Happy 2nd Birthday Will!

The Tucci family is one of my favorite families to make cakes for. The kids are adorable! So when asked to make Will's second Birthday cake there was no way I could pass it up. I was told he was starting to learn his letters and given free reign on design. The finished product was an ABC cake with primary colors.

My favorite part of delivering this cake was when Will's brother and sister put in their requests for their birthday cakes...with Birthday's in August I'm excited to find out if they change their minds by then.

 

Happy Birthday Will!!!

Happy Birthday, Gunner!

I will take any excuse to mess around and make a cake. So when Gunner (yes, Gunner my dog) turned one on the 2nd he needed a cake. Well, he didn't get the cake but it was a good reason to make one. So I took another idea I saw on Pinterest but used buttercream instead of the fondant that was used by the other baker. And here is Gunners first cake!

It was a triple layer white cake with cream cheese and strawberries between the layers. It tasted just like summer time!

And of course, since it was his birthday, he got a cupcake too!

I am the Lorax...I Speak for the Trees

Last month I went to see the Lorax with Geoff and his sisters. The one mistake we made was going to see it on opening night, we were the oldest people there that were not accompanied by someone under the age of 7. But we had a great time. It was my first 3D movie and I was impressed. The colors were fantastic and the story was of course an important one.

Anyway, what does that have to do with cakes? Well it was clear that Geoff and his sisters were big fans of the Lorax, and since I had left over batter from the rainbow cupcakes and Tierney was home from school on Spring Break I made her a Lorax Cake.

The cake was a two layer rainbow cake. The frosting was buttercream, and the Truffula Tree was made of a cake pop stick and Grandma Knoeck's method to make yarn pom-poms.

Somewhere over the Rainbow

As I've said before I love to experiment with cakes and the kids I teach are usually my taste testers. If I've learned one thing about teenage children in the past 6 years it's that they say whatever is on their mind. So I know they will be more than honest.

Before they headed out on spring break last week I treated them with some colorful treats. I saw this idea on Pinterest (Shocking, I know) and had to try it. I was short on time so I just used a few boxed cake mixes and then split the batter into six bowls, coloring each one a color of the rainbow.

I then spooned each batter separately into the cups, layering as I went.

After they were done I completed the rainbow theme with buttercream clouds and some store bought sour candy rainbows.

Chocolate Mint Deliciousness!

Along with two children birthday parties to make cakes for this weekend I also have a good friend's birthday dinner on Saturday night...so that was more than another reason to bake!

I love Pinterest (Geoff would be the first to tell you that I'm addicted) and I love finding recipes on there. This week I saw a post for a dark chocolate cupcake with mint frosting and I knew Jami's birthday would be a great reason to test out this recipe.

The real compliment came when my mom tested one out for me and said they were fantastic (she's not a big cupcake eater). I'm thinking with St. Patrick's Day only two weeks away I have another great excuse to make these tasty treats!

Happy Birthday Jami! I hope you had a great day!

Happy Birthday Hetland Girls!

Two birthdays. One house. And drastically different themes!

My mom's boss and his wife approached me and asked me to make cakes for their six and eight year olds birthday parties which happened to be on the same weekend. One thing I love about making cakes for kids is the excitement on their faces when they see their cakes, and these girls did not disappoint.

The six year olds party on Saturday was an ice fishing theme and with her favorite color being blue, a blue fish seemed like the perfect cake for her. I made the cake using directions from Wilton.com. It is two semi-circle cakes held together with frosting and it's decorated with candy melt fins and cake ball eyes.

On Sunday the eight year old was having a very girly party and requested a chocolate American Girl Cake, which is the cake you get if you have a birthday party at an American Girl store. Her face lit up when she saw the cake, and it of course made my day.

Happy Birthday Hetland Girls!!!

When Kids say They're Bad...They're Bad!

Through my obsession with cooking shows I've learned one thing, you always try your dish before you serve it to the judges. Or as a baker, you always test a recipe before you make it for someone. As a teacher I have a great group of guinea pigs who are more than willing to try anything I make.

When I found a Cookies and Cream Cupcake recipe I thought there was no way it would not be delicious. So for Valentine's Day I made my homeroom students some treats, and luckily there were a few left over, so I had to try one. As I ate it I thought, "This is bad!" (But of course I continued to eat the whole thing, just what I needed calories and carbs from something that didn't even taste good) It was dry, hard, and just plain yucky! The kids confirmed my thoughts yesterday, kids are honest and they had no problem telling me they didn't like them.

Oh well. You bake and learn. At least they were beautiful!!!!