Using delicious Funfetti cake mix and frosting, I created these cupcakes for a friend’s birthday party! I made the cupcake flags by cutting out an elongated diamond shape (in this case, from cute Origami paper), and wrapping it in half around a toothpick. Then I glued the two pieces together and used a craft punch to make the star cutout and curled the paper with my thumb, and then Voila! Custom, colorful, fun cupcake flags for the occasion 🙂
I attempted to make a gluten-free, egg-free and cane sugar-free treat to take to my 4th of July family gathering!
I can’t remember exactly what recipe I used now, but I did alter a banana cake recipe, using rice flour, omitting the eggs and any dairy products, and used coconut oil and coconut sugars.
To make a watermelon-themed 4th of July complete, one must have watermelon cupcakes, right? I used a pink cake batter, along with mini chocolate chips, and some green frosting and sanding sugar 🙂
My friend, Lia, asked me to help her design and bake a cake that would fit with a themed ‘1981 NBA All-Star Games Throw Back’ surprise birthday party for her husband and brother-in-law.
Finished product – View from the top!
Our final design sketch to scale
The boys are big fans of the Portland Trail Blazers, so the font reflects that team’s identifying logo, and the entire cake represents a basketball backboard with their names and stars for all-stars 🙂
This was my first cake using fondant for decoration, and I also used licorice strung on a wire for the rim, and wove the net out of yarn.
Close-up of Reese’s basketball and red licorice hoop
We ran into some complications along the way, for example, we ordered a full sheet from Costco for the main part of the backboard, but they only gave us a half sheet! So Lia and I had to run around to Fred Meyer and pick up another half sheet to make it whole. The two cakes aren’t quite the same height, but oh well; we had to work with what we could get. I baked the three-layer ‘basketball’ portion of the cake, and added a little orange food coloring to the, really yellow, cake to look a bit more basketball-ish 🙂
‘Section cut’ through basketball at the party
We couldn’t find any ready-made boxes big enough, so Lia spent a long time designing and making the beautiful and gigantic box with the blue base and transparent star on top. The whole thing–box with cake inside–was so bulky, awkward and heavy by the time the finished cake was inside of it, I had to ask my neighbor to help me carry it out to my car!
Custom designed and assembled cake box by Lia
Let’s take a look at how we got there………………………………..
Costco didn’t give us a full sheet like we were expecting…. so we had to run to Fred Meyer and pick up another half sheet so that we had a full sheet size. Variety in flavors isn’t bad, right??
Transferring these half sheets onto the cake box board was challenging
One down… one to go
Second one up…
Success with minor damage!
Wax paper edging to protect the final board surface underneath
3 cake layers, waiting in the wings
Carving room for the basketball
Two flavors
Round cake homemade filling/frosting, and large sheet cake homemade frosting
First basketball layer down
Second basketball layer in place
Second layer frosted
Third layer down
Basketball form complete
Applying basketball (Reeses) detail
Voila!
First fondant borders on
The big ’30’
The rest of the custom Blazer-type fondant lettering and finishing touches
Done!
Creating the basketball hoop
Weaving the net
pre-trimmed net
Ready!
In the box, ready to go!
These were a fun new challenge to tackle for a friend’s bridal shower! My friend loves flowers, so I knew incorporating real flowers into her special treat would be perfect. I think I could have done a better job had I allowed a little more time to let the flowers fully dry, but I think they still looked pretty and pretty tasty too 🙂
Had fun putting together this tiny cookie bag gift 🙂 These mini bags are from Japan!
I was really excited to use my cookie press gift (let’s face it, they’re basically Spritz cookies!) from a friend to make this cookie package birthday present!
Inside, there was this…. 🙂 Classic vanilla and ginger spice (with a sprinkle on top) cookies.
This cake was entirely planned by and prepared for by my friend Amelia for her daughter’s third birthday. But I was there to document and help frost, so I wanted to share 🙂
Good thing Hello Kitty will be wearing full hair and make-up for the party!
Starting with hair….
Sprinkle assistance
Foundation layer complete… It was difficult to frost the rest of Hello Kitty’s face without getting her bow in it!
One set of whiskers on…
Comparison
Ready to party
I designed a birthday brownie flag, incorporating a silly saying/nick-name that had been created the month prior… printed the designs out, wrapped the two-sided design around a toothpick, glued the halves together, and placed one in the top of each brownie slice 🙂 I made the brownies in an edge pan, similar to this one, and used a Marbled Cheesecake Brownie recipe that came with the pan.
One of my friends said, “Are these all your sprinkles!!?!” to which I said, “Um, yeah…. why, do other people not have this many??” Apparently not. I never really thought about it… just that I have a lot and I know sprinkles make me happy 🙂
Before the decorating got under way… (there is a whole ‘nother box of sprinkles standing by)
rolling and cutting!
Cookie creations 🙂
