Fairy Garden Butterfly Cake

Butterfly Cake

Special Supplies:

*Edible Butterflies, found on Amazon

*Cupcake Fairy Toppers, found on Amazon

*Cupcake Sprinkles, found at Walmart in the Fall

*Decorating bag with M1 piping Tip

*8-inch Cardboard Cake Base or cake stand etc….

*Straight Icing Spatula and Offset Spatula

*3 Cake Pans 6-inch round, lined with parchment paper

*Cooking Spray, like Olive Oil or Pam

Vanilla Cake

Note: Double this recipe, this will help you have enough for extra 12 cupcakes if desired or use all batter for 4 layers. Makes 3-4 six-inch round cake layers.

Ingredients:

*1/2 cup Butter, slightly soften

*1 and 1/2 cups Sugar

*4 Egg Yolks, save egg whites in medium mixing bowl for beating later

*1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

*3 cups All-Purpose Flour

*3 teaspoons Baking Powder

*1 cup Milk, room temperature not cold

*2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

*4 Egg Whites, Beaten to soft peaks 

Instructions:

In a stand mixer cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the egg yolks and salt, mix until incorporated.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour and baking powder.

In measuring cup add the milk and vanilla.

Alternate adding the flour and milk mixture 1/3 at a time to the creamed mixture and mix just until all ingredients are combined.  Then fold in beaten egg whites.

Note:  Beat egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks and fold into cake batter 1/3 at a time.

Spray pans with cooking spray and dust pans with flour, fill pans a little over 2/3rds full. Bake as directed above.

Remove cakes from oven and cool completely. I like to plastic wrap and freeze the cake layers (individually) at this point. Then when frozen remove cakes from freeze unwrap and cut out the centers with 2-inch biscuit cutter.

Note: Fill any remaining batter in cupcake liners 3/4 full in cupcake/muffin pans. Bake cupcakes 25 to 30 minutes

Stabilized Butter Cream

Note: I like to Double this frosting recipe to make sure I have plenty of frosting.

Ingredients:

*1 cup Butter, out of the fridge 30 minutes

*1/4 cup Butter Flavored Shortening or if you want a whiter frosting use regular white shortening 

*1 pound Powdered Sugar, around 3 and 1/2 to 4 cups, more or less as needed

*1 tablespoon Cornstarch 

*1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

*1/4 teaspoon Almond Extract

*1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt, to taste

*1-2 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream or as needed

Instructions:

In a bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment add the butter and shortening and beat on medium-low speed until light fluffy color.  Mix in salt, vanilla and almond extracts, just until incorporated.  Then add corn starch and powdered sugar  a cup at a time.  Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds making sure all powdered sugar is incorporated.  Mix another 30 seconds add more cream f needed for a good spreadable consistency, mix more if needed.  Do not over mix it will make a lot of air bubbles you will have to hand-stir them out.

Divide frosting into two bowls, making the most of the frosting blue and leave some White, maybe 1-2 cups for white.

Add frosting to bottles or piping bags with small tips cut of the ends or use small piping tips at the end of bags.  Refrigerate frosting as needed if it gets too soft while frosting/piping.

See this Video for Cake decorating tips

See Fairy Garden Party Activity

Also see Fairy Garden Party

Enjoy!

Lindy

Construction Chocolate Cake

Construction Chocolate Cake

Special Supplies:

Silicone number 3 or number of choice Silicon Cake Pan.  I sprayed mine with cooking spray inside and out just to make sure cake came out easily.  Note:  Use the baked cake inside the number 3 to use for dirt.

9 x 13-inch cake baking pan, with parchment and sprayed with cooking spray.

Chocolate Jimmies and Construction Trucks at in store only Walmart and Cone Candles from Amazon and Silicon 3 Cake Pan, Amazon

Grandma Weston’s Chocolate Cake or Cupcakes

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Makes 18 cupcakes or **1 oblong cake pan cake with the number silicon baking pan placed in the middle and fill 2/3 full the number pan and then oblong on 2/3 full around the number.

Preheat oven 350*F.  then turn down heat to 325*F. when adding cupcakes or cake. 

Ingredients:

*1 and 1/2 cups Butter, slightly softened 

*1 and 1/2 cups Brown Sugar

*2 cups All-purpose Flour

*1 teaspoon Soda

*2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder

*1 cup milk

*1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 

*1 teaspoon Lemon Extract

*Pinch of Kosher Salt

Instructions:

In a stand mixer add the butter and brown sugar and cream together.  Then add the eggs, adding 1 egg at time until incorporated.

In a bowl sift the flour and baking soda and cocoa powder, set aside. 

In a 1 cup glass measuring cup, add the milk, vanilla extract, lemon extract and salt.

Add to the creamed mixture 1/2 of the flour mixture and 1/2 of the milk mixture mix until combined.  Repeat with remaining flour and milk, mix just until all ingredients are incorporated. 

In a muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake liners, Scoop batter into cups using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop/dishes or fill 2/3 full.

Bake at 325*F. oven for 18-22 minutes for cupcakes and 35 to 45 minutes for cake or until tests done. **See above for filling oblong cake pan.

Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cool before frosting.

Chocolate Sprinkles/Jimmies optional for topping

Fudge Frosting/Icing

Ingredients:

*1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

*1 cup Sugar

*2 ounces Semi-Sweet Bakers Chocolate Squares, cut into small pieces 

*1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

*1 teaspoon Lemon Extract 

*1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions:

In a saucepan on medium-low heat, heat the cream, sugar, chocolate pieces and cream of Tartar.  Heat until chocolate melts then turn to medium heat and bring to a boil, boil for 2 minutes remove from heat, add lemon and vanilla extract, stir, and allow to cool.  Then pour over cake (Make sure to remove the silicon number first.) and add sprinkles if desired.

Decorate as desired.  We add crumbled cake crumbs to the space where the number was, make sure to do this before pouring on icing.  Add construction trucks (found at Walmart) and put cake crumbles in the truck beds scoops etc… You could also use crushed Oreos.

Also see Construction Birthday Party

Enjoy!

Jessica and Lindy