Monster Truck Birthday Cake -4

My nephew came for a visit over his 4th birthday so I made him a #4 Monster Truck cake.

Ingredients:

  • Yellow Cake Mix
  • Eggs
  • Oil
  • Chocolate Mini Donuts
  • Chocolate Frosting
  • Oreo’s
  • Green Icing
  • Monster Trucks
  • #4 Candle

Directions:

  1. Bake the yellow cake according to directions in a 9×13 baking pan.
  2. Let it cool and cut the cake in half longwise so you have 2 long pieces of cake. Then cut one of the pieces in half. Shape on your cake board in the shape of the number 4.
  3. Cover the cake with chocolate frosting.
  4. Crush up some Oreo’s to create a Monster Truck track on top of the cake.
  5. Place the donuts around the side of the cake and us the green icing to add some grass between the donuts.
  6. I also used the green icing to write “Happy Birthday”.
  7. Place the number 4 candle and the Monster Trucks on top of the cake.

Chocolate Freezer Pies -13

My son just loves his grandma’s family recipe for Chocolate Freezer Pies. He doesn’t like cake very much, so he usually prefers pies for his birthday.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. Hershey’s bar
  • 8 oz. Cream Cheese
  • 16 oz. Cool Whip
  • 2 Prepared 8 inch Graham Crust
  • 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

  1. Heat the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted.
  2. Beat the cream cheese and add the remaining milk. Add chocolate mix and beat until smooth.
  3. In a bowl, fold the chocolate mix into the cool whip and blend until smooth.
  4. Spoon the mix into the crusts. I decorated the pies with some extra cool whip and shaved chocolate bar for my son’s birthday.
  5. Freeze for 4 hours.

NERF BOY

He still loves all things Nerf, so he had a few friends over the play Nerf again this year!

Laser Tag Birthday -8

My boy is 8!!! He took some of his buddies to play laser tag and then we came home for chocolate “8” cake.

Laser Tag Cake

I baked a 9 inch and an 8 inch chocolate cake with a cup in the middle to create a donut shape for each circle cake. Then I put them together and added chocolate icing. I used blue icing to write on the cake and added glow sticks to look like laser tag! AND of course 8 candles too.

Nerf Birthday -12

My “Brilliant Boy” is 12 now. It goes by so fast… and I love him so much! He loves playing Nerf with his friends, so they all came over for a few hours and they had fun playing Nerf!

I used homemade marshmallow fondant to decorate his cake!

Marshmallow Fondant Recepie

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz. Mini Marshmallows
  • 3 TBSP water
  • 2 lbs Powdered Sugar (4 cups)
  • Crisco

Directions:

  1. Grease a large glass bowl with Crisco.
  2. Pour in the marshmallows and water; then microwave at 30- second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.
  3. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Place the red of the powdered sugar in a large bowl of a standing mixer.
  4. Grease the paddle attachment with Crisco and pour in the melted marshmallows on top of the powdered sugar.
  5. Beat until a dough form; there will be a lot of loose bits and sugar in the bottom of the bowl.
  6. Grease a clean work surface with Crisco and dump out the fondant and all the loose bits. Grease your hands liberally with Crisco and knead the mixture together, just like kneading bread, for about 5 minutes until smooth.
  7. Grease hands again as needed. As the fondant becomes smoother, use the reserved powdered sugar to coat the surface to keep it from sticking.
  8. Once smooth, you can divide and color the fondant. While working with one piece, cover the remaining fondant with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
  9. When you have your colors finished coat the fondant in a light layer or Crisco; wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large baggie for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
  10. Store at room temperature for several months. To us it, dust the surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out to 1/8 of an inch.
Nerf with friends!

Cookies-n-Cream Birthday Cake -8

She wanted a Cookies -n- Cream cake for her 8th birthday!

Cake Recipe:

  • 2 boxes of some sort of chocolate cake mix
  • 2 boxes of 3.75 oz. vanilla pudding
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 c. oil
  • 1 c. milk

Mix all the ingredients and bake in 4 round cake pans according to the directions on the cake box.

Filling Recipe:

  • 1 sticks butter
  • 1/4 cup heaving whipping cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 jar marshmallow cream
  • 3 c. powdered sugar
  • 1 c. crushed Oreo’s

Whip butter and cream together then add in the other ingredients.  Put between the cake layers.

Buttercream Recipe:

  • 1 c. butter
  • 1 c. shortening
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 8 c. powder sugar
  • milk

Whip the butter and shortening together then add the vanilla and powder sugar.  Add a little milk if the buttercream is too thick.  Frost the sides and the top of the cake.

Chocolate Ganosh Recipe:

  • 1 Tbs. butter
  • 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

Warm the whipping cream in the microwave for 2 minutes and then dump in the butter and chocolate chips.  Keep stirring until melted and runny.  Place in the refrigerator for about half an hour so it thickens up.  Drizzle it around the top of the cake so it drips part way down the sides.

Cake Toppings:

  • Hershey’s Cookies -n- Cream Bars
  • Oreo’s
  • Mini Oreo’s

Decorate the top and sides of the cake to look beautiful!

Fruit Dip:

  • 1 package of cream cheese
  • 1 jar of marshmallow cream

Mix the ingredients and whip together.  Then add the fruit to dip!

Thanksgiving Treats

This is the first Thanksgiving dinner that I have ever made. My family came for a visit from the west coast, so I had a lot of help 🙂 I also tried to make some fun Thanksgiving Treats to snack on during the beginning part of the day!

Carmel Apple Turkey

My boys LOVE carmel and apples so I made this little guy to snack on.

Thanksgiving Cornucopia

I used Pillsbury Crescent Dough to shape and bake the Cornucopia, then added the fruit that my family likes.

Fruit Dip

I also made my fruit dip that the boys LOVE! Mix one package of cream cheese with one jar of marshmallow cream!

Vegi Dip

Mix one tub of sour cream with one Ranch packet for the vegetables.

Cubs Birthday Cake

I made a Cubs birthday cake for my friend. He has loved watching the Cubs play baseball, and he is excited that they are on their way to the World Series for the first time in his life.

Buttercream Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (2 lbs)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon milk (if thick)

Directions:

  1. Cream together the butter and Crisco with a mixer.
  2. Slowly add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time.
  3. Add the vanilla, if it seems too thick you can add a bit of milk.

Shopkins Birthday Party -7

She wanted a Shopkins cake so I decided to make Wishes.  Then I made some of the cupcakes as well!  She was turning 7 so I decided to put 7 candles on top rather than the five that comes on Wishes.

Marshmallow Fondant Recepie

I used fondant to make her name to look like the Shopkins logo.

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz. Mini Marshmallows
  • 3 TBSP water
  • 2 lbs Powdered Sugar (4 cups)
  • Crisco

Directions:

  1. Grease a large glass bowl with Crisco.
  2. Pour in the marshmallows and water; then microwave at 30- second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.
  3. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Place the red of the powdered sugar in a large bowl of a standing mixer.
  4. Grease the paddle attachment with Crisco and pour in the melted marshmallows on top of the powdered sugar.
  5. Beat until a dough form; there will be a lot of loose bits and sugar in the bottom of the bowl.
  6. Grease a clean work surface with Crisco and dump out the fondant and all the loose bits. Grease your hands liberally with Crisco and knead the mixture together, just like kneading bread, for about 5 minutes until smooth.
  7. Grease hands again as needed. As the fondant becomes smoother, use the reserved powdered sugar to coat the surface to keep it from sticking.
  8. Once smooth, you can divide and color the fondant. While working with one piece, cover the remaining fondant with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
  9. When you have your colors finished coat the fondant in a light layer or Crisco; wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large baggie for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
  10. Store at room temperature for several months. To us it, dust the surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out to 1/8 of an inch.

For the cupcakes I printed out the cupcake liners that I found from My Cupcake Addictions.

Buttercream Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (2 lbs)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon milk (if thick)

Directions:

  1. Cream together the butter and Crisco with a mixer.
  2. Slowly add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time.
  3. Add the vanilla, if it seems too thick you can add a bit of milk.