Shark Cake

Lil' E's 5th Birthday Cake. It is supposed to be a Great White Shark...some thought maybe a nurse shark because it was so big. It is the first time I have covered a cake completely with fondant. The body was easy to cover. The fins and the tail another story. The cake is a red velvet cake with the fins and the tail made out of rice crispie treats. It was also my first attempt at airbrushing. Over all I was happy with the result. To decorated with swedish fish and sea shells that I made from fondant. For a recipe of the cake see below.

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 ounces red food coloring

2 1/2 cups cake flour (I used all purpose with great results)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon vinegar

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Mix cocoa and food coloring together and then add to sugar mixture; mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour batter into 3 (8-inch) round greased and floured pans (or pan size of choice). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.

Tiered Thomas Cake

Here is Doble's 3rd Birthday cake. We just couldn't talk him into any other cake. He loves Thomas too too much. So for the 3rd time I have made a Thomas cake. He loved it as did I. I am also in love with the new recipe I have found. It makes such a moist cake. mmm yummy.

One tier is chocolate and the other is vanilla. Buttercream icing with fondant decorations. The trains are toys. Happy Birthday Doble!

The below recipe is the new recipe I found.

WHITE ALMOND SOUR CREAM WEDDING CAKE

SERVES 40 -50

Ingredients
2 (18 ounce) boxes white cake mix (Betty Crocker or Pillsbury)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 2/3 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons real vanilla
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 cups sour cream
8 large egg whites

Directions
1. Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together with a wire whisk.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on medium speed until everything is wet. Do not overmix. Recipes tell you to mix for 2 mins. I don't go the full length.
3. Pour into greased and floured cake pans, filling each pan a little over half full. I like to line the bottom of my pan with parchment paper for easy release.
4. Lightly tap cake pans on counter to bring air bubbles to top.
5. Bake in preheated 325° F oven until cake tests done.
6. Baking time varies according to the size and depth of pans being used.

In 2" deep pans, this recipe makes:
One 14" round and one 6" round
or One 16" round
or One 12" round and one 10" round
or One 12 X 18" sheet cake
or One 12" round and one 8" round and one 6" round
or Two 9" squares.
or 5 dozen cupcakes.

Half the recipe makes:
Two 7" rounds
or Two 6" rounds and 6 cupcakes.

For chocolate cake: use chocolate mixes and substitute 6 whole eggs for the egg whites.

For berry flavors: use frozen berries, thaw reserving the juice. Substitute the berry juice for part of the water in the recipe, and stir the berries in at the end.

For lemon cake: substitute lemon juice for about 1 cup of the water in the recipe, use 6 whole eggs instead of the whites, stir in 1 Tblsp lemon zest, and use 1 tsp of a good lemon extract in place of the almond.

For white chocolate: melt 8oz white baking chocolate & cool slightly. use 6 whole eggs in the recipe instead of the whites, temper the chocolate by stirring in a small amount of the batter, then add the white chocolate to the entire batter and stir well. Doesn't bake up quite as high as the original, so add a pinch more batter to the pans.

** I have made this by substituting more vanilla for the almond. I perfer the almond flavor but JBody really liked the vanilla flavor.

**If making a chocolate cake I do not recommend adding extra vanilla for the almond. And don't use a milk chocolate cake mix they don't taste as good (my preferences)