Snicker Doodle Birthday Cake for Hubby

So I made a cake.  And I may have mentioned before I hate making actual cakes.  I am more of a cupcake kind of gal. My theory is that if you make cupcakes, you can mess a few up, and you can also eat like 20 and not feel as badly.  But if you make a cake, you only have once chance to decorate it, and not screw up. And I usually screw up.  And you cannot eat 20 pieces of cake without looking like a pig.  Or so I have been told.  Anyway I was planning on letting Pork Chop do another gummie cake for Hubby.  But he just ends up pulling all the gummies off and not eating it.  So this year I had a plan.  I was so going to make him a super fancy cake.  And one that he would totally eat!

 Well one of those two things turned out to be true.  I'll let you guess which one. But if nothing else I tried a new recipe, and I got a cake stand thingy finally.  I had been using a lazy susan for over 20 years, so there you go, cake for Hubby, baking item for me.  Win win!

See how fancy that is?  I paid $20 at a sale, not sure if that is a good deal, I don't want to know if it's not though.

So to start I googled and pintrested a bunch of things.  I had the idea of a snicker doodle cake. Since that is Hubby's favorite cookie and he really likes the muffins I make.  I was totally thinking, there is no way I can lose.  Just so you know, I lost; big time.

So I found this cake on a blog called Smashed peas and carrots. Best part about it, it is a cake mix based cake.  I love that!  So I got everything I needed and set to work.  Now keep in mind Hubby was in the same area of the house as me, so he just played X Box with Pork Chop while pretending to not have any idea what I was doing.  Good man Hubby, keep it up.

See it actually doesn't look too bad, I swear when I have no one to impress my cakes sort of work out. I mean I was trying to impress Hubby, but I use other methods to impress him.  Cake does nothing for him. Just so you know.

Snicker Doodle Cake
found on Smashed Peas and Carrots

-1 box white cake mix
-eggs called for on box, plus one more
-butter in place of the oil called for on the box
-milk in place of the milk called for on the box
-1 TBSP cinnamon

Mix it all together and pour into your prepared pans.  Bake at 350 until tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow to cool then remove from pan and allow to fully cool on cooling rack.  I placed the cakes in the freezer after they cooled to set up.

Thisis how I frost a cake, I cover the top, then sort of push the extra over the edge, then add to the sides as I go.  

Frosting
Found on Smashed peas and carrots

-2 cups butter
-1 cup brown sugar
-2 TSP cinnamon
-2 TSP vanilla
-6-7 cups icing sugar
-milk if needed

Start with room temperature butter, I just usually cube it up on a large plate before I start measuring out the other stuff, and it is usually good by then.  So cream the butter, add the brown sugar and cream again, add vanilla and cinnamon and mix well.  Mix in your icing sugar and if needed add milk until it is the consistency you want.

This is tiny and it cost over $2, I am in the wrong business.

Once that is done you are ready to assemble.  I started by leveling my cakes, they didn't really need much, but knowing my luck if I didn't there would be trouble.  So I did that then I put a blob of icing on the tray I was going to put my cake on and placed the first layer of cake.  Then I put a layer of icing, then the next layer of cake.  Then I frosted the whole darn thing.  I was going for a rustic look.

 And just in case you were wondering, a rustic cake can be all bumpy and swirly and no where near smooth.  I am good at rustic.

This was the extent of Pork Chops help.  It went in the trash just so you know.

Then I wanted to have Pork Chop write on the cake, you know, to do his part.  He was all, "I'm nervous!"  which is his way of saying he doesn't want to do it.  So I said try it on the scraps of cake, and he drew two lines and said he was done.  I was fine with that, I figure at least he was in the vicinity of the cake when it was made, so that totally counts.

I am really proud of the fact I can blur out his name, not too proud that if you really try you can still read it.

 So I just used one of those tubes of gel you get at the store, because I didn't want to bother making icing or colouring it.  It cost over $2, which is a total rip off, but at the same time, it allowed me to not have to do anything, so it sort of paid off.  And I blurred out Hubbies name to protect him.  And to hide the fact I totally forgot a letter in his name and squished it in later.  He was all "really?"  And I said "shut up, I went snow boarding with you! And made you a cake, your name?  It doesn't matter!"  Or something like that, I may have just given him a dirty look, who knows, I was tired.  

  Anyway we didn't get to eat the cake for like three days, we were doing stuff, like eating diner out and having free birthday deserts, so there was no time for cake.  And when we finally did have it, we thought it was too much.  I think that if I cut the layers in half and made it a four layer cake with thinner icing layers it may have worked.  As it was we tired to eat it, and Pork Chop liked the cake part.  But I ended up sending it to work with Hubby, and then Pork Chop was mad, and said he wanted more.  I will tell you now I ended up making him a tonne of red velvet cupcakes to make up for it, and that he didn't eat more that 2 I think. And not even on the day I made them, like days later.  Sigh.  

  Also I think this as a cupcake would be good, so it is not a loss at all, I really did like it.  Hubby, well here's to another year with a cake he won't eat.

Oh and just to show you how much I love him, look what I did.

If you look at this picture first, I look all cool, like I am totally into boarding.  Truth is, that is the instructor behind me.  He just let me go and I was falling, again.  it was a very painful gift to Hubby.  

I made Hubby take a beginner lesson with me, again.  He knows what he is doing, I have gone once before, and I was scared and didn't want to do it alone.  I have to point out, other than Hubby and me, the other kids were all under 10.  Man I felt old.

 I hate to point it out, but I was so sore for like 4 days I could hardly walk.  Stupid middle age! Oh and Happy Valentines day!

Also I really appreciate those of you that have clicked on my Top Mommy Blog button, it allows you to click once every 24 hours and it moves me up so new people can find me.  Thanks again.

Snicker Doodle Muffins

From this angle they look like cookies.

  Today I am going to share with you guys one of Hubby's favorite things I make. And by favorite, I mean he actually eats them.  The first time I made these muffins he ate almost all of them, then I think I made them for him almost every week or so until he had to tell me to stop.  I mean come on, if he is actually eating something I make how can I not get excited right?  Well I have not made these in a long while, and I was looking for something quick to make to blog about and this is when I had the brilliant idea to make them again.


  I first saw these on the Pioneer Woman blog.  I knew the moment I saw them Hubby would love them, I mean I say that about a few things, but this one, this was different.  Or at least I hoped it would be.  And for once I was right, but don't let him know that.

  So this is a nice easy recipe that gives you a nice moist dense muffin, covered in a layer of cinnamon sugar. What is not to love right?  So I have not made any changes, other than I don't buy butter milk, and make my own, it is all the same.

  To make your own butter milk you just put some vinegar in with your milk and let it set for about 5 minutes.  I will let you know the amount in the recipe.

All ready to go.

 Snicker Doodle Muffins
Via Pioneer Woman Cooks
By Two Peas in Their Pod
Originally from Culinary Concoctions from Peabody

(wow that is a lot of recipe info)

-1 cup butter
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-2 TSP vanilla extract
-2 1/4 cups flour
-3/4 TSP baking soda
-3/4 TSP baking powder
-3/4 TSP cream of tartar
-1/2 TSP salt
-1 cup sour cream
-1/4 cup butter milk*

*instead of real butter milk just put a splash of white vinegar into a measuring cup then fill the rest of the way to 1/4 cup with milk, stir and let stand for 5 minutes.  If you leave it a bit longer and the milk gets chunky, don't worry it is still fine.  I let mine sit for over 10 minutes and it still turned out fine.

  Pre heat oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, add the vanilla and one egg at a time and mix fully.  Sift all the dry ingredients together and add half to the mix, then add the sour cream, mix, then the rest of the dry ingredients.  Then mix in the butter milk.

As the first batch was baking I rolled the second batch and put them in liners to wait.

Topping

-2/3 cups sugar
-2 TBSP Cinnamon

  Mix the topping and then take a scoop of muffin mix and roll it in topping.  Then place muffin in muffin liner.  These are very soft muffins so you need a liner.  Once all the muffins are rolled top them all with the left over topping and bake for about 18 minutes, until a toothpick put into the middle comes out clean.

So good!  I could eat these everyday!

  These are some of the tastiest muffins, so good, even a day or so later, if they last.  The batter is nice and thick, so once you scoop it out into the bowl of topping it is easy to handle.  Hubby ate a whole bunch and is a little upset they are running out.  But I will make them again, I promise.

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