Since we are stuck at home for COVID-19 pandemic, no one could go with me to my ultrasound to see the baby gender. When I got home I made a gender reveal cake for the family to cut open and see the gender of baby. I also Zoom called extended family members so that they could be apart of the excitement too!
I mixed up a white cake mix then add either blue or pink food coloring for the reveal.
Then I greased 2 heart shaped cake pans and put half of the mix into each pan.
I baked them according to the directions on the box and then let them cool.
I mixed up some of my homemade buttercream to cover the cake with. 1 cup butter, 1 cup Crisco, 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 tablespoon milk (if thick).
Last I colored the left over food coloring blue and pink to decorate the cake with, I wrote “Brother or Sister?” on the cake.
My husband cut open the cake to reveal the gender during our Zoom call with family!
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.
I participated in a Christmas Craft & Bake sale this year at a local church. Here are some of the things that I made and sold…
Snowy Wonderland Trees
I baked a cake and some cupcakes according to the directions on the box. Then I made my own buttercream frosting; 1 cup butter, 1 cup Crisco, 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 tablespoon milk (if too thick). I frosted the cake and cupcakes and added coconut to look like snow. For the trees, I got thin dowel rods, candy melts, and sprinkles. I melted the candy melts and placed in piping bags; then I placed the dowel rods on wax paper and squeezed out the melted candy back and forth across the dowel rods to look like trees. I added the sprinkles before the melts hardened.
Hot Cocoa Cupcakes
I baked Devils Food Cake box recipe into cupcakes. Once they cooled I topped them with my buttercream icing. Then I added mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crushed candy canes. I placed a small candy cane on the side to look like a handle to a mug full of hot cocoa.
Peppermint Lollies
I placed the hard peppermint candies with a lollie stick on some wax paper on a cookie sheet. Melted them in the oven at 250 degrees, waited for them to cool and put them into bags with a cute red ribbon.
Candy Cane Forest Cake
I baked a white cake according to the box directions and placed a few drops of peppermint extract in the cake mix. I topped the cake with my buttercream icing and then added crushed peppermints, and candy canes.
Holiday Pretzels
I covered pretzels in white chocolate and milk chocolate. I used hot glue to attach buttons and a scarf to my Snowman Jar. And I attached eyes, red nose, and antlers to my Reindeer Jar.
Melted Snowman Ornament
I filled clear glass ornaments with fake white powder snow. Then I added buttons, a carrot nose, tiny twigs, and a red scarf in the ornaments. I used letter stickers to spell out, “Some People are Worth Melting For”, on the outside of the ornaments. These turned out soooo cute!
Poinsettia
I added gold stars and cute poems to these poinsettia’s and gave them as gifts to co-workers and neighbors!
Christmas Tree Cake
I made a chocolate cake with my Giant Cupcake pan. I dyed my buttercream icing green and used it to decorate the top of my Giant Cupcake. I used yellow and red candy melts to make a star and bows to decorate the Christmas Tree Cake.
Santa Hat Cupcakes
I decorated cupcakes with red buttercream icing. I added a mini marshmallow to the top and white icing around the base of the icing.
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:
Grease a large glass bowl with Crisco.
Pour in the marshmallows and water; then microwave at 30- second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.
Reserve about 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Place the red of the powdered sugar in a large bowl of a standing mixer.
Grease the paddle attachment with Crisco and pour in the melted marshmallows on top of the powdered sugar.
Beat until a dough form; there will be a lot of loose bits and sugar in the bottom of the bowl.
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.
Grease hands again as needed. As the fondant becomes smoother, use the reserved powdered sugar to coat the surface to keep it from sticking.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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:
Cream together the butter and Crisco with a mixer.
Slowly add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time.
Add the vanilla, if it seems too thick you can add a bit of milk.
My friend LOVES Captain America, so we surprised her with a cake for her birthday! I bake a box cake and then decorated it with the star tip using my homemade buttercream icing recipe.
Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup Crisco
4 cups powdered sugar (2 lbs)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon milk (if thick)
Directions:
Cream together the butter and Crisco with a mixer.
Slowly add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time.
Add the vanilla, if it seems too thick you can add a bit of milk.
J loves Minecraft so he decided on a Minecraft party this year. He is 10 years old and he loves Legos, science, and video games like any other 10 year old boys.
He wanted his cake to look like the cake on the game so I tried my best.
Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup Crisco
4 cups powdered sugar (2 lbs)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon milk (if thick)
Directions:
Cream together the butter and Crisco with a mixer.
Slowly add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time.
Add the vanilla, if it seems too thick you can add a bit of milk.
I tried to make a Nether Portal, Spider, and Creeper Face for decorations.
I copied pictures of the food items from the game and placed them with the food set out on the food table.
He got more Legos… he was so excited!
I made games this year since it was nice outside for the kids.
Creeper Toss
Minecraft Chess
Cubes to play with.
Jewel Mining
I made a TNT pinyata for J.
Brewing Stand
This was such a fun party for the kids!
Happy Birthday to my double digits boy… I love you!
My sweet, wonderful boy is growing up so fast. He loves science, Legos, and cousins. J is 9 years old this year and his best friend and cousin is 8. Their birthday’s are just 3 weeks apart and they both love Legos so they had a joint party this year. J’s aunt and I had fun planning another party together.
All the kids colored Lego minifig coloring sheets and we hung them up to make a banner.
J made a Lego container to hold the forks. We covered the juice boxes with construction paper and added dots to look like Legos.
We wrapped some of the gifts to look like Legos too.
J got a few new Lego sets and the Lego Movie.
J gave his cousin a watch for his birthday.
The boys had fun putting their Legos together with Papa.
We played Lego games too.
J’s aunt made cookies to look like Legos and Minifig marshmallow pops.
To start the Lego cake I found a Lego font in a Google search. Then I printed out the boys name and colored it to look like the Lego logo.
Then I used my homemade marshmallow fondant to create edible names that look like the Lego logo.
Next I used candy melts to create the candy Lego bricks and minifigs with my silicone Lego molds.
Then I made the cake with colored white cake mix in my checkered cake pans.
Next I made my butter cream frosting green and frosted the cake. I added the candy bricks around the boarder of the cake.
Then placed the green fondant on the top portion of the cake and added the name Lego logos on top.
Marshmallow Fondant Recipe
Ingredients:
16 oz. Mini Marshmallows
3 TBSP water
2 lbs Powdered Sugar (4 cups)
Crisco
Directions:
Grease a large glass bowl with Crisco.
Pour in the marshmallows and water; then microwave at 30- second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.
Reserve about 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Place the red of the powdered sugar in a large bowl of a standing mixer.
Grease the paddle attachment with Crisco and pour in the melted marshmallows on top of the powdered sugar.
Beat until a dough form; there will be a lot of loose bits and sugar in the bottom of the bowl.
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.
Grease hands again as needed. As the fondant becomes smoother, use the reserved powdered sugar to coat the surface to keep it from sticking.
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.
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.
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.
Then I placed a thin piece of yellow fondant around the cake above the bricks and set the minifigs on it.
Then I placed the #8 and #9 candles that I had.
Happy Birthday, my growing boy!!!
He wrote about his Lego party the next day in writing class…
J is 5 now and loves Diego. I tried my best to transform the living room into a jungle with twisted crepe paper vines, poster board and balloon trees, and stuffed jungle animals all around. I try to decorate while he is not around so that when he enters the room he has a big surprise, I just love seeing him when he enters the party room. I also set out his Diego books and toys for the kids to enjoy.
We had rainforest kabobs with fruit, yogurt, and coconut.
He just loved his Transformers that he got from his dad.
I made a 9×11 sheet cake and decorated it with his Diego toys. I frosted the cake with chocolate frosting then added some green vines to it. I tried to make trees with Pirouette Wafers and marshmallow on top. I covered the marshmallows with green frosting. I put blue frosting in the middle for a river and placed candy rocks along the river bank.
We had a treasure hunt too. I placed the clues on his animals, each clue had animal facts about the next animal. The hunt finally ended in a hidden door that I cut from the bottom of one the fake tree trunks that I had made out of poster board. The kids all loved this!
