Cake of the Living Dead.

My friend recently had a birthday, and I wanted to make him a cake – not just your everyday cake either. This is a friend I’ve known for quite some time, and who is fully aware of what I can do in the kitchen. So, I couldn’t just slap something together and call it his birthday cake – no – this cake needed to be….different. It also needed to be personal. I wanted it to be something that reflected my friend’s interests…something that he’d cherish always, and think back on for years to come. “Remember when you made me that awesome blah blah blah cake in 2013? Best. Cake. Ever.” Yeah, I wanted him to be able to say that. I wanted him to look at this cake and feel like he was looking in a confectionery mirror of his own life…

the baking dead.

Yep. It’s a zombie cake. Not only is there a zombie on top of the cake, but the cake itself is strawberry – so it’s like you’re taking a bite of mushy brains – just like a zombie would.

cake or brains?

My friend loved the cake, and I do believe it will be one he’ll always remember. After all, not many people can say they ate a zombie.

 

Shimmy, Shimmy, Coconut Cake (with Lemon Buttercream).

My Mom’s birthday recently passed (she share’s her special day with Abraham Lincoln, as a matter of fact), and of course I did what I do best, and baked her a birthday cake. Last summer, I had made a Lemon Coconut Cake that she was particularly fond of, and went as far as saying that I should make that cake for her. So…that’s just what i did. I used my recipe for the cake (you can find it here), but I did something a little different for the frosting this time. Instead of using lemon juice or real lemons, I used lemon extract. I know, it sounds like cheating; but if you had tasted this icing, you’d cheat too. It may have been my favorite icing to date, and I’m not even a big fan of lemon desserts! If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself – the recipe is at the end of this post You can thank me later.

baked birthday bliss.

Once I had iced the cake with the lemon buttercream and covered it with fresh coconut, I felt like something was still missing. It needed a topper. The cake I made last summer had a cherry on top – that looked great! But I didn’t have any cherries…so I began scanning the kitchen for something that could work. Being it was just before Valentine’s Day, I had a container of conversation hearts just sitting on the table. I scoured them all, in search of the perfect message for the top of my mom’s cake. And there it was: “For You.”  Because, that’s what is was, after all.

pure and simple.

My mom loved the cake, and just as I  had hoped, she sent me home with about a third of it. Don’t worry, I shared it with friends – only after eating a large piece myself, of course.

Anyway, as promised, here is the new Lemon Buttercream recipe. Enjoy!!

Lemon Buttercream (new and improved version!).

What you’ll need:

8 oz butter (room temperature)

4 oz shortening

1 lb 6 oz confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp lemon extract

1/2 oz water

What you’ll do:

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy, using the paddle attachment. Add the lemon extract and water, mix until shiny. If you want a thinner consistency, just add more water.

 

 

Cake, Rattle, and Roll.

Cake rocks.

Especially when it’s in the shape of an electric guitar. I made this bad boy for a friend’s son’s 2nd birthday. It was one of those cakes that’s just so much fun to make and even more fun to eat. Plus it gave me another chance to use my new DSLR camera, which did not let me down.

Now I own a guitar-shaped pan, which I actually purchased over 10 years ago, before I was even really that into baking. The guitar cake was the first shaped cake I ever made. The first one was ok – I mean, it looked like a guitar, albeit a messy brown one. But it’s the thought that counts. Anyway, this time, I had a lot more confidence in the results. I started off with my best vanilla cake ever, and coated it with buttercream colored red.

stripped down.

I added a few details crafted out of fondant, strung it (with chocolate icing), and voila!  I believe it’s time for a cake solo.

Eddie Van Halen would be proud.

Anyway, If you or someone you know is looking to rock out on his or her birthday this year, don’t fret! This cake’s sure to set the tone and amp up any party. It even goes up to eleven.

 

Memories of Memorial Days Past.

As another Memorial Day weekend comes to a close, I reflect upon Memorial Day weekends past. For some reason, I’ve had a lot of very memorable Memorial Days (ha ha, get it?). It’s true though. More than any other holiday of the year, I can remember previous Memorial Days with great clarity – many of them including major life-changing events. I don’t know if it’s because at the beginning of every summer, I turn into a different  person, who we’ll call “Summer Jeanine,” or if warm weather just makes everyone a little crazier, myself included. Either way, there’s something about Memorial Day that seems to bring changes and good times.

Memorial Day has never let me down, and this year it even included a Yoda birthday cake for my nephew.

yo-yo-yo-yo-yoda…cake.

And even better, I got to present it to him in person, and see the look on his face when he first saw it. That’s the good stuff, folks.

So here’s one more Memorial Day for the books - a would-be bestseller, no doubt..

~~2012 Memorial Day memory: a joke, as told by my younger nephew:

“Why did the baby banana cry? Because his parents were zombies!”  I’ll remember it forever. 

 

Bowled Over.

I was asked by a friend to make bowling cupcakes this past weekend for a bowling party for her 6-year-old. She sent me this picture from the flickr album of a talented baker working under the moniker “hello naomi,” and asked if I could do something similar. I loved these, and couldn’t wait to try my hand at creating my own version of them, so I responded to the request with an exuberant “yes!” and the fun began.

She wanted chocolate, so chocolate is what she got, along with a layer of buttercream, and topped with fondant bowling accoutrements, such as…

…Bowling Balls…

have a ball.

…Bowling Pins…

pinned down.

….and Strikes.

very striking.

Throw them all together, and you’ve got a bowling party in a box (minus the ugly, smelly shoes).

game on.

 

Let them eat cookie.

Once I finally perfected my chocolate chip cookie recipe, I started moving into the world of cookie cakes. They’re fun to make, and seem to be a real crowd pleaser. I mean, who doesn’t love a giant cookie? (except for that scene in “Bridesmaids” when she goes nuts and trashes the bridal shower, including the giant cookie.) But most people would rather eat a giant cookie than destroy it, so I started making them more and more, especially for the cookie-lovers in my life. In fact, last week I had the pleasure of making two:

A birthday cookie:

celebrate good times, come on.

and a “get well” cookie:

take one of these, and call me in the morning.

I love making these things. They make people happy. And that makes me happy. Not to mention, It gives me the opportunity to eat cookie dough. Mmmmm….cookie dough….

 

 

Recipe Monday Night: Peanut Butter Chip Cookies/Cookie Cake.

Wanna hear the cutest thing ever? I haven’t blogged in a week, and my mom called because she was worried that something happened to me, due of the lack of posts. It’s nice to be loved.

Anyway, she was right – I haven’t posted in a longer than usual amount of time. But now I’m back, from outer space, and ready to share my latest creation with all of you!

What’s great about this recipe is that it’s multi-functional.  Last week was my friend’s birthday, and I knew he really likes chocolate chip cookies, and I also knew he likes peanut butter, so I opted for a Peanut Butter Chip Cookie Cake. I didn’t want to make the cake too large – sometimes a giant cookie cake can be a bit overwhelming. So I wound up using half the dough for the cake, and briefly considered just eating the other half raw, but then decided (thankfully) against that, so I put the dough in the fridge and made cookies the next day to share with friends. Sharing is caring, people. So without further adieu, I give you one recipe to rule them all – do with it as you see fit.

have your cake...

...and cookies too!

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies/Cookie Cake.

What you’ll need:

5 oz.   shortening

8 oz.   sugar

.25 oz.  salt

3 oz. (about 2)  eggs

.25 oz.  vanilla

10 oz.  flour

.25 oz.  baking soda

8 oz. peanut butter chips

2 oz. butterscotch chips

What you’ll do:

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and vanilla, and add to the shortening/sugar.  In another bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Fold that mixture into the other ingredients until evenly mixed. Fold in the chips. Divide the dough in half.

For the cake: spray an 8″ round cake pan. Take 1/2 of the dough, and press it evenly into the bottom of the cake pan. It should be no more than 2″ high. Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Note: this makes a pretty thick cookie cake, which I prefer. If you want your cake thinner, use less dough, and bake for less time). I decorated with a simple buttercream You can use whatever you like, however I do recommend using an icing that’s not super sweet, and the cake is giant cookie, thus it’s pretty sweet on it’s own.

For the cookies: take the other half of the dough, scoop into tablespoon-sized balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, at least an inch apart. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden-brown. Share them with friends!

 

 

One.

Today marks the one year anniversary of “Small Indulgences, the blog.” The very first post, made back on December 27, 2010, was “have your cakes and eat them too,” and one of the things I’ve learned throughout this past year was that this really can be acheived, if you put your mind to it. The blog has grown so much (while remaining “small”), and I’m thankful for everyone who played a part along the way, either encouraging me to keep writing in times when I felt like throwing in the spatula; providing me with interesting baking-related stories and anecdotes; inspiring me to bake, write, and be better; or for just being there for me when I needed them most. And a big thanks goes out in particular, to you, the readers, for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts, stories, photos, dreams, dramas and everything in between with you. Without you, there wouldn’t be a blog to begin with. Here’s to many more years of Small Indulgences: may you all have your cake and eat it too.

PS: stay tuned for a blog birthday celebration complete with giveaway early next month! There’s gonna be cake involved….    

 

cupcake matchmaker.

I made birthday cupcakes this weekend, for one of my favorite 2 year olds. Not only did I get to contribute to the celebration with some confectionery love,  but I also got to double the fun, with cupcakes in not one, but 2 different flavors. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, it did – the flavors requested just so happened to be 2 of my personal favorites (and specialties) as well!

Flavor #1: Cookies and Cream

oreo-my-oh.

I’ve mentioned before that these are probably my most popular cupcake (available in either chocolate or vanilla). I’m certainly not complaining – they’re fun to make, and taste good too (note the “Toy Story” wrappers). I mean, how can you go wrong when oreos are involved? (Random aside: when my brother and I were kids, we went to a babysitter while our parents worked, and our mom always sent us with “snacks,” which were often oreos. Well, the first time we were eating our oreos, we did what we always did, which was to break them in half. The babysitter was none too pleased by this turn of events, and promptly removed the halved oreos from our plates and with finger shaking, informed us that we were never to break oreos in her house again. True story.)

Flavor #2: Salted Caramel.

2 times the fun.

This one has become my favorite, mainly because the frosting is wicked good  - as in, I have to make extra because I know that I will not be able to resist eating it which could potentially cause me to run out before the product is completed. Knowing yourself is half the battle.

Anyway, the order was for 2 of each type in a box, making 4 total, like so:

soul mates.

Not only do these two very different cupcakes look great together, but the flavors compliment each other like yin and yang. I’m a cupcake matchmaker, people.

The good news is that I have extras of everything. So somewhere, someone in the next day or so is going to be pleasantly surprised with some unexpected cupcakes; and those are ultimately the best kind.

 

 

the bird’s the word.

So last year I saw these bird cupcakes on Martha Stewart’s website, and I had to make them. Coincidentally, a friend, who also happens to be a self-proclaimed “bird nerd” was having a birthday around the same time. Perfect excuse for me to whip up my own version of these sweet tweets. 

give someone the bird.

The cake itself was just a regular white cake – I tend to keep the base simple if the decorations are elaborate. I iced them with a coconut buttercream, then topped them with coconut flakes colored with a few drops of brown food coloring to make nests. I piped the nests with varying amounts of baby blue birds, gave each a yellow beak, and some eyes, and we’ve achieved chirperfection (I just made up a new word!).

a bird in the hand is worth two in the mouth.

They were such a success, I got a request to make them for another party after that. So, if you like birds and cupcakes (only a real jerk doesn’t like birds and cupcakes) then you should order these for your next party too.