Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

I made this last year for a Father's Day celebration. I think I remember what was in it :)

Ingredients
Peanut butter sandwich cookies (one package)
butter (1/2 cup)
peanut butter cups (I can't remember how many I used)
hot fudge sauce (I used Hershey's)
vanilla ice cream, softened (I used Breyer's)
Real whipped cream (in a can)



Crush the cookies (either by hand in a plastic bag, or in a food processor) and add melted butter. Reserve 1/2 cup crumbs and set aside. Line the bottom of a spring form pan with foil and place the cookies in the bottom of the pan, firmly patting them into place. Next, cut up peanut butter cups into 1/2-inch slices and completely cover the cookie layer. Freeze the pan for at least 30 minutes. After freezing, cover the chocolate/cookie layer with vanilla ice cream until the pan is 1/2 full. Put back in freezer for about 15 minutes. Then, open the hot fudge sauce and stir. Pour evenly over the top of the vanilla layer and sprinkle with the reserved cookie crumbs. Freeze until the hot fudge is stiff. Next, add vanilla ice cream to the top of the pan. Freeze overnight, or at least 12 hours.

When time to serve, pipe whipped cream rosettes around the side of the cake, and place peanut butter cups on the top of the cake. I actually did this ahead of time and froze it so that the cream wouldn't topple over!

VERDICT: Blossomed like peanut butter!!

Banana Split Cake

I made this for my birthday/father's day back in June; yes, that's right, back in June.

Anyway, this pictures shows a slightly melted cake, and I have learned from my first attempt. I have made a peanut butter version as well, but this is still my favorite. 

Moreover, the instructions are a mere guide, you do not have to follow them exactly. I got the idea from savorysweetlife from A Tasty Recipe. I pretty much follow their ideas, I just rewrote them in terms I will remember.


Ingredients
Oreo Cookies (one package)
butter (1/2 cup)
ripe bananas (I can't remember how many I used)
strawberry ice cream, softened (I used Breyer's)
hot fudge sauce (I used Hershey's)
vanilla ice cream, softened (I used Breyer's)
Real whipped cream (in a can)
maraschino cherries

 Optional:
frozen strawberries (thawed)
crushed pineapple (drained)
buttermilk caramel sauce (I made this, and intend to post it sometime soon!)
NOTE: I had these on the side
chopped peanuts (I did not have these)

Crush the Oreo Cookies (either by hand in a plastic bag, or in a food processor) and add melted butter. Reserve 1/2 cup crumbs and set aside. Line the bottom of a spring form pan with foil and place the Oreo Cookies in the bottom of the pan, firmly patting them into place. Next, cut up bananas into 1/2-inch slices and completely cover the Oreo layer. Freeze the pan for at least 10 minutes. After freezing, cover the banana/Oreo layer with strawberry ice cream until the pan is 1/2 full. Put back in freezer for about 15 minutes. Then, open the hot fudge sauce and stir. Pour evenly over the top of the strawberry layer and sprinkle with the reserved Oreo crumbs. Freeze until the hot fudge is stiff. Next, add the vanilla ice cream to the top of the pan. Freeze overnight, or at least 12 hours.

When time to serve, pipe whipped cream towers around the side of the cake, and place maraschino cherries on the top of those towers.

VERDICT: Legend--wait for it--dairy!

Frog Cake

I didn't have much time, but this is the cake I decorated for Mason's first birthday. My mom made the cake and two cupcakes. I cut the tops off the cup cakes and cut them in half. Two of the halves became the eyes, and the others the feet.

I don't know what recipe she used, but I can tell you that she made it from scratch. The frosting recipe is a butter cream recipe that I got from here: Hoosier Homemade

How to: Decorate a Cupcake with Sugar

I made cupcakes for my brothers a few weeks ago--back when I could still walk, stand and sit without pain (I love you, baby, but GET OFF my left side and off of that nerve). Anyway, to make the cupcakes look nice, I put a sugar coating on them.

To do this place A LOT of colored sugar (small sprinkles will work, too) in a small bowl. Frost each cupcake and immediately dip and rotate the top of each cupcake in the sugar so that it sticks to all of the frosting.

That's it folks! Unless you want to place a plastic football in the center cupcake like I did.

Father's Day Cake/My Birthday Cake

If you no longer read this blog, I don't blame you. I've been absent, but I have a good reason! Actually, a big reason: I'm growing a baby bump! My morning sickness was AWFUL, and I'm still not interested in food at all. To be honest, I lost about 10 pounds, and am about 4 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. But, I have 5 more months to gain a little bit of weight. :)

To take some of the food load off of my mom, I volunteered to make the Father's Day cake/my birthday cake. I have never really had my own cake, because my birthday often lands on Father's Day, and I was actually born on Father's Day. Even though my birthday fell on Tuesday last week, I won't be seeing my parents and brothers until tomorrow (Father's Day), so this cake is for both Dad and myself.

The technique I used was a rosette. This is usually easy, but since I haven't made a cake for about 9 months, I found I was definitely out of shape. It took me a good 20 minutes to really get into the groove and get the rosettes how I like them. I'll be the first to admit that it's not perfect, but then again, isn't that what makes it so much better than a store-bought cake?

This picture is not good. Hmm...I think I need a new cellphone. *HINT HINT*

My Final Cake Course 4

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

So, my cake class is now done. However, the members of our group and our instructor exchanged phone numbers and plan to get together once a month to share techniques, etc.

This is a pink fondant covered cake with a 'scarf' and white gum paste daisies with a gum paste center that was painted pink with glitter dust. I placed edible glitter over the top of the cake as well.

I'm sad that all of the courses are over--yet relieved that after 4 months I don't have to make a cake or prepare frosting every week.

Rose Cake

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

WOW. Between school, cake class, grading papers, football games and a visit from the in-laws, I've been busy!

Because my in-laws came up from New Mexico for a short visit, Jeff wanted me to bake a cake.

So I did.

It fell apart, because I took it out of the pan when it was still a little too warm. It cracked in the middle. I patched it, and put roses over it. I can still tell where it sank in a little.

The cake is all butter cream. The roses and stars are pinkish, but it's hard to tell in the picture. The butter cream on the base of the cake is cream colored, because I used butter flavored shortening.

I don't think it looks great; I only had about 45 minutes to frost the entire thing.

Course 4 Cake #1

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

This was SUPER EASY to make! Especially since I'm very, very comfortable with fondant now.

However, we also worked with gum paste tonight, and I am NOT a fan. It's very sticky and stinky...and just not appetizing.

Our cake classes are now on Thursday nights, which is nice, because I can go to football games now. :)

Course 3 Cake #2

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

Wow...I've been busy! However, I managed to make this two-tier wedding cake for class tonight. All of the flowers and leaves are fondant, as is the layer over the cake. Butter cream was used for the ruffles and shells.


I have so many posts waiting in the shadows. I need to get on that train and just finish typing them up.

Course 3 cake #1

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

Fondant does not taste good. And, while it looks pretty, I don't think I would make a habit of making fondant cakes. Yet, they are fairly fun! Plus, you don't get as much butter cream frosting on the piece of cake, so that has to save 100+ calories, right?!

Anyway, the bow, ribbons and flowers are all fondant. Only the beads at the bottom are butter cream.

Course 2 Cake

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

Course 2 is done! Course 3 starts tomorrow, and it's a fondant course. That will be interesting!

Anyway, the butter cream basket weave technique was way more easy than I first thought. In fact, I thought it went fairly fast. The butter cream rope, though, is a very slow, tedious, mundane task. Needless to say, the rope is NOT my favorite technique.

But, not only were the rope and basket weave done by me, but all of the flowers, leaves and the birds. The the leaves were done with butter cream, the birds were done using color flow and the flowers were done using royal icing.

I made violets, daisies, rosebuds, pansies, roses, primroses, mums, apple blossoms and daffodils.

The inside of the cake.

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

Mom, Dad and my brother Aron came down from north west Iowa to enjoy the day with us. We at bison burgers, hot dogs (which my brother buys from a butcher in Sioux City--they are FABULOUS!), salads and of course, cake!

Staring tomorrow I will start sharing those recipes.

But, for now, I'm going to finish watching an episode of "Band of Brothers" and watching fireworks that someone in our neighborhood is shooting right over our heads.

Not Pleased...At All...

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

First, I made a huge mistake, I put WAY too much frosting in the bag. Then, I did one rose, the border, then went back and did the rest of the roses. BIG MISTAKE. My hand warmed up the frosting too much. And, instead of just letting it cool, I wanted to get this tamn dhing done. Moreover, when I did the top border, I accidentally hit the shells and they drooped a little. OOPS.

I also learned that I hate the whole red/blue trim I put in the bag. It was a good experiment, but I won't do it for roses again.

Ok, well, I shouldn't curse, because this cake is for people I love, but I am angry at myself for how I did it.

So, now I must say 3 things I like about it:
1.) The center rose looks awesome
2.) The bottom border turned out well.
3.) I used a butter cake recipe and dyed part of the batter blue, part red, and left part a cream color. I then placed the cream color in the bottom of two 9-inch pans, and put the red batter on top of 1 cake, and blue on the other.

Tomorrow is the get-together at our house, and I'm making quite a bit of food, so I'm hoping to grab another picture of the cake once it has been cut. Plus, I may have a plethora of recipes to report for the next week.

Now, I am going to go and clean everything up. I'm glad we didn't go down the stadium for fireworks tonight, because it's been raining since about 9:20. Plus, we now have a thunderstorm.

I wonder if this will deter the ickheads who shot off fireworks at 3 a.m. this morning from doing it again tonight?!

My Shakespeare Cake

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

Roses. What can I say about frosting roses? Well, they're hard on the mind. You can have it all figured out and one false move and the rose will collapse.

I like this cake--except for the bow--and would be proud to say it's mine. The borders are a 16 & 24(?) shell, the bottom border has sweet peas piped after every 3 shells. There are 5 roses around a mound, where I placed the sixth and final rose. I learned that leaves are NOT my thing. It took me forever to get them right.

I piped "To be or not to be..." on the top, because I couldn't think of anything else to put there.

I enjoyed Course 1 and graduated tonight. I start Course 2 in two weeks. I learned a lot this time, but the next course will have even more techniques.

Course 1 Cake #2

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

My hands don't hurt as bad as last week, that's a great improvement!

The clowns fell a little on the way home, but I have two sitting and one laying down with his hands in the air. I made this cake for Jeff, so I hope he liked it!

I used a different cake mix for this one. I used a Duncan Hines Butter Cake, instead of a yellow cake. IT WAS AWESOME. The flavor is fantastic.

Also--last week one of my classmates told me to grease the cake pan with shortening (I used Crisco) and lightly flour the pan so the cake would come right out. Guess what? It came out lickety-split!

Only 1 more cake left before Course #2!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Mom's Cookie Sheet Cake

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

This is my favorite birthday cake and, boy, this picture does not do the cake any justice. Since I was a little kid my mom would make this for me, because she knew it was my favorite. Also, I was born on Father's Day and my birthday--June 15, 198?-- often falls on Father's Day, so my Dad and I share the cake. It's moist and chocolaty, and, well, the best thing since sliced bread. Go out and get the ingredients for this--NOW!

Mom's Cookie Sheet Cake

1 c oleo
1 c water
1/4 c cocoa
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1/2 c milk
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Boil: oleo, water and cocoa. While hot, pour over flour and sugar which has been placed in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for a couple minutes until cooled slightly. Add milk and soda. Add eggs and vanila. Pour into a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Immediately frost with the following icing recipe:

1 stick oleo
1/4 c. cocoa
6 tbsp milk

Bring to a boil and add 1 pound powdered sugar. Spread on hot cake.


Like I said--THIS IS MY FAVORITE BIRTHDAY CAKE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! Also, I need to mention that my mom found this recipe eons ago in her old cookbook. I submitted this to a Midwestern newspaper and won a $25.00 Best Recipe contest back in 2005!

Not Perfect...But Not an Epic Fail

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

Wilton Decorating classes are no easy pass! Moreover, you learn that decorating cakes IS NOT an easy thing to do. I have a new-found respect for cake decorators.

I've been decorating for years, but never doing it right. Now, I'm having to correct those bad habits (such as lifting the tip up before I'm finished piping).

Personally, the hardest thing for me is staying on task, because after about 1 hour your hands and wrists hurt like hell. By 1.5 hours your back spasms at times and your knuckles cramp. I DID NOT KNOW KNUCKLES CRAMP!

Yet, this class is worth the pain for many reasons. One, I'm being social. And, two, I'm learning a skill I've always wanted.

Even though I'm not perfect at piping, I will practice until all stars are alike. I want my zig-zag to have more zig and well, let's just say I'm not the best at frosting a cake. BUT, I AM LEARNING!

I had been putting off this course for a long time, but I'm so happy I finally took the plunge and am completing the course. Will I continue? I think I'll go through with course 2, but I'm still debating courses 3 and 4.