please have fun decorating we did. We made our own football and star chocolates and topped with sprinkles and such.

 

Surfin Rum Cupcakes

If you love rum you will love these cupcakes. I used my grandmas rum cake recipe. I wasn't sure if I could make cupcakes from it but it worked great. I wouldn't use muffin papers, just spray the pan and it should come out great. The butter cream is light and fluffy which compliments the powerful cake.

Ingredients 
1c chopped pecans
1 box yellow cake mix
1 pkg vanilla instant pudding pie filling
4 eggs
1/2c cold water
1/2c oil
1/2c 80proof Meyers Dark Rum 



Glaze
1/4lb butter
1/4c water
1c sugar
1/2c rum

Rum Butter Cream
1 1/2c butter
1tbsp vanilla
2tbsp rum
2c powdered sugar

Method
Grease and flour, (or use baking  spray with flour) muffin pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottoms. Mix all the rest of the ingredients. Pour on top of the nuts. Bake at 325° for 1 hour. 
Glaze
Melt butter in pan add sugar and water boil for 5 min stirring constantly. Remove from heat mix in rum. While the cakes are warm brush and spoon glaze evenly on tops until all is used. Use a knife to get the cupcakes out of the pan. .Let them cool completely before frosting. 
To make frosting
Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla and rum beat until creamy. Pipe onto cakes.

Spider Cupcakes

Its that time of year again! The leaves are changing and its getting cool at night. Its time to start planning for the fall. Have fun in the kitchen. I made these fun cupcakes last year when I was in Minneapolis. Its the perfect time to post an pin all my fall ideas for the kitchen. The Cupcakes are freakishly deli-sh!


This post is a decorating tutorial, The cake recipe is a simple yellow or white cake tinted with purple Americolor. And the frosting is my buttercream recipe tinted black Americolor.

I have linked the tips I used here, I prefer to by from Amazon, its quick and easy. Please click link to my housewares store here to purchase my recommended cake decorating equipment.For  the best results in frosting color I use Americolor, I love it because you don't need much to create vibrant colors and it doesn't change the taste of your food.  You can also purchase a pack of 12 color gels that will last awhile.

 

With a star tip start in center and pipe a pointed drop on the center of the cake, surround the center point repeating the drop technique. Cut 8 black licorice laces for the legs. And there you have it, A Spider!!

Lemon Curd

I Love Lemon Curd! I tried it only last year for the first time and I fell in love. It is great mixed in to your yogurt, on toast, on crepes, as a cake or pie filling, whatever your heart desires! I made 7 pints of it... This recipe makes 1 pint. Try it its easy and delicious!

Ingredients
5 egg yolks
1c sugar
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2c butter, cut into pats and chilled

Method

Add enough water to a medium saucepan to come about 1-inch up the side. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium size metal bowl and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Measure lemon juice and if needed, add enough cold water to reach 1/3 cup. Add juice and zest to egg mixture and whisk smooth. Once water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and place bowl on top of saucepan. (Bowl should be large enough to fit on top of saucepan without touching the water.) Whisk until thickened, approximately 8 minutes, or until mixture is light yellow. Remove from heat and stir in butter a piece at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next. Remove to a clean container and cover by laying a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. 

**If you are canning

Boil jars and lids until sterile. Use a canning funnel, pour curd into 1/2 pint jars until curd reaches 1/2 inch from top. Place lids on making sure that the jar rims are clean, Boil the jars for 20 min, make sure the liquid covers the jars more then 2" above the top. Let cool on clean towel for 12 hours.