Football cupcakes

My husband LOVES football. More specifically, the Seattle Seahawks. So I thought of ways to incorporate that into his birthday "cake". I found this video and it was exactly what I was looking for! Cute and easy! So here are the pictures to what I did. This is also a great treat to make for during the Super Bowl!

Instead of using m&m's for the boarder of the football, I used about 3/4 of a package of white chocolate almond bark, melted it in a pan, and died half of it green, and half of it blue... Seahawks colors!! (when coloring white chocolate, use food coloring that is not water based... trust me).

I spread the chocolate on wax paper over a baking sheet and let it cool in the fridge.

After it cooled, I broke it up in pieces with a knife.

I used one package of Devil's Food Cake mix and it made enough to make two footballs, but I made one football and then had matching cupcakes.

I used an 11x17 glass baking dish. I would have used a baking sheet, but I liked the high side walls just in case of an accident :) And it seemed to fit perfectly anyway!

I spread the frosting just like in the video, with extra frosting on the side to support the chocolate pieces.

For the extra set of cupcakes, I used one extra tub of frosting. I used the whipped chocolate kind and it was perfect for this cake! Since my husband and I work together, I took everything to work and surprised him with this football creation. The extra cupcakes were great for the co-workers grabbing. Since it was my first time decorating like this, it took me about 40 minutes because I did NOT want to mess up. Prepare to get messy, I don't know how they stayed clean in the video! Overall, these were a big hit, and I would make them again for the next football fan!

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Coca Cola Freezer Cake

I am warning you. This is not a healthy recipe. Not by a long shot. Just looking at all the ingredients, I gained about 5 lbs. Chef beware.

 5 LBS!

 NO MORE FITTING INTO PANTS FOR YOU!

And ohmygosh is this the yummiest thing I've ever eaten. My apologies in advance. Those who make this, are about to become addicts.

Cake:
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 lb. unsalted butter (two sticks)
1 c. Coca Cola- you can use caffeine-free if you deem necessary.
1/4 c. unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder. (I don't know what "alkalized" is, I just used the cocoa powder I found in the baking aisle)
2 c. flour
2 c. superfine sugar (Again, don't know what this is- I just used regular sugar)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 lrg. eggs
2 tea. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400. Grease 9x13 pan. Whisk buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl, set aside.
Place butter, Coke, and cocoa powder in large saucepan and heat to a boil. (let the Coke sit out to become room temp for frosting)

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Pour the hot Coke mix on top and mix on low for about 2-3 mins.

Blend in the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk mixture. Batter will be thin and caramel colored.

Pour into the pan and bake for 20 mins. While it's cooking, get the things ready to make the frosting. Melt the butter and cocoa, and let cool. Perhaps even do some dishes while the cake is cookin'.

Frosting:
3 3/4 c. plus 2 tbl. (?) powdered sugar
large pinch of salt  (oh, crap... I just realized I forgot that one)
1 stick butter, melted and cooled.
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled.
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
6 tbl. room temp Coke

A couple minutes before the cake comes out of the oven, whisk butter and chocolate together and then blend in vanilla. Pour chocolate mix into large bowl of powdered sugar. Add Coke and beat to smooth. (use immediately!) Place large dollops on the hot cake and smooth. You want it to melt down into the cake. Let it cool completely and then store in the freezer.

EAT ME!

Ok- now I'm off for another plateful.

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Ina Garten's Carrot Cake, Meet Paula Dean's Cream Cheese Frosting

A friend of mine referred me to Ina Garten's Carrot Cake recipe, & Paula Dean's Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe sounded DELISH so... here is a fav of mine... I've made it several times & it never lasts very long...

For the Cake:

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/3 cups vegetable oil (I want to try this with Coconut Oil after all the talk of Coconut Oil on the blog)

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup raisins (I like the Golden Raisins)

1 cup chopped walnuts (I've also used Pecans, depends on your preference)

1 pound carrots, grated

1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple (I've used a can of crushed/diced Pineapple, drained... works just as well)

(I also add in shredded coconut, because... I love coconut!)

What to do....

Before you begin mixin':

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans (makes for easy clean up)

And now... for the Cake...

1. Beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together in the bowl, then add the vanilla.

2. In another bowl, sift together your dry ingredients... 2 1/2 cups flour, the cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

3. Add the dry to the wet.

4. Toss the raisins and walnuts with 1 tablespoon flour, I do this in a sandwich bag.

5. Fold in the carrots, pineapple, coconuts and nuts to the batter... Do this based on what you want... i like lots of carrot and pineapple in mine, if you want less, add less... its all you!

6. Now... Divide the batter equally between the 2 pans. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (and enjoy the smell!! no scented candles needed). Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans set over a wire rack.

And now, Paula.... For the Frosting:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick salted butter, room temperature

1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans/walnuts

Mix it all, but the nuts...

The Grand Finale....

Frost the top of one of the cakes.... stack... lather that baby up in the cream cheese frosting... top with the nuts and.... HELLO added inches to your waistline! the extra time you'll need to spend in the gym is SO worth it.....

Thanks Ina, Paula & the Food Network!

The only picture I have of this cake is from my husband's birthday... and don't judge... I have none of my nice dishes, or cake plates, or anything here in Guam... All of my wedding presents are in Storage in AZ, so I'm cooking with the bare minimum

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