It's a Piece of Cake!

I thought I'd use this Saturday post to share some simple cake decorating tips with you.

Birthdays are a special time for kids...

and they love nothing better than having a unique cake to mark the occasion.

And guess what?

They are easy to make...

using standard cakes cut into various shapes...

frosted and decorated.

One does not need to be skilled cake decorator...
or have fancy pans!

With a little inspiration...

anyone can turn out a fun edible centerpiece for that next birthday celebration!

I have a book called Cakes for Kids by Matthew Mead...

which is a great guidebook.

But for the most part...
one can google any theme these days...

and find ideas for a cake to go with it. 

My five-year-old granddaughter requested a treasure chest cake for her birthday...

a few weeks ago.

Betty Crocker had a treasure chest cake on-line.
That was my guide and I made changes as I went along.
I used a chocolate cake mix...
baked it in a 9 x 13 inch pan...
and cut it up as Betty suggested.
I added a cardboard base (covered with foil) under the 'lid'...
thinking that would make it easier to remove for cutting.
I used a chocolate butter cream frosting...
but I'm sure frosting from the can would work just as well.
The straps on the treasure chest are strips of fruit roll-ups.
Candy necklaces and foil wrapped candies work great.
Gold foil-covered chocolate coins are a must!

Maggie loved her cake!
My oldest two grands (twin girls) had the same cake for their fifth birthday...
almost seven years ago.

Another grand was obsessed with ducks...

...so she got a ducky cake for her 2nd birthday not long ago.

The inspiration also came from Betty Crocker.

Fun...and simple!

 

The ladybug cake was baked in a Pyrex bowl...

the head in a custard cup.

The spots are wee Oreo cookies.

I checked out google images and copied what I liked.

A frog cake for a second birthday.

Very easy...

using two layers and two cupcakes.

One year the birthday girl wanted a princess cake.

I used mini bundt pans for the skirt...

and inserted a wee princess in the center of each cake.

The grandgirlies each had a small princess cake...

the two grandsons each had a frog cupcake.

 

A monkey cake is perfect for a first birthday.

The monkey is for the guests to enjoy...

the banana is for the birthday boy!

The dinosaur cake was made for my grandson Micah's first birthday...

and I posted the instructions right here.

My other grandson had a Lego cake for his sixth birthday...

easily created by cutting a 9 x 13 inch cake into blocks...

and using large marshmallows (cut in half crosswise) for the 'knobs'.

The inspiration came from Betty Crocker as well. 

The princess castle cake was for my twin grand daughters' birthday many years ago...

a copykat version of one I found on-line.

 

A bundt cake with a doll tucked in the center...

was a simple solution for a strawberry shortcake themed party.

And that was for a girl who has an allergy to strawberries!

 

Raggedy Ann was made following a photo I saw on-line.

The head was baked in a 1 1/2 quart Pyrex casserole...

the body is a round cake layer cut in half .

Pull-apart red licorice twist work great for Ann's hair.

 

The Teddy Bear cake was a cake baked in four baking pans...

a 1 1/2 quart casserole for the head, 

a large custard dish for the nose, 

and two small custard dishes for the ears.

The bow tie is made of fruit leather.

The inspiration for the Blues Clues cake came from here...

and was simply a 9 x 13 inch cake cut in the shape of a dog's head.

The blue sparkles put on the finishing touch.

The Hello Kitty was made following directions given here...

also cut from a 9 x 13 inch cake.

Those are a few of the 'cut-up' cakes that my grands have enjoyed these past years.

None of them required any training in cake decorating...
or any specialty pans.

If you want vibrant coloured frosting...
be sure to use gel colours...
available with cake decor supplies anywhere.

To eliminate cake crumbs in your icing as you decorate...
cover the entire cake with a skim coat of icing and chill until firm...
maybe 30 minutes.

Baby Carriage Cake ~ with instructions


Use your imagination...
and have some fun making the cake for your next celebration!

Lazy Linguine for Two

One-dish pasta recipes having been making the rounds on pinterest recently. Most serve four to six...and since there are just two of us for most meals...I decided to try a pared down version recently.  My husband is wondering when I will be serving it again! How much simpler can it get...than throwing everything into one pot and having it on the table a short while later?

• 6 oz. linguine (half of 12 oz / 375 gr package)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 small onion, julienned (cut in strips lengthwise)
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 1/4 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for  serving

1. Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and basil in a skillet or stock pot.
2. Add water or broth and olive oil.
3. Sprinkle with pepper flakes and salt.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes (stirring frequently)...or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stirring to distribute juices evenly.
7. Dish into two pasta bowls.
8. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired.
9. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

 * Double or triple the recipe to serve four or six.

Enjoy!

Cabbage Rolls

There are many different versions of cabbage rolls out there. I make cabbage rolls much like those that my mom made...and we had frequently when I was growing up.  Cabbage and beef were staples at our place!  We celebrated my dad's birthday recently...and had an old-fashioned dinner together with family.  I brought cabbage rolls, or 'hallapse' as we used to call them....my simplified version.

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 eggs
• two slices bread, soaked in water and then squeezed
• 1 medium potato, sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cans tomato soup, divided
• 2/3 cup long grain white rice, un-cooked
• 2 medium heads Savoy cabbage* 
• tomato juice

1. Place ground beef in large mixing bowl. 
2. Combine eggs, soaked bread, potato, onion, salt, pepper and one tin of tomato soup in blender. Process until completely smooth.
3. Add pureed mixture to mixing bowl...along with the rice.
4. Using your hands, mix well.
5. Remove leaves from head of cabbage and place in large microwavable bowl. Add several tablespoons water, cover and microwave for several minutes on high, just to soften the leaves a bit.  Savoy cabbage is most flexible, and doesn't require much steaming.
6. Form meatballs with about 1/4 cup of meat mixture. Place on center of a cabbage leaf and  roll up cabbage to enclose. Fit cabbage rolls snugly in the bottom of a roaster.
7. Combine remaining can of tomato soup with 1 can of water.  Pour over the cabbage rolls.
8. Cover and bake at 350°F for about 2 hours. 
9. Check on cabbage rolls part-way through baking time and add tomato juice if  more liquids are required.
10. Before serving, combine tomato sauce (drained from pan) with 1/2 cup sour cream and heat through.  Serve over cabbage rolls.

*If not using Savoy cabbage, I prefer to freeze the entire head in advance and then remove the leaves one at a time from the partially defrosted head of cabbage.

The cooked cabbage rolls freeze well.  Package in meal-size portions to freeze.  Thaw and re-heat in the oven or microwave.