Cookies, Cupcakes, and Cardio

Giant Peeps Cake with Surprise Inside

April 5, 2014 by Jenn

Has the lead up to this cake been dramatic enough? I’m so excited to finally be able to share it with you! I don’t know what it is about Peeps, but they are the cutest things ever! I don’t like eating them AT ALL, but they are so fun to create with. I caught myself on a couple of occasions playing with them . . . “Um, what am I doing?” You can check those photos out on my Instagram account! Or don’t, it’s kind of embarrassing.

This is my first official “surprise inside” cake. I’ve done a couple of cupcakes that have hidden gems inside, but I’ve never done a cake. What I love about a surprise inside is that from the outside, you have no idea that there is something hiding underneath all the cake and icing. You can also choose to make this cake without the surprise and have it all be cake, but then you wouldn’t find all those cute Peeps faces gazing out at you on that first slice!

If you choose not to hollow out the cakes, it will definitely feed more people, so if you are looking to serve a crowd, make sure that you take into account that a lot of the cake is removed after baking. You might want to have some back up cupcakes or another small cake on hand if you have a hungry crowd.

The marshmallow buttercream that we use is absolutely delicious! It has a ton of butter in it, which makes it taste amazing, and also makes it super easy to spread. I’ve found that the higher the butter level, the easier the spread-ability of the icing! I’m also a scientist on the side, can you tell?

If you’re going to be making this cake and prefer to use box mixes, I have to tell you that I’m not sure if the box mixes will hold up in the bowl after the carving. Box mixes tend to be lighter, and weaker than cakes from scratch. I would worry that when you’re carving out the centre of the bowl cake, that you might have some problems with the sides collapsing. But, hopefully you don’t! If you try it with a box mix, and it works out, make sure you leave a comment about what you did to help it be successful!

How to Make Marshmallow Buttercream

April 2, 2014 by Jenn

Marshmallows and buttercream together? So yum!

This recipe comes about as a lead up to a fabulous cake . . . this recipe, plus the one for marshmallow fluff together equal a fabulous SURPRISE inside cake. We will have the great, fabulous, so adorable, wonderful cake ready to be released on Saturday morning. Here’s a hint: there are marshmallows involved.

I think that this icing would be delicious on a S’mores cupcake (which I’m definitely going to make now that I’ve thought of it!) You could scorch the top of and make it TOASTED marshmallow buttercream! Oh my god, I’m dying!

There is definitely a lot of butter in this recipe, which obviously means it’s going to taste great and be horrible for your waistline, but it makes a smooth and creamy buttercream.

I must know . . . how would YOU use this buttercream?

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cake

March 29, 2014 by Jenn

Favourite sandwich as a kid? Definitely peanut butter and jelly! My dad used to make us peanut butter and bologna, which sounds disgusting but strangely wasn’t, but PB&J always came in first. Peanut butter and honey was a close second, and peanut butter and banana rounded up the top three. In case you didn’t figure it out, obviously I have a love for peanut butter!

This cake is such a fun one to surprise everyone with. It’s giant, and seriously looks like a regular sized sandwich. I’ve been planning to make a cake like this for a long time, so a couple months ago, I found a sandwich cake mold to use for it. You definitely don’t need to have a special mold though. It can easily be baked in a square pan (8″x8″) and when it has cooled, carve out the top with a couple of little notches and you’ll basically have the same thing.

I decided to make a peanut butter cake for the “bread” instead of a standard vanilla cake which would make the “bread” look like white bread. The peanut butter cake makes the cake look like whole wheat “bread’, which is obviously healthier. So this cake is healthy as it’s a sandwich made with whole wheat bread. If you make it with vanilla cake, the white bread will go straight to your hips.

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff (Marshmallow Creme)

March 26, 2014 by Jenn

Marshmallow fluff, or creme, as it is sometimes called is basically a spreadable version of marshmallows. Think campfire melted marshmallows- without the char! Usually it is sold by the jar, for relatively cheap, but if you know me and that my recipes are made from scratch, you’ll know that I’m not going to just buy a jar of something because it’s cheap. I have to learn to make it!

Making marshmallow fluff is a precursor to a couple of bigger projects that we have coming up on our YouTube channel. Laying the foundations, and the ground work is critical! No, I’m not building something that needs to be structurally sound- I’m trying to make “fluff” sound like a big, important deal.

Did it work?

So yes, back to the fluff. It’s sticky. It’s gooey. It can be a pain to work with, but it is oh, so, good. Apparently people make sandwiches with it, and despite my never squelched sweet tooth, I think that might be disgusting. If you’ve tried it, let me know what it’s like . . . I can’t bring myself to do it. I would have to buy bread.

Neapolitan Checkerboard Cake

March 22, 2014 by Jenn

Hello world, it’s nice to see you again! I’ve been in the crawl space of our “basement” for the last two days, while we have been cutting cement, digging cement, carrying cement, and digging dirt out of two trenches so we can protect the house from water damage. Water has been coming in the basement every time the snow melts, which has been about 5851456 times this winter, and every time it rains. It’s looking like we have one more day to be down in the dungeon to lay gravel and pipes, and then we should be finished. For now. There are a couple more things to do, but my brain can’t handle the thought of crawling on my knees for much longer.

Kermit the Frog Cake / Muppets Cake using Green Velvet Cake

March 16, 2014 by Jenn

I don’t often get sick, but when I do, I get SICK. Being a Kindergarten teacher, I have had my fair share of minor colds and coughs, but this year, a doozy of one hit my class, and inevitably, me. I ended up on pneumonia antibiotics and was given an inhaler to feel better, both of which worked and I am so happy to be back in the land of the vertical! While I was in bed, I had lots of time to plan ideas for future videos, so I have tons of ideas to turn into fabulous cakes and desserts! Just as soon as I stop coughing.

The idea for this Kermit the Frog cake came from my desire to use my giant cupcake mold, and the fact that the new Muppets movie is coming out at the end of the month! I’ve had a metal giant cupcake mold for years, but I recently got this new silicone one, and highly recommend it. When using the metal one, I would generously coat it with non-stick spray, and the top portion would always stick and never come out in one piece. I haven’t had this problem with the silicone mold once. Each time both pieces of the cupcake pop out easily. If you’ve ever had a cake stick to the pans and break when coming out, you know how annoying it can be.

Kermit takes a leading role for the new movie, Muppets Most Wanted, and according to the movie synapse, there is a Kermit the Frog look-alike and a jewel heist involved. It sounds like a great one to take the kids to and obviously if there are two Kermit’s, you must make a Kermit cake!

Oreo Cake- Cookies and Cream

March 8, 2014 by Jenn

Let’s talk Oreo’s.

Chocolate cookie wafers with a cream filling. Vanilla wafers with cream filling. Chocolate wafers with birthday cake cream filling. The list of Oreo flavours goes on and on! I wish we could get all of the flavours in Canada- actually, strike that, no I don’t, as then I would eat them! I found the Gingerbread Oreo’s on the shelf at Target this passed Christmas and they were so good! Paul hated them, so it worked out well for me. If you’ve been following me for a while, you will know that the Birthday Cake Oreo’s are my favourite! It’s the sprinkles.

Thinking up ways to make amazing cakes is my favourite part of being a baker. I’ve been wanting to make a Cookies ‘n Cream/Oreo cake for a while now and I was set on making it overflowing with cookies! My favourite part of an Oreo is the filling, so I knew that I wanted to make a creamy filling for the cake, but I wanted it to be light and fluffy as opposed to heavy like the cookie version.

The cake has three layers to it, two chocolate, and one vanilla, and each has chopped up Oreo’s floating around the batter. When the cookies bake, they soften up, so if you are worried about the cakes being crunchy, you can relax. No broken teeth will be had.

If you make this and take it to a party, you will be asked to bring it again, and again. So be warned.

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Filed Under: Cakes Tagged With: black and white, black and white cake, Cookies and Cream cake, Oreo, Oreo cake

Leprechaun Hat Cupcakes for Saint Patrick’s Day

March 4, 2014 by Jenn

We just got another monumental dump of snow, like a foot of it. How can that be? It’s MARCH?! I’ve been trying to think up of fun spring things to make and it’s so hard when I don’t remember what grass looks like. I think we need to move. Somewhere southern. I need a Leprechaun to grant me my wish to move.

Leprechauns, according to Irish folklore, are a fairy type creature in the form of an old man, usually up to mischievous acts. According to Wikipedia, “Leprechauns spend all their time busily making shoes, and store away all their coins in a hidden pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If ever captured by a human, the Leprechaun has the magical power to grant three wishes in exchange for their release.” Listen Leprechaun, I need sun. I need heat. I need real Vitamin D! Get me that, please!

I’d like to announce now that I have Irish in my blood, so don’t attack me with a righteous claim that I am being stereotypical, or somehow making fun of Irish traditions. Because I know I am. And I can. I’m one of you.

Besides, do you really think that I would go chasing after a little green fairy man in order to beg for the snow to disappear?

Yes, yes, I would.