You Are My Sunshine Birthday Party

My baby girl is a year old.  I don't know where the time went.  I don't know how she has grown up and turned one on me.  Our little ball of sunshine only deserved the best and sweetest birthday party to usher her into her next year.

My pinterest table.  We had large lemonheads, small lemonheads, taffy spears, brownie pops, lemon curd cookies with lemon curd filling, mints, homemade buttermints, and hershey kisses. And don't forget the birthday cake!

The birthday cake was three tiers.  It was orange dreamsicle with orange dreamsicle filling.  It was oh so yummy.  It was covered it fluffy buttercream (a new recipe I found that I actually like.  It is a mixture between IMBC and ABC), then covered in marshmallow fondant. I love the way the petal layer turned out. 

Dimple's smash cake was iced in the buttercream using a rosette technique.

Brownie pops: Brownies covered in white chocolate.  The silver ones were then dipped in silver sanding sugar.

Taffy spears, lemonheads, and homemade buttermints.

lemon curd cookies with lemon curd filling, mints, and hershey kisses.

The drink table.  Pineapple lemonade and water.  I love my new little milk bottles.  I have many plans for them in the future.

The following pictures are just because.  This little cutie steals my heart everyday.  Happy Birthday Little Dimples.

Thanks to my grandma, Dimples was all dolled up in this cute little outfit.  I can't get over how dang cute it is.  

She even made her a pair of matching bloomers with a cute ruffle bum.  I made her necklace from gumballs left over from my little sister's wedding.

Such a ham.  She had us all laughing while we watched her dig into her cake. 

I absolutely love this picture of Dimples and my mom. 

Bailey's Wedding Cake

My little sister has been married now for 8 months now.  Her cake was eaten 8 months ago.  Yes I am REALLY late in posting this.  I do have a good excuse though.  I didn't take one picture! Can you believe that?  Luckily her photographer, a friend of mine, took some amazing shots.  It just took me awhile to get them to work on my computer.  So without further ado....Here is her beautiful cake.

Each of those dots you see (around 1200) were piped onto perfectly smooth buttercream.  I was so happy with how it turned out.  Even if it did take hours.





Handmade daisies to match her theme and color.

I just had to throw this one in.  No he isn't the groom, but instead my overly obnoxious, crazy, sexy husband. 



Snake Cake

It seems like forever since I have been able to post a picture of a cake.  Probably because it has been forever since I have made one.  I was nervous about this one.  Mainly because I am less than a couple weeks from having a new baby.  I didn't know if I would be able to make a cake that I would be happy with.  No worries the birthday boy and this mama were very pleased with the results. 

The cake is three round cakes that I carved just a bit to give it more snake like curves.  The head and the tail were both fondant.   

To get the snake skin texture I used one of those plastic orange bags that your oranges come in.  Then I painted it using a little bit of clear vanilla and gel food coloring.

I thought he would never ask for anything other than a Thomas cake.  The kids love catching snakes in the yard.  He was excited to have a snake cake for his birthday. 

6 years?  He is getting so big.  In just a month our oldest will be 8!!  I remember when they were so much younger.  I love that they are growing up and the kids they are, but it does make me sad too.

Easy Custard Cream Cake Filling

Once again it is cake time.  Doble is celebrating his 6th birthday on the 12th.  However, with our new baby arriving on the 16th and another family celebration on the 12th, his birthday party will be a week early.  Doesn't hurt my feelings.  In fact it makes it a bit easier to get it done and out of the way before the new baby arrives.  I thought I would share with you a favorite filling amongst the kids for thier cakes.

This can be done with any flavor of pudding.  However, my kids love the Oreo pudding filling with added oreos crushed on top. 

Easy Custard Cream Filling

1 large box of instant pudding (any flavor)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tsp honey (I have done this with or without the honey)

1.  On low/medium speed whip all ingredients until incorporated.

2.  Thicken on medium high/high speed.

3.  Let set for an hour or so before using (I usually make this a day ahead.  I like to make my frosting the day of so this eliminates having to make too many things all on the same day.

Tips:

Before using in your cake, create a dam using frosting.  This will keep your filling from oozing out the sides.

Flavor Variations:

Vanilla with fresh strawberries

White chocolate with raspberries

Chocolate with chocolate chip

The flavors are endless.

Cub Scout Blue & Gold

Feels good to finally make and cake.  But I will be honest it feels good to be done with it too.  This was one of the fastest cakes I have done in a while.  I haven't done an all buttercream cake in a long time.  It was nice not having to work with fondant.  I also decided to go with American Buttercream.  Cub Scouts don't care if the frosting is too sweet.  Heck they probably prefer it.  It saved me a bunch of time and a bunch of BUTTER. 

The cake was 16 x16

Made from American Buttercream

All hand piped

White Sour Cream and Almond layer on top

Filled with Oreo Custard filling

Chocolate Cake on bottom layer

Funfetti Watercolor Cake

It took me 4 months to post it, but here is Auntie Bails Birthday Cake.  We were so excited to give her this cake.  Not just because it was her birthday, but she came home from her 18 month mission from the Philippines on her birthday. I made the cake, but the kids helped to decorate it.

We made her favorite, Funfetti.  Then covered it with fondant and left to pick her up from the airport. I wish I had pictures to show of her homecoming, but we were all so excited to give her hugs that we didn't take any pictures.  After the reunion we headed home so she could get cleaned up and the kids started their masterpiece.

If you are wanting to try this at home you will need:

A fondant covered cake

Gel food coloring diluted with clear vanilla extract

Clean paintbrushes.  We have special food only paint brushes.

Eager Artists

Once the kids were done with painting every inch of the cake I put some extra touches on it to hide the bottom. 

Doesn't it look like stain glass?  They had so much fun and she loved that it was made by the kids.

Happy Birthday Bails.  We are so glad you are home!!

What's Your Favorite Kind of Cake?

I have been MIA in the cake world for the last 4 months.  The last cake I made was for my sister.  It was a simple cake that actually my kids decorated.  I have yet to post it on here.  I do have a good excuse though.  If you follow my other blog, Positively Peaches, you would know that we are expecting.  Right after I finished making Razy's birthday cake, I got really sick.  I was never sick with my other three kids.  This one though really did me in.  I thought I would never get over it.  I am now well into my 2nd trimester.  25 weeks!!! Yay.  It wasn't until about week 15 that I was starting to feel better.  Luckily I have a wonderful husband who took care of lots of house work and stuck through lots of eating out. 

When I was asked by the Cubscout Committee Chair to make a cake for the upcoming Blue & Gold I was leary, but excited.  I have been itching to make another cake.  However, this one is going to be a fairly simple one with just piping.  No fondant.  I didn't have it in me to spend the extra day making and kneading the fondant.  With that being said the cake is in the oven right now.  I am making my favorite, White Sour Cream and Almond.  I thought it would be fun to see what kinds of cake you all enjoy eating or making. 

What is your favorite kind of cake? 

What flavor of icing do you like?

What flavor of filling is your favorite?

If you have a recipe that you wouldn't mind sharing I would love to hear them (djpeachparty5@gmail.com).  Who knows maybe I will have to try it and feature YOU!!