Nicholas' Skateboard Cake

I think it is the goal of both of my children when their birthday comes around to try to pick a theme that is either super hard to make or is not in any store, so that I have to improvise.  :)  I can't tell them no, st being their birthday and all, so I figure out a way to make it happen.  (See my many other cakes on this blog.  lol)  Luckily some other mom's had to do the same skateboard theme cake, so looking at other skateboard cakes on google made it much easier for me!

My oldest son, Nicholas, turned 10 this February.  I have no idea how that happened!  I was hoping for a bowling party, where I do little to nothing, but make a cake.  That was not his plan.  After getting the Tony Hawk Ride game for the PS3 for Christmas, he decided on a skateboard theme and to have it at home to play the game with his friends.  Insert 14 kids to my house here. 

First let me start with the cake.  It really was simple.  I baked a chocolate cake in a rectangle baking pan using my favorite "One Bowl Chocolate Cake" recipe from Martha Stewart.  Then I made two 9" yellow cakes (for the ends and the wheels) from my Martha Stewart Homebaking Handbook.  

Cut the rectangle to shape it into the skateboard middle.  Then cut one of the yellow cakes in half to make the ends of the board.  It doesn't have to be perfect...that is what frosting is for!  :)

Speaking of frosting...did I mention my son's favorite color is orange?  So yes, we had orange plates, tablecloths, candy, silverware, cups, and why not orange FROSTING?  I made buttercream frosting and added a little orange gel until it got to the color that he wanted.

I made a separate white buttercream frosting to frost the wheels.  I used a biscuit cuter to cut the wheels from the second 9" yellow cake.  The rods in the middle are those Pepperidge Farm wafer stick/cookie things.  I coated them in melted white chocolate, then pushed them into the "wheels."

I used the rest of the white icing and added some blue gel coloring to it.  Then wrote on the cake and the foil.  I think it turned out cute.  He was happy with it and that is all that really matters, right?

Here is the whole family at his party.  I know you are wondering what the heck I did with all those kids, right?  Well, I made sk8er bingo cards, which we didn't use.  

Of course they took turns playing the skateboard game.

Played some basketball and pool downstairs.

Painted fingerboards I bought online.

Hung out and had a good time.  :)  We had pizza and snacks too.  I thought this wall mount was hilarious.  The kids all put their heads in and I took a pic of each of them.  Come to think of it...I need to get those developed and out to our guests.  :)  

Happy Birthday Nicholas!  I cannot believe it has been TEN years since you were born.  I love you so much and you make me so proud!

White Russian Cake

I thought the perfect birthday cake for George would be a White Russian cake.  There is always Kahula at my parents house and ever since I can remember my step dad, George, has made White Russians.  YUMMY ones!

Here is what I did:

Bake your favorite white or yellow cake.  I chose white since the title says it all "WHITE Russian."  Instead of using vanilla, you can use kahula or vodka.

I love homemade butter cream frosting.  You can add whatever flavor to it and it will taste delicious.

 I added both vodka and Kahlua!

I also brushed the cakes with both vodka and kahula before putting on the layers.

You can add as much alcohol as you like.  It keeps the cake moist and adds a little more YUM.

I know what you are thinking:  "you gave alcohol to your kids?"  No, they got their own cakes.  Any alcohol you put into the batter burns off in the oven.  When I cut the tops of the layers off of the cakes to make them level, I used biscuit cutters to make small layer cakes for the kids.  I also made frosting WITHOUT alcohol to frost them.  So no worries people.

I even frosted theirs cute and put them on little appetizer plates.  Cute, huh?

They enjoyed them, and we enjoyed the White Russian Cake.  YUM!

Phineas and Ferb Birthday Cake

I cannot believe my youngest son Marcus turned 6!  My kids have a knack for picking a character theme for their party that is nowhere to be found in the stores.  Phineas and Ferb are all my my youngest son talks about, sings about, plays and watches.  So it was inevitable that he choose this for his party. 

It took forever to figure out what kind of cake to make.  Or so it seemed.  Luckily he got the Phineas and Ferb characters you see on the cake for his birthday from grandma and papa on the Wednesday before the party!  Nothing like waiting till the last minute, right?

I made a chocolate layer cake with my favorite recipe:  http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/one-bowl-chocolate-cake.  It is easy and the best chocolate cake ever!

I had no idea how to make a wave, so this is what I came up with.  My son was happy with it, so that is really all that matters, right?  The lady at the party place came up to me afterward and said that she always throws away a ton of cake, but this was the first party she saw that everyone ate the whole cake.  She said, "even the kids ate their cake!"  I think that makes it a success.  Of course I knew this was a tasty cake, I just worried about the theme.  It had to be perfect for my sweet boy!

He enjoyed his pizza, tokens for the game room...

...cake, "with the number 6, not 6 candles..."

...making a wish.  (Although he forgot the first time, so we lit it again so he could make a wish.)

We had a beautiful day for mini golf.  Between the jump house, golf & game room, these kids were busy!

He even got a surprise in the morning BEFORE the party.  His Abuelo, Uncle and three of his cousins flew in from Florida to attend his birthday party.  He was so excited!

 All in all it was an awesome day!  He got lots of Phineas and Ferb stuff, had a blast with his friends and family, and got to see family he hasn't seen for a long time.  Happy Birthday, Marcus!

Rainbow Cake

When I saw this recipe on the Martha Stewart show, I started following Whisk Kid's blog.  She does amazing layered cakes.  The idea that you can make a cake (and keep it secret what is inside), sounded fun.  So I decided to do this for Marcus.  He is having a party on Saturday, where I have to make a Phineas and Ferb cake, but since his actual birthday was Wednesday and Grandma, Papa and Gram were coming over we HAD to have a cake, right?  (I made cupcakes for the class, rainbow cake for the family, and one more to go!  Hopefully the last cake will go as smoothly.)

Here is the link to the recipe:   http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/rainbow-cake

It looks like a normal cake, right?  Nobody knew what was waiting inside (except for my husband who almost gave it away).  Note to self, don't let him see it next time.

Here is the birthday boy, Marcus.  He is 6 and so excited for his cake.  When we asked him if he felt older today he kept replying, "I haven't had the cake yet."  Like some special ingredient in the cake ages him.  So cute.

 

He could not believe the colors inside of his cake.  He loved it.  He said it was nice that I put my favorite color (purple) next to his (blue).  He is so sweet.  Of course we served it with ice cream.

The recipe is pretty easy.  You make a white cake and separate it into six bowls.  Add food coloring and whisk until you get the color you want.  Bake cakes for 15 minutes in buttered cake pans (I also used parchment paper since it makes it easy to get the cakes out).

Allow them to cool.  Never frost cakes when they are still warm or you will wind up with a crumbly mess.

Make the meringue buttercream frosting and add between each layer.  The recipe actually had more frosting to add on top, but I didn't make the second recipe.  This was plenty.  I didn't want it to be all frosting and no cake.  I like to taste the cake!

Here is what it looked like all stacked up.

I love how this cake stacks up.

Coat the entire cake with a thin layer of the frosting.  This is the crumb layer.  Don't worry if you see crumbs and such.  This is just to get a coating on the cake that you will chill and it will make it easier to frost later.  Chill for 15-30 minutes.

Frosted cake...finished product.

Baked Alaska

I joined the Daring Bakers blog group in August.  They have a new recipe each month for people to try and blog about and compare notes.  For my first month the recipe was Baked Alaska!  I have never attempted this before and thought it would be fun!  Plus, I found that great Guinness Milk Chocolate Ice Cream recipe.

Here are the guidelines:

• Use the Brown Butter Pound Cake recipe they provided (listed at the bottom of this post)
• Make the ice cream from scratch (any kind you want) 
 

Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty.

(Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.  I used an ice bath for the brown butter instead of freezing it. Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.

Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and then the vanilla extract.  Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until just combined.

Scrape the batter into the greased and floured 9 x 9 square pan.  Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Cool in the pan 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert right-side-up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cut out four circles using a 1-cup prep bowl and serrated knife.

I topped these pound cake circles with the Guinness Milk Chocolate Ice Cream that I prepared earlier.  Click on the link above for the complete ice cream recipe on this site.  I put the glass under running warm water and used a knife around the edge to remove the ice cream from the prep bowl.

Meringue For the Baked Alaska
8 large egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (220g) sugar

Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on high speed in an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar gradually in a slow stream until stiff peaks form.

Pipe the meringue over the ice cream and cake, or smooth it over with a spatula, so that none of the ice cream or cake is exposed.  Burn the tips of the meringue with a cooking blow torch.

Serve immediately.
 
The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking.

Brown Butter Pound Cake
Gourmet Magazine

19 tablespoons unsalted (sweet) butter
2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
   (See “Note” section for cake flour substitution)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and put a rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan.

2. Place the butter in a 10” (25cm) skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.

3. Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and then the vanilla extract.

5. Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until just combined.

6. Scrape the batter into the greased and floured 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

7. Cool in the pan 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert right-side-up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.