By Jessica Getskow Fisher

More Cool Cakes Creative Cake Ideas

for Birthdays and Special Occasions

Jessica Getskow Fisher

More Cool Cakes Creative Cake Ideas for Birthdays and Special Occasions

© Jessica Getskow Fisher, 2011

www.lifeasmom.com

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

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Contents

Introduction 6

The Basics 7

Cake Variations 11

Buttercream Frosting 12

Birthday Cakes

Tangled Birthday Cake 13

A Very Dora Cake 15

A Whale of A Cake 17

Toy Story Cake 20

Death Star Cake 21

Lego Bionicle Thornax Cake 22

Drive-In Movie Theater Cake 23

Indiana Jones Cake 25

Lego Power Miner Cake 27

Holidays & Special Occasions

Get Outta Debt Cake 28

Empty Tomb Resurrection Cake 29

Mother’s Day Cupcakes & variations 31

Fall Flower Cupcakes 39

Buche de Noel or Yule Log Cake 40

6

Introduction You can do this. Yes, yes, you can.

Baking and decorating special birthday and holiday cakes is not as difficult as

you would imagine. Some frosting, some candy, a few toys, and you’ve got

yourself a dessert to make your child pleased as punch.

Not only can you customize your cake to fit your theme perfectly -- no more

flipping through the baker’s book trying to decide -- but you can also control

what ingredients go in and on your cake. Certainly these options are available

in your community, but they are generally expensive. Doing it yourself will save

you quite a few pennies.

Making your own will save you money and put a smile on your face -- and on

the faces of those you love.

Cakes are fun to decorate once you know some of the tricks in this book. They

are also easy enough to include your kids in the project.

A baked cake, some buttercream frosting, a few toys and a couple handfuls of

candy is all you need to create some pretty cool cakes.

You will amaze even yourself.

7

The Basics everything you need to know to make pretty. cool. cakes.

Here’s a basic formula to create simple, yet festive cakes:

What You Need:

Boxed cake mix

Feel free to make your cake from scratch, but since celebrations are usually

busy days for families, I recommend taking this shortcut. 1‐2 boxes is sufficient

for the cakes featured in this book.

Canned frosting or a batch of buttercream frosting

In the past, I’ve been a huge fan of canned frosting. But, once I learned how

easy it was to make my own buttercream, that’s become my new frosting of

choice.

But don’t be afraid to take the canned shortcut if you need to or prefer it. If

your family really wants homemade buttercream, then go for it. I’ve included

the Homemade Buttercream Recipe that my family loves on page 12.

Otherwise, Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker can help you out immensely here. 1‐2 cans are sufficient.

8

Candy and sprinkles

You don’t need to keep a huge stock of sprinkles and candy on hand, but it

helps. Try to stock up on them whenever you see a really good deal, usually

after a holiday. Blue and green are nice to have on hand to add shimmer to

otherwise boring frosting grass or water. Rainbow jimmies liven up any cake.

Candy rocks and pebbles are a favorite with my children, so I try to have those

for cake toppings as well. You can buy them at Walmart, Amazon, or bulk

candy stores.

If you have a special theme in mind, peruse a bulk candy store for novelty

candies that fit your topic.

Paste‐type food coloring

Liquid food coloring really won’t give you deep vivid hues. Instead, you need

to use paste or gel food coloring. This comes in small jars, available in a myriad

of colors. It’s sold at Walmart, Michaels, or wherever you might find cake‐decorating supplies.

You won’t use much at one time, just enough to cover the tip of a knife. Simply

dip a knife or toothpick into the jar and then mix into the frosting. You can add

more if you want a deeper hue, but this food coloring is very potent. A little

goes a long way.

Toys

Many of our family’s favorite cakes incorporate a theme based on my

children’s interests. Plastic toys and action figures, such as Playmobil, lend

themselves very well to their chosen themes. Rather than hunting down a

special cake topper, we just use the character toys that they would love to

play with anyhow.

Sometimes we use what we already have. Other times, we buy a new toy

especially for the occasion. The birthday child gets to keep the new toy and

that adds to the fun.

Cardboard cake boards or a large serving tray

A cake board is optional, but very handy to have so that you have something

to place your cake on. You can find cake boards wherever cake decorating

supplies are sold. I like to keep two basic sizes on hand: 10 x 14‐inch rectangles

for 9 x 13 cakes and 10 in. round boards for layer cakes.

You can also use a large serving tray, cookie sheet, or cutting board.

9

Aluminum foil

Again, this is optional. But, if you’d like to reuse your cake board or cover up a

not so pretty or non‐theme related serving tray, aluminum foil is a nice thing to

have on hand.

Paper and toothpicks

On occasion I have adapted scrapbook supplies to create embellishments for

our cakes. Taping a paper illustration to a toothpick is an inexpensive

alternative to buying a new toy. Forming messages and banners on the

computer and printing them off is an easier option that writing fancy lettering in

frosting.

Other optional supplies

Wax paper, an offset spatula, cookies and cracker crumbs, brown sugar,

chocolate chips, toothpicks, and scotch tape can all come in handy. So, keep

them nearby as you start to craft your cake.

10

Create Cool Birthday Cakes

-- and Memories -- with Your Kids

Choose your theme. Include the birthday child in the decision and then

brainstorm if there's a shape or a scene that you could depict using toys, action

figures, and candy.

We often build "diorama" type cakes, where the cake acts as a stage for the

toy action. Your child may know the story, movie, or character better than you

do, so ask lots of questions and look at drawn artwork for inspiration.

As the parent, reserve creative license for yourself. While it’s wonderful to

include your child in the design process, avoid letting it get out of hand.

Prepare your cake. Prepare and bake cake and allow to cool completely.

Get your tray ready. Choose a serving tray to use to hold the cake or get a

cake board ready by covering it with foil.

Gather the goods! Gather any toys you might use and wash and dry them well.

Assemble all the items that will go on your cake: frosting, food coloring,

candies, toys, and candles.

Position your cake. Place the cake on your serving tray. If you’d like, surround it

with strips of waxed paper. In this way, if you’re a little messy in your frosting

stage, the drips will fall on the waxed paper which you can pull away when

finished, leaving a clean surface behind.

Color your frosting. Tint your frosting with the colors that suit your design. Frost

your cake with a thin layer of frosting. This is called the crumb coat. It’s

especially helpful when you’ve cut the cake and arranged it to form a fancy

―stage.‖ Slip the cake in the refrigerator for a few minutes to allow the crumb

coat to harden. When you add another coat, you won’t have pesky crumbs

marring your finished product.

Go to town with toys and candy. Once the frosting is covering the cake, place

your toys and other embellishments.

Capture the moment. Take a picture of the birthday child and his cake! Enjoy

the moment.

11

Cake Variations

Lemon Cake

1 package yellow cake mix

1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

zest of one lemon

Combine all ingredients in large mixing

bowl. Blend 2 minutes with an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon batter

into prepared pan or cupcake liners. Bake according to package

directions. Cool completely on a rack.

Devil’s Food Cake

1 package Devil’s Food cake mix

1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Blend 2 minutes with an

electric mixer until smooth. Spoon batter into prepared pan or cupcake

liners. Bake according to package directions. Cool completely on a rack.

Usually, I use boxed cake mixes. However,

every once in awhile, I like to fancy them

up with a few additional ingredients.

Here are the recipes for two of my

favorites — Chocolate Cake and Lemon

Cake.

12

buttercream frosting In my efforts to healthify our family’s diet,

I have switched from buying canned

frosting to making my own. I know,

frosting is frosting. It’s still butter and

sugar.

But, at least butter + sugar is better than

partially-hydrogenated-I-don’t-know-

what’s-its. I’m amazed at how much

better my cakes taste with homemade

buttercream.

My husband and teenage son, who

previously shunned white frosting

because it tasted bad, now love it.

Basic Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1-2 Tablespoons milk or half and half

1 teaspoon vanilla

In large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add three cups sugar, 1

Tablespoon milk, and vanilla. Beat until combined and fluffy. Adjust with more

sugar or milk, depending on what consistency you’re looking for.

Cocoa Buttercream: Add 1/3 cup cocoa powder to the recipe above

plus extra milk if needed for the desired consistency.

Dark Chocolate Buttercream: Add 1/3 cup Hershey’s Special Dark

Cocoa Powder to the above recipe plus extra milk if needed for the

desired consistency.

Lemon Buttercream

1 cup butter, softened

3-4 cups powdered sugar

zest from one lemon

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Whip butter with and electric mixer. Sift in 3 cups powdered sugar. Blend

in zest and lemon juice. Whip until fluffy.

13

A Tangled birthday Cake Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair!

If there is a young prince in your life rather than a princess, just swap out

Rapunzel for a knight and a dragon.

What you need:

small, round cake pans, greased

prepared cake batter to make four

round layers and at least one

cupcake

one batch Homemade Buttercream

frosting or two tubs of white, store

bought frosting

ziploc bag or pastry bag with writing

tip

paste food coloring in green and

castle color

one sugar cone

one chopstick

parchment paper or waxed paper

flower or snowflake shaped sprinkles

candy rocks

Rapunzel doll

What to do:

1. Grease four mini cake pans well with non-stick spray or your favorite cake

lubricant.

2. Fill the mini cake pans half full and then use the excess batter to make a dozen

cupcakes. You’ll need at least one cupcake for this cake.

3. Prepare the buttercream frosting. Reserve about a cup of the frosting to dye

green. Dye the rest of the frosting to be the color of your castle.

4. Apply a thick layer of frosting to the first round and stack the next round on top.

Continue this ―bricklayer‖ process until all four layers are stacked.

5. Stick a chopstick through the center of all four layers to add extra stability.

14

6. Skewer a cupcake onto the chopstick, frost the top of it and place the

sugar cone on top.

7. Place strips of parchment paper around the cake in between the surface of

the serving dish and the cake. This will keep the cake clean of frosting blobs.

Frost the entire castle with a thin layer of frosting. This is called the crumb

coat. It helps to glue down any stray crumbs so that they won’t be visible on

the finished product. Place your cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes to

solidify the frosting.

8. Remove cake from the freezer and add a final, thicker layer of frosting all

over the cake.

9. Place the reserved green frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a writing tip. You

can also use a ziploc bag with a small corner cut off. The pastry bag,

however, will give you more control as you draw ivy. Try this starter set from

Wilton.

10. Draw squiggly green lines up the sides of the cake. Place flower or

snowflake shaped sprinkles in and around the ivy.

11. Next, place candy rocks around the base of the castle. Not only does this

hide any gaps between the cake and the plate, but these candy rocks are

also a huge hit with the kids. These chocolate rocks are available at

Walmart and Amazon and bulk candy stores.

12. Pose Rapunzel at the top of her tower. If it is a warm day, you may wish to

place the cake in the freezer for another ten minutes so that Rapunzel’s hair

won’t get messed up in the frosting.

15

A Very Dora Birthday Cake Dora, Dora, Dora, the Explorer!

Dora not your child’s thing? This cake can be modified with any small figurine.

My kids have always loved toys on their cakes. It’s a great way to combine a

new toy into the party decor, too. Playmobil rock any boys’ cake theme.

What you need:

One 8 to 9 inch round cake pan, greased

One mini, round cake pan, greased

prepared cake batter (try the Devil’s Food Variation on Page 11)

one batch Homemade Buttercream frosting or two tubs of white, store

bought frosting

paste food coloring

Dora the Explorer figures (or other child’s figurine)

What to do:

1. Choose the shape cake that you want to build your Dora scene on and

bake a simple cake. For this cake, we used one regular round cake pan

and one mini round cake pan. If you choose to make a mini layer, make a

few extra mini layers to use up the excess batter. Bake to cake instructions.

16

2. Tint your homemade or storebought frosting with your choice of paste food

coloring.

3. Frost and sprinkle. Once the cake has cooled, frost the layers with a crumb

coat. This is a thin layer of frosting that glues the crumbs to the cake. Pop

the cake into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to harden the frosting. Layer on a

thicker layer of frosting. Sprinkle away. We used Wilton Rainbow Jimmies.

4. Arrange your Dora the Explorer figures.

17

A Whale of a Cake Thar she blows!

Fishboy8 has requested a whale-shaped birthday cake for the past two years.

Of course, he wanted different ones.

For each of these cakes, I used a loaf-shaped cake to form the whale/orca

and covered it in gray frosting for the whale and in store-bought black fondant

to look like the orca Shamu. The instructions here detail the gray whale. If you

want to make Shamu, see the variation at the end.

What you need:

a cake mix, prepared according

to package directions

a batch of homemade

buttercream frosting (page 12) or 2

storebought cans of white frosting

blue, green and black paste food

coloring

a large oval or rectangle pan

a small loaf pan

chocolate chips

white and green tube of frosting

(or extra buttercream in white &

green and a pastry bag with tip)

candy pebbles

blue construction paper waves

and a dolphin, taped on

toothpicks

tall sparkler candles

a number candle

What to do:

1. Bake a loaf shaped cake (for the whale) and a larger cake (for the base)

according to package directions. If you are using odd shaped pans like I

did, check every so often for doneness.

18

2. Cut the small loaf cake to resemble a

whale, as shown to the right.

3. Divide your buttercream into two

bowls and tint part of it gray and the

other part ocean blue.

4. Frost the large cake with the blue and

the whale with the gray.

5. Place the whale atop the ocean.

Place the chocolate chips for eyes.

Spoon a small amount of gray frosting

into a small plastic bag. Cut off the tip

of the bag and pipe eyelids on the

chocolate chips. Tint the remaining

gray frosting a darker shade of gray. Use this to pipe on a blow hole and a

mouth.

6. Use white tube frosting to make white caps on the waves. Use the green

tube frosting to make seaweed.

7. Make sure you let the kids help to place all these embellishments. Place

candy pebbles here and there. Insert construction paper shapes.

8. Insert number candle on ocean and place sparkler candles as the water

spout. Enjoy the Birthday Kid’s smile.

19

Shamu Variation: This Shamu Cake is very similar to the whale described above. Substitute a

round layer cake for the oval or rectangle one. Substitute a Sara Lee Pound

Cake for the loaf cake.

Carve the pound cake into an orca shape which is similar to the whale

pictured above. However, you will need to add a dorsal fin on top and two

pectoral fins near the front.

Lightly frost and then cover with thinly rolled black fondant. Place the orca on

top of the blue frosted layer cake.

Pipe white frosting on the whale to form its eye patches as well as around the

orca to resemble sea foam and hide any imperfections in the fondant. Add

green frosting seaweed and candy pebbles to the sides of the layer cake.

20

Toy Story Birthday Cake To infinity and beyond!

One special tool you’ll need for this cake is the Wilton Sports Ball Cake Pan. Yes,

you could use two glass mixing bowls, but this pan really makes it easy to make

a 3-dimensional cake. It comes with metal rings to rest the cake pans on. You

can also use this pan for the Death Star Birthday Cake (page 21) and the

Bionicle Thornax Birthday Cake (page 22). I’m sure there are many more

options too!

What you need:

cake pans to make a sphere cake

cake mix, prepared according to cake

pan directions – they tell you to use less

oil to make the cake a little denser.

1 canister frosting or 1 batch

homemade frosting

black paste food coloring – you can

buy a package of all the colors or just

buy a small jar of black

candy pebbles

one Buzz Lightyear action figure

What to do:

1. Bake your cake according to cake pan

directions.

2. Tint your homemade or storebought

frosting to your preferred shade of gray.

I think it’s best to use paste food

coloring as it gives you sharper, more

vivid colors than regular food coloring.

3. Let your kids toss on some candy ―space rocks‖.

4. Pose Buzz on his planet, asteroid, meteorite, what have you.

21

Death Star Birthday Cake In a galaxy far, far, away...

This cake is another great way to use the Wilton Sports Ball Cake Pan. Use

some Lego Star Wars figures to embellish this cake.

What you need:

cake pans to make a sphere cake

one cake mix, prepared according

to cake pan directions

one batch buttercream frosting or

one can of white frosting

black paste food coloring

a toothpick or chopstick

Lego Star Wars figures

What to do:

1. Bake your cake according to cake

pan directions and cool

completely.

2. Tint your homemade or

storebought frosting to your

preferred shade of gray with the

black paste food coloring.

3. Place one half of cake on a plate.

Frost. Add second half of ball and

frost completely. Using toothpick,

draw lines to resemble the Death Star, from Star Wars fame. Alternatively,

you can frost lines with black frosting. However, my rationale was that

drawing lines in the frosting would be more forgiving of mistakes.

4. Embellish with small Star Wars figures.

22

Lego Bionicle Thornax Cake A challenge from Fishboy10

If your child plays with Lego Bionicles, this would be another great way to use

the Wilton Sports Ball Cake Pan.

What you need:

cake pans to make a sphere cake

one cake mix, prepared according

to Ball Pan directions

one batch buttercream frosting or

one can of white frosting

yellow paste food coloring

small wide mouthed jar with lid (or

other container to prop up the

Thornax)

8 sugar cones

toothpicks

powdered sugar

black fondant

What to do:

1. Bake your cake according to cake

pan directions, remove from pans

and cool completely.

2. Tint your frosting to your preferred shade of yellow.

3. ―Glue‖ the jar to your serving plate with frosting. Frost one half of the cake

and place it flat side up on the jar. Frost the flat side. Place second half of

the cake flat side down on the first half. Frost the entire ball.

4. Frost the sugar cones and place them around the cake at equal intervals,

four on each half of the cake as shown. Use toothpicks to support the cones

on the top half. Cones on the bottom half will rest lightly on your serving tray.

5. Roll out fondant on a surface sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar. Cut a 1-

inch strip of fondant to place around the ―equator‖ of the ball.

23

Drive-In Movie Theater A challenge from my readers

This cake originated from a challenge posted by my readers. While putting the

cake together, I realized what a versatile theme this really is.

Sure, you can use it for 1950s and 1960s themed parties, but it also lends itself

well to automobile enthusiasts. I could even see a Nascar cake, featuring

Nascar hot wheels and maybe the image of your favorite driver on the screen.

It would work great for a retiree roast or even Grampa’s birthday cake. Put the

guest of honor’s picture up on the screen; you know the one of him in high

school sporting a white tshirt and a ducktail hair style.

Best of all, this cake works for the mom whose kid suggests a movie for which

there are no cake toppers or action figures and you’re just stumped for how to

recreate that movie in cake. Simply put a press image of the movie on the

screen, and you’re good to go!

The possibilities are really endless.

What you need:

Cake batter prepared to box

directions

9 x 13‖ pan

One batch buttercream frosting or 1

can prepared frosting

Brown paste food coloring or 1

Tablespoon cocoa powder if using

buttercream

Chocolate cookie crumbs

Small toy cars

Candy pebbles

Plastic trees, bushes, etc.

Toothpicks

Gumdrops

Bamboo skewers

Image of movie printed on thick

cardstock

Marquee sign (be sure to include

theater’s name and the movie’s

name)

24

What to do:

1. Bake the cake in the 9x13‖ pan according to package directions. Remove

from pan. Cool completely and place on serving platter or cake board.

2. Tint the frosting with brown paste food coloring or stir in 1 Tablespoon cocoa

powder. Frost the cooled cake.

3. Use the chocolate cookie crumbs to form the parking lot. Lay them out in a

square and create mounds. This is a very important feature of a drive-in

movie theater. Place the cars up on the mound, so that they have a tilted,

or reclined view of the screen and don’t block those behind them. Vans

must be parked in the back.

4. Embellish your cake with some landscaping. Candy rocks and pebbles are

available at bulk candy stores. Indoor malls almost always have a bulk

candy store. Add a few trees and bushes, such as Playmobil or from the

dollar store.

5. Make speakers by cutting gumdrops into halves or quarters and affixing

them to toothpicks. Place them throughout your parking lot.

6. Print out a press photo of the movie or image you want to focus on. I

attached mine to a piece of construction paper to make it a little sturdier.

Then I taped bamboo skewers to the back of it. I used five to make sure it

going to fall over in the middle of the party.

7. Place a marquee in front of your cake. You could have the theatre’s name

match your guest of honor in some way. Be creative in what you say, such

as ―Now playing: Baby’s First Birthday‖ and feature Baby on the screen.

25

Indiana Jones Cake Indy returns again!

With four boys in the house, Indiana Jones has always been a favorite at one

time or another. For a different Indy cake, check out my previous ebook Pretty. Cool. Cakes

What you need:

round cake pan

2 mini round springform pans

1 foil cupcake liner

1 cake mix, prepared

according to package

directions

chocolate frosting

3 Oreo cookies

2 single-serving packs Nutter

Butter cookies

1 Indiana Jones action

figure

chocolate pebbles

chocolate rocks

large candy crystal

miniature rock candy bits

2 giant gummy snakes (ours

were about 18 inches long!)

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Divide

prepared cake batter amongst the round cake pan, the mini springform

pans and the cupcake liner. Place in oven. Bake 15 minutes. Remove

cupcake. Bake remaining cakes 6-15 minutes longer, checking every 4-5

minutes. Tester should come out with a few crumbs attached. Cool about

10 minutes. With large serrated knife, trim the tops of the cakes flush with

their pans. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

26

2. On serving plate place 9-inch round cake. Apply a layer of chocolate

frosting. Place one of the mini rounds in the middle of the 9-inch round.

Apply a layer of frosting to this cake. Stack the second mini round on top of

the first and frost top and sides. Frost cupcake and place upside down on

second mini round. The cupcake will serve as the ―altar‖ or resting place of

the relics or jewels.

3. Grind Nutter Butters in the food processor or blender until you have coarse

crumbs. Remove from bowl.

4. Grind Oreos in the food processor.

5. Place action figure on top of second mini round, reaching for the ―altar‖

cupcake.

6. Sprinkle Nutter Butter and Oreo cookie crumbs liberally over cakes.

7. Strew candy snakes around the base cake.

8. Place chocolate rocks and pebbles here and there about the cakes.

9. Pile the candy crystal and the rock candies atop the second mini round and

on the altar.

27

Lego Power Miners in search of Rock Monsters

Any family with boys knows a Lego Maniac or two, and this cake will most

certainly put a smile on his face.

What you need:

sheetcake baked according to recipe directions

chocolate buttercream frosting

candy rocks

gummy worms

chocolate cookie crumbs

Lego Powerminer minifig, vehicle, and Rock Monster

What to do :

1. Place sheetcake on cake board or serving tray. Frost with chocolate

buttercream.

2. Place candy rocks around the surface of the cake. (A great task for your

Lego Maniac.)

3. Cut some of the gummy worms in half and place them going into and out

of the cake.

4. Place a few mountains of chocolate cookie crumbs on the cake.

5. Assemble the Lego minifig, vehicle, and Rock Monster and place them on

the cake.

28

Get Outta Debt! Be weird. Use cash.

Paying off debt can be a major accomplishment. It’s one in which others who

haven’t dug out of the hole may not understand. But, it’s a fulfilling accomplishment and one worth celebrating.

Cutting up credit cards and using cash is one sure-fire way to help yourself get

out of debt and to establish financial freedom. And so these serve as symbols

on this celebratory cake.

What you need:

A layer cake, baked

according to recipe

directions

Frosting, tinted according to

your preferences

Brown fondant

Candy gems

White fondant

Play money

Paper or real credit cards to

cut apart

A sign that says ―Be Weird,‖

attached to a toothpick

What to do:

1. Place your cake on the serving tray. Frost the first layer. Place the second

layer atop the first, and complete frosting.

2. Cut a band of brown fondant to place around the bottom of the cake.

Place candy gems around the top of the band.

3. Roll out fondant into two squares. Fold the corners in to create fondant

envelopes. Place some play money between the folds of each envelope.

4. Cut out pennies from the brown fondant.

5. Place your ―Be Weird‖ sign.

6. Place your play money and cut up credit cards around the cake.

29

Empty Tomb

Resurrection cake He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Why not celebrate Easter with an Empty Tomb Resurrection Cake? Roman

Soldiers by Playmobil are a nice addition, but are not necessary.

What you need:

one boxed cake mix, prepared according to package directions

small Pyrex bowl

10×10 inch square pan

frosting of your choice (I made a buttercream and tinted it with a few

Tablespoons of cocoa

milk chocolate rocks

one large cookie

Roman soldiers, plastic trees and shrubs

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray bowl and square pan with nonstick cooking

spray. Fill small bowl about half full with cake batter. Pour remaining batter

30

into square pan. Bake square pan for about 25 minutes and small bowl for

about 35. Check every 5-10 minutes for doneness, especially if you are using

different size pans. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool

completely on rack.

2. Place square cake on cake board or serving tray. Adhere small bowl cake

on top with a little frosting.

3. Carve out a small section of the round bowl to resemble the tomb opening.

4. Frost both cakes. You can also frost one side of the cookie if you prefer that

look.

5. Add rocks, plastic trees, and shrubs. Prop cookie up near the tomb opening.

Add the soldiers if you wish.

6. Be sure to let your kids help if they are interested.

31

Mother’s Day Cupcakes We love Mom!

This is such an easy cake-topper craft and one that your children could easily

participate in. Since cupcakes are such an easy-serve dessert, consider

adapting it for other holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. I’ve included

topper templates for other occasions as well on pages 33-38.

What you need:

One batch of batter for Lemon Cake on page 11

One batch of Lemon Buttercream on page 12

Cupcake Liners

Printer & Cardstock in the color of your

choice

Template from Page 32

Toothpicks

Tape

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 °. Line muffin pans

with cupcake liners. Spoon batter into

prepared cupcake paper. Bake

according to package directions. Cool

completely on a rack.

2. Frost cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

frosting.

3. Print the template from the next page

onto colored cardstock. Cut out the circles and tape them to toothpicks.

Make sure that you tape the letters right side up, otherwise you might spell

―Me ♥ WOW.‖ (Ask me how I know.)

4. Place cake toppers in your cupcakes and arrange cakes to display your

message.

32

W e

M O M

Cake Toppers for Mother’s Day

33

i Y

o U !

Cake Toppers for Valentine’s Day

34

M r

r y c

Cake Toppers for Christmas

e

h i r

a s !

s m t

35

h p

p y b

Cake Toppers for Birthdays

a

i t r

y !

h a d

36

a c

d e f

Cake Toppers: Alphabet, A-o

b

g i h

m n o

j l k

37

p r

s t u

Cake Toppers: Alphabet, p-z

q

v x w

y z

38

1 3

4 5 6

Cake Toppers: Numbers

2

7 9 8

0

39

Fall Flower Cupcakes Welcome autumn with candy topped cupcakes!

This is a fun and easy activity to do with your children during the Fall.

What you need:

1 batch cupcakes, baked

according to package

directions

1 batch homemade

buttercream or 1 tub

storebought white frosting

Yellow paste food coloring

Chocolate chips

Candy corn

What to do:

1. Use the yellow paste food

coloring to tint your frosting to desired shade.

2. Frost cupcakes with a thin layer of frosting.

3. Decorate with chocolate chips and candy corn to resemble sunflowers and

mums.

For Sunflowers: Place candy corn around the edges with the tips pointing

out. Fill center with chocolate chips, tips pointing up.

For Mums: Place candy corn in frosting with the tips pointing up. Cover

the surface of cake.

40

Buche de Noel

Or Yule Log Cake Joyeux Noel! Merry Christmas!

This is a simplified version of a

traditional Christmas Cake —

the Buche de Noel. I was

introduced to it by my

―French Family‖ during my

year abroad in France. It has

become a tradition in our

family on Christmas Eve. For

this recipe you’ll need a jelly

roll pan or heavy-duty

baking sheet with high sides.

What you need:

1 boxed cake mix,

prepared according to package directions

2 cups filling of choice, such as cream cheese whipped with sugar,

packaged cool whip, or buttercream frosting.

1 can chocolate frosting or 1 batch Cocoa or Dark Chocolate Buttercream

Frosting (page 12)

Playmobil elves, woodsmen, animals and plants

What to do:

1. Grease a jelly roll pan, and line it with waxed paper or parchment. Bake the

cake in the prepared jelly roll pan according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, sift cocoa or powdered sugar over a clean tea towel. Invert

warm cake onto towel. Remove parchment paper. Trim off the edges and

roll cake up in the towel. Yes, really. You want it to cool with a curve to it

otherwise the cake will break.

3. Gently unroll cake and spread your filling. Reroll, minus the towel. Wrap in

plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

41

4. Remove plastic wrap and cut off 2-3

inches off each end, at an angle. Place

large piece of cake, seam side down, on

a serving platter. Position smaller pieces

on the side of the main log. These are like

―branches‖ to the cake.

5. Frost cake with chocolate frosting, filling in

the gaps between the main log and its

branches. Do not frost the ends. Scrape

frosting with a fork to resemble bark. Add

Playmobil figures.

Stump of Jesse Variation: Alternatively, you could simply add toy greenery and call it a ―Stump of Jesse‖

cake (Isaiah 11). Not quite traditional, but definitely in keeping with making

Jesus the center of our celebrations.

42

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