How to Make a Surprise Cake - Easter Version

Last week I mentioned that when the kids and I colored eggs, we also made a Easter themed surprise cake.

(You can click here if you missed that post)

What's a surprise cake?  That's what I call a cake that looks like a standard cake, but when you cut into it a yummy surprise falls out of the center-
sort of like a pinata but without all of the sticks and beating 😆

Check out how easy it is to make one yourself:

Supplies

We used a boxed mix and pre-made icing along with chocolate bunnies and jelly bean 'eggs'.

After preparing the mix according to package directions we baked in inside of two standard round cake pans.

Step 1

Arrange your bottom layer onto the cake stand or surface that you will be using to serve the cake.

Step 2

Use a serrated knife to remove the center portion of the cake.

Side Note:  The pics in this post might show a bit of hastiness- I had three eager helpers and 3 dozen eggs being colored in the same afternoon so........😉

Step 3

Apply icing to this bottom layer of cake.  I went ahead and iced the center as well, just because I thought it looked a little nicer that way.

Step 4

Have your helpers toss in those jelly beans!

Step 5

Add the second layer of cake on top (I cut the center out of this layer before putting it into place) and fill in the rest of the way with jelly beans

Side Note:  Hang on to the center piece that you have removed, you will need it again in a minute.

Step 6

Remember that center piece?  

Trim it down to a thin layer and rest it directly on top of your jelly bean center.

Step 7

Now cover the entire cake with icing as you would with any other cake.

Tip:  Use care around the patch covering the jelly beans so you don't inadvertently break open the top of your cake.

Step 8

Now decorate!  

After seeing the cake in plain white, we thought it could use more color and raided the baking cabinet to find something pretty.

We ended up using green sprinkles around the bottom of our cake (to create the look of grass) and then added pastel colored confetti sprinkles on top.  Lastly, the kiddos carefully stuck the chocolate bunnies into place.

Bunny Close-Up

Isn't he cute?  He has no idea that his ears are going to be chomped off in about five minutes....😁

Overall, the cake turned out pretty cute.  Though I was a little disappointed that the bunnies were so much taller than the top of the cake.  I was thinking about this when I remembered that I have cake pan specifically designed to be taller, narrower and with an insert that creates a hollowed center....ah well, next time maybe!  😆

Surprise!

Now serve your cake and enjoy the surprise 🍭

Side Note:  Obviously, we used jelly beans, but you could substitute all kinds of candies or even small toys for a birthday party.

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018

How To Make a Thomas the Train Cake

Come with me today and read all about how I made the 

desserts for our Thomas the Train birthday party:

Train Cake Supplies & Pans

For the Thomas cake I used two boxes of white cake mix, two containers of blue icing, piping icing in black and red, Oreo cookies and one large marshmallow.

The pans I used were one standard sheet pan, a loaf pan, a mini loaf pan and two mini rounds.  My large white platter would serve as the base of the cake.

Step 1

I used the largest cake (standard sheet pan) first and cut the cake in half to create two smaller rectangles.

Step 2

After applying a bit of icing to the large white platter, I placed on of the newly cut rectangles directly on top of the icing.  The icing helps to anchor the cake in place and keep everything stable.

Step 3

I iced the top of the first rectangle and then added the second on top.

Step 4

Next I cut triangle shaped sections form one side of the cake to create a tapered end (this end will be the front of the train, aka the buffers) and then followed up with another layer of icing.

**Time out**

Ok, so I know that these photos look all nice, neat and perfectly pretty, 

but you all can't see what's off camera!  

This pic is just some of the mess that was created each time I would trim a section or ice a layer.  It seemed like every step would cause a ton of crumbs and spilled icing all over my lovely white base!  

Don't worry if your cake looks like a disaster in the middle of your work, just keep cleaning as you go and eventually everything should come together.  I won't tell anybody if you mumble a few curse words here and there, sometimes that's the secret to getting through a task 😀😂😄

Tip:  A dampened paper towel works wonders for catching every crumb or bit of misplaced icing 😉

Step 5

For this step I used the cake that was baked in the loaf pan.  After trimming it down to the size I wanted, I placed it opposite the end of the cake that has the buffers.  This part of the train will represent the rear of the engine where the conductor would be.

Step 6

Using the cake from the mini loaf pan, I trimmed again and added it perpendicular to rear section.  Now we are building up the stack for the funnel.

Step 7

I ended up adding a smaller section (trimmed from the loaf pan cake) to the top of the back.  This wasn't planned, I just thought the cake could use a little height.

I also added a marshmallow here, but just for the photo.  I wanted better illustrate where the funnel of the train is going to be so that these photos would make a little more sense 😉  I'll show you in a minute how to permanently attach the funnel.

Step 8

Top:  Again, this photo just helps to make sense of where we are going with all of these layers of rectangles!  It's important to note though that the cake was starting to get a little wobbly.  I decided to use a few straws to serve as dowels and help firm things up.

Last year, when I made the pirate ship cake, I used large pretzels for the dowel rods.  It worked, but the pretzels did begin to soak up moisture from the cake and started to expand.  The straws worked out much better, but you can click here to read about my technique.

Step 9

This is where things began to get fun and I started to relax a bit!  

Using the cans of piping icing, I first applied red to create the buffer and then used the black to highlight the base for the funnel and the top of the back.

When applying the icing, it goes on in a styled form (depending on the tip you use).  I used the round tip to outline the section and then filled in with the wider tip.  This looked really messy, but I smoothed it out with a butter knife.

This was my first time really using decorative icing tips so I kind of learned as I went.  My Bubby came in and out while I was working and was very encouraging with his complements.  I figured that as long as he was grinning with happiness, it was all good 😎

Step 10

Now for that funnel!  I used a toothpick in the bottom of a large marshmallow to serve as a pick that I could anchor into the funnel stack.  But before inserting it, I applied black icing and again used a butter knife to smooth it out.

Side Note:  I've heard that adding a bit of water to your butter knife will make smoothing out icing even easier but I was to chicken to give it a go.  If you have any experience with this, let me know!

Step 11

Now I wasn't planning on adding a face to this cake, because how in the world was I going to make that happen?  But when Bubby commented that Thomas the train is supposed to have a face, my Baby Girl came up with a brilliant plan.  She instructed me to use black icing on a slice of marshmallow and it worked!  She's a creative genius 😍

Face in Place

I applied a bit of icing to the back of the marshmallow and 

stuck it on the front.  Bubby loved it!😁

Step 12

Using more of the piping icing, I added a few details here and there to 

make the cake more Thomas-like.

Step 13

Lastly, a few Oreo cookies served as wheels.  

Again, I used icing as adhesive to secure them in place.

Now on to the mini cake and cupcakes...

Mini Cake

Bubby's miniature cake was made from the same white mix as the train.  I covered it in blue icing and topped it with an Oreo and a few M& Ms.

Cupcake Supplies

Our cupcakes were baked with a confetti cake mix (Wal-Mart's version of Funfetti) and iced with blue and green icing.  I had a container of red as well, but after baking them in my red silicone liners, I decided that red on red would have been too much.  For toppings I had M&Ms and sprinkles in red, yellow, green and blue.

Cupcakes

It seems like any time I make cupcakes, I develop my plan as I go along.
This time I ended up using a few Oreo's and blue candles to add fun and interest.

Tip:  If you are visually picky like I am, turn your M&Ms upside down so that the logo isn't showing.  Little details like this can make a big impact on your overall look 😉

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I hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes look into my party baking, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018

How We Celebrated: Christmas Cookies 2017

Welcome back to our holiday kitchen!

A few days before Christmas the kids and I spent an afternoon in the kitchen baking up our holiday cookies.  Check out these photos from our fun:

Supplies

This baking adventure started out with several cookie mixes (the gingerbread failed 😖),  a cake mix for Mamaw's birthday (dark chocolate & Andes mints 😊), a gigantic pile of sprinkles, M&Ms, icing, color gels and the crock pot. 

I included the crock pot in the photo because after four hours of baking, there was no way that I was cooking dinner.  I can't remember what I had in the crock pot, but I was glad it was there! 😁 

Sprinkles!

I love having a large variety of sprinkles for decorating my baked goods, but they can get expensive really fast. My strategy is to wait until right after a holiday and buy them when they are 75% (or more) off. 

Tip:  Check the 'sell by' dates to be sure, but usually they are good for a year or two after purchase.  Store them in a cool, dry place and you are good to go 😉

Little Hands

My Baby Girl and my Little Man had different 'techniques' when it came to 

rolling out dough, but both had a lot of fun 😀

Sugar Cookies

Tip:  We cut and baked our sugar cookies first so that 

they would have time to cool before decorating.  I highly recommend having a set of cooling racks on hand if you are going to be baking a lot of anything at once.  It doesn't take long to run out of work space and stackable racks are a life saver!

Sprinkle Tray

In the past I've set all of the sprinkles out on the table and let the kids shake them out as they wished.  It worked but a whole lot were wasted on the floor 😏 

This year I decided to take a couple of mini muffin tins and use them to create sprinkle palettes.  Each of the kids got their own tin and spoon and had a much easier time.....Well, my girl did.  The Little Man just sat there eating sprinkles with the spoon, but that's ok 😀

Santa Cookies

Each of the kids made a special cookie to be left out for Santa on Christmas Eve.  The rest they divided between themselves and Daddy 😉

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Here are the rest of the cookies we made that day:

Chocolate chip with red sprinkles

Double chocolate chip with Andes mints and green sprinkles

Chocolate chip with M&Ms

Snicker doodles with red, white and green sprinkles

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Those were our holiday cookies this year.
I hope you enjoyed the baking post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018

Candy Themed Birthday Party- The Party Cakes

Who wants dessert?!?!
I'm back today with all of the party treat details!

You can click here to see the party decor or here to read about the invitations.  Otherwise, keep scrolling to learn all about these adorable cakes and cupcakes:

Supplies

Kit-Kat cake:  For this cake I used a devil's food mix and chocolate icing.  Kit-Kats (of course 😁)  were used to cover the sides of the cake and pastel marshmallows served as the topping.

The idea for the Kit-Kat cake came from Pinterest.  Baby Girl and I saw lots of photos of similar cakes, but most of them featured Skittles or M&Ms as the topping.  Since our party color palette featured pastels, we decided to use marshmallows instead.

For the cupcakes I used Funfetti cake mix and icing, lollipops and more of the marshmallows.

First up, the large cake:

Step 1

I baked my cakes as usual (click  here to read more) 

and layered them with a bit of chocolate icing in between.

Step 2

After layering, I went ahead and gave the entire cake a good coat of chocolate icing.

Tip:  Keep your Kit-Kat candies in the freezer during this part.  The colder the candies, the less likely you are to smudge them with your fingerprints 😉 

Step 4

After applying a bit of icing to the back of a Kit-Kat, begin adhering them to the cake in a linear fashion.

Side Note:  I made sure that the Kit-Kat printing on each candy was going in the same direction.  It's little details like these that really make the difference in overall appearance 😊

Here is  a photo showing what it looked like when all of the Kit-Kats were in place.  Don't worry about any imperfections, such as the spaces between some of the candies, they won't be noticeable once the topping is in place.

Step 5

I added a bit of curling ribbon using colors from our design theme.
This isn't a necessary step, I just thought it would look cute 😊

Step 6

Top the cake with a pile of pretty marshmallows, and you're done!

Mini Cake

As usual, I made a mini version of the main cake.
The only difference for this cake was that I cut the Kit-Kats in half before sticking them on.

Lollipop Cupcake

  Most of the cupcakes featured marshmallows on top with a lollipop in the center.

These sprinkle filled lollipops were found at Dollar Tree and tasted like birthday cake 😍

Sprinkle Cupcake

The rest of the cupcakes I topped with pastel sprinkles (that came with the Funfetti icing)
and a gold candle from my candle supply.
-Jennifer

 🍭Those were Baby Girl's candy themed party cakes 🍭
I hope you enjoyed this how-to bakery post, thanks for stopping by!

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2017