Birthday Cakes and Treats

For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well. Psalm 139: 13-14

Birthdays are a special time especially if you are a child.  I have a couple of birthday cake recipes that you might want to try for that special occasion. I got the first recipe from Vineville Baptist Church Preschool.  They had this cake for a Mother's Day event and it was so good, I had to have the recipe.  I got it the day of the event.  It is on a purple piece of paper in my recipe binder written with a lime green marker.

One box of Duncan Hines white cake mix.  Prepare cake according to package instructions except use 1 cup of buttermilk instead of water.  It makes it taste like homemade cake.  For the frosting, use one stick of unsalted butter softened, 1 box of 10x powered sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla.  Add milk as you mix it up to the consistency you like for frosting.

I have used this recipe for my children's cakes and just put different themes on top of the cake.  It has been a Spiderman cake, a dinosaur cake and even a dancer cake.

One of my chilren's other favorite cakes is a Cookie Cake.  I use a large tube of refrigerated cookie dough and spread it in a round pizza pan.  I cut the tube of dough into pieces and spread it out over the pizza pan with my fingers.  When the cookie is done, I spread ready made chocolate or vanilla frosting over the top and sprinkle with mini M&M's.  It is so yummy.  I always have a request for a cookie cake for someone's birthday.

Another cake that is a favorite for my family is a Caramel Cake.  I make the cake from above using a Duncan Hines yellow cake mix.  After the cake is cooled, I spread a caramel frosting on top.

Southern Living Caramel Frosting
3 cups of sugar, divided
3/4 cup milk
1 beaten egg
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter, cut up

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar in a heavy saucepan; place over medium heat.  Cook stirring constantly until mixture is a golden brown. Combine remaining 2 1/2 cups of sugar, milk, egg, and salt.  Stir well.  Add cut up butter and add to melted sugar.  Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until a it registers 230 degrees on a candy thermometer. (about 15 to 20 minutes).  Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.  Beat with a wooden spoon until it is spreading consistency (about 5 minutes).  Spread on cooled cake.  Work quickly because it tends to cool fast and is like candy.

Another favorite frosting is Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Cream 1 1/2 cups of softened butter at medium speed of an electric mixer.  Gradually add 4 cups of sifted powered sugar and 1/4 cup of cocoa, beating until light and fluffy.  Add 2 tbsp of milk; beating until spreading consistency.  Stir in 1 tsp of vanilla extract.  Spread on cool cake.