Easy to Make Pina Colada Cake

Winter blahs getting you down? An easy to make Pina Colada cake can add a taste of the tropics and chase away those winter blues. Your kitchen will take on an aroma of fresh island fruit with this luscious and delicious simple cake recipe.

Embellish this cake with a few edible flowers and mini-umbrellas, and you've got the perfect way to serve a plate of sunshine! An easy way to brighten up cold snowy evenings.



Pina Colada Cake

Ingredients:
1 white cake mix
1-8 ounce can crushed pineapple, in own juice
1-6 ounce can unsweetened pineapple juice
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup water
1 can cream of coconut
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 cups shedded coconut, toasted
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2- 8 inch round pans. Mix first five ingredients with mixer on low until just combined. Mix on high for two minutes. Pour batter in pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool in pans for 15 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
For the frosting, sprinkle gelatin over cold water in saucepan. Heat over low heat for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dissolved. Whisk cream of coconut in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in gelatin until well blended. Refrigerate until mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon about 10 - 15 minutes. Beat cream and rum in bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk 1/2 whipped cream mixture into coconut mixture. Fold in the rest of cream with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate until set, 15 - 20 minutes.
Slice each layer in half horizontally. Place one half on the serving plate. Use 1/3 of the frosting to frost in between all the layers. Once all assembled, use the remaining 2/3 of the frosting to cover the top and the sides of the cake. Gently press the toasted coconut into the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Note: When desserts were made just for Mom and Dad, Mom would make two separate cakes out of this recipe. The torte d cake layers were frosted and covered in coconut separately. To freeze half of this recipe, place on a foil lined cookie sheet and put in the freezer. When completely frozen, tightly whap cake in plastic wrap and then foil. To serve, unwrap and then completely defrost and store cake in the refrigerator.

Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

Fill Your Easter BAsket with Real Grass!

Ever notice how that Easter basket grass gets stuck to the candy? Sometimes chocolate candy
gets warm and the grass becomes part of the chocolate treat. Or maybe Easter basket grass gets
stuck and wrapped around those marshmallow peeps or that Easter bunny.

Why not try a new twist to your Easter basket this year. Natural, live grass can adorn the Easter
basket without sticking to the candy. The grass actually grows in the Easter basket and
everyone can enjoy the wonders of spring, the natural way.

Things you'll need to grow your own Easter basket grass:

Cellophane or plastic container (empty milk jug, milk carton, or bowl)
Grass, rye or wheat seed
Vermiculite
Basket
Spray bottle
Water

Cut the cellophane or plastic container so it fits in the basket plus about 1 inch above
basket rim. Colored cellophane or container adds a colorful edge to the basket.
Be sure to use one piece or solid container to prevent leaking.

Fill the basket liner or plastic container with vermiculite, available in any gardening
department. Vermiculite is much lighter than potting soil and stays moist.

Sprinkle the grass seed over the top of the vermiculite. Once the top is covered with
seed, add another ¼ inch layer of vermiculite over the seed. Using the spray bottle,
water evenly, and mist every day.

It takes about 10 days for the grass to grow and cover the bowl of the Easter basket,
so start to grow your grass 10-12 days before Easter.

Now, all that is needed is Easter bunny candy and eggs! Natural growing Easter grass is a great
alternative to the shredded cellophane grass!

Adults enjoy getting Easter baskets, too. Instead of grabbing cut flowers at a store, you can
surprise someone with an Easter basket filled with a flowering plant or vine.

A living Easter basket could be a wonderful gift for someone that cannot enjoy the outdoors.

Homemade and Delicious Peanut Butter Eggs

There's nothing better than that peanut butter-chocolate combination. These Peanut Butter Easter Eggs are easy to make and will be the hit of your Easter baskets!

Prep Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 pound semi-sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons solid vegetable shortening

Preparation:
Mix first four ingredients. Gradually add powdered sugar and peanut butter, beating until blended. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon additional powdered sugar on flat surface. Spoon peanut butter mixture onto prepared surface. Knead about 5 minutes. Using 1-1/2 teaspoon mixture per candy, shape into egg form. Place on wax paper covered pan. Refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Melt chocolate and shortening in a double boiler. Continually stir chocolate and shortening. Will take about 20 minutes for chocolate and shortening to combine smoothly. Place eggs on the tines of a fork and dip in chocolate. If chocolate gets stiff, place back in top of double boiler and work until thinner.

Allow to dry briefly. Loosely cover and store in cool, dry place. Yield: 40 candies.

If you'd like more candy recipes, just email me and I will send you a free e-book filled with easy and delicious candy recipes!

Cake Decorating Made Easy!: Recipe to Make Chocolate Flowers

Cake Decorating Made Easy!: Recipe to Make Chocolate Flowers

Recipe to Make Chocolate Flowers

Chocolate and celebrations just naturally go together. Easter baskets, birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Halloween, and just because gifts. The list goes on and on, and chocolate candy is always welcome.


Homemade candy is easy to make, and adds another dimension to the special event. Not only are the treats delicious, they have been individually crafted and created just for the occasion. Long after the reason for the event, memories of the handmade candy and its maker will be remembered.

Delicious chocolate flowers can be used to decorate cakes, cupcakes, or stand out in a bouquet. Making chocolate flowers do require patience and attention to detail, but can be easily learned. The recipe for chocolate flowers consists of just two ingredients, so preparation is a cinch!

The chocolate flower process is all about the clay! Chocolate clay is pliable chocolate paste that can be cut and curled into many edible works of art.

If you're a lover of dark chocolate, use 16 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate and 2/3 cup of light corn syrup. If you prefer milk chocolate use 16 ounces of sweet chocolate and 2/3 cup of light corn syrup. And, if you want to indulge in white chocolate flowers, use a good quality white chocolate and 2/3 cup light corn syrup. That's is, just two ingredients to satisfy either or all chocolate tastes.

The recipe for Chocolate Flowers!

Cover a cookie sheet with plastic wrap.

Chop the chocolate into fine pieces, if you're not using chocolate chips. Put the chips or pieces in a glass bowl.

Place the bowl in a pan and fill about half-full of boiling water. Stir the chocolate until it melts, remove the bowl from the water and continue to stir until the chocolate cools slightly.

Add the corn syrup to the melted chocolate and blend thoroughly. Allow the mixture to cool until it can be handled comfortably. (Remove any grease from the chocolate clay by squeezing onto paper towels.)

The work surface needs to be cool and dusted with cocoa powder. Divide the chocolate clay into small pieces, and pound each piece with a rolling pin to make it soft and pliable (marble rolling pin works good).

Knead each piece of chocolate clay before working with it. If the chocolate clay gets soft from your body heat, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Wrapping hands around an ice filled glass can keep hands cool.

Keep bowls and utensils moisture free when working with chocolate clay.

Roll one piece of clay into a small cylinder shape (like a snack-size Tootsie Roll). You'll need a cylinder for each chocolate flower, to be used as the base of the flower. Note: If you want to make a chocolate flower bouquet, use wooden craft sticks, and insert the stick in the cylinder, or roll the chocolate cylinder around the stick.)

Flatten the remaining chocolate clay to about 1/8 inch thick and cut out one-inch circles (about the size of a quarter). These will be the flower petals, and you need six to 10 petals per flower. Chocolate leaves can be cut out using a cookie cutter or knife.

Attach each petal to the chocolate base (cylinder) and add more, working your way up and around the base. Fan the petals out and squeeze the edges to thin them out. After enough petals have been attached to your liking, cut any excess from the top of the cylinder. Add leaves to the bottom of each chocolate flower.

Gently apply the chocolate flowers to the top of your cake or cupcake. Pushing down gently will make the chocolate flowers stick to the frosting.

Creating chocolate flowers is not difficult, but add a big wow to any cake, cupcake, Easter basket, or bouquet.

Not everyone has been schooled on cake decorating, but everyone has ideas and thoughts about how they would like their cake to look. Not everyone has the extra dollars to have a professional baker make a child's birthday cake, summer picnic cake, or delicately decorated cake. But, perhaps a professionally-looking cake need not cost an arm and a leg.


Some easy and simple tricks can be used to create a beautiful cake right in your own kitchen. Many times the key is in the icing that is used. For instance, Royal Icing needs extra time to dry before handling the created decorations to be applied to the cake.

1.  If you want to decorate the cake on its serving plate without getting icing on the plate, place strips of waxed paper under the edges of the cake before applying the icing. When the cake is iced and decorated, take hold of the waxed paper and quickly pull it from beneath the cake. Ta-Da! Your serving plate will be clean and the cake undisturbed.

2.  Baby cakes can be easily decorated by using small toys, umbrellas, bassinets, storks, or doll house figurines and furniture. Baking the cake in square pans, then when assembling the cake do not stack the squares equally on top of each other. Instead put it together so the corners make a shelf-like illusion and wonderful triangular sections to decorate.

3. Gumdrops are great to righted a white cake icing. Gumdrops sliced or shaved very thin are easy to stick on the icing. The shaved gumdrops will curl slightly and create rose petal shapes.

4.  Crystallized edible flower petals look especially pretty on top of a cake. Often times, wine and cake are offered at the same event, and sugared-grapes can be placed on top of the cake and strewn around the serving plate edge.

5.  If your event is going to be held outdoors and in the summer, avoid whipped cream, meringue, and butter cream icings. They will melt! Instead, use an icing that is made with vegetable shortening, as shortening can withstand higher heat before melting. Shortening can also be substituted for the butter in butter cream icing recipes.

6.  Make a cake decorating tool by rolling parchment paper into a cone, fill with icing, and snip the end of the cone slightly to pipe decorations or write on the cake. A zip-lock plastic bag also makes a good decorating tool. Just put icing in the bag, zip it closed, and snip a bit of one corner off to allow the icing to be squeezed onto the cake.

7.  To get that smooth, silky look to the icing, first frost the sides and top of the cake and smooth the icing with a spatula. Use a hairdryer to blow-dry the frosted cake surfaces. The heat from the dryer will cause the icing to melt a bit, and produce a smooth, lusterious finish.

8.  Gum paste is another type of material used to make cake decorations. It can be rolled very thin, dries hard, and can be used to make boxes, bows, or any number of decorations. Although gum paste can be eaten, it does not taste very good.

Some professional bakeries are open to providing tips, others are not. There are videos, tips, and monthly cake decorating newsletters available on line that provide great information about cake decorating.

Get free step-to-step cake and cookie “How To” videos, photo galleries, and monthly newsletters, plus hundreds of cake, cookies and candy answers. Go to http://8e827g6i-tv9viyw5uintlaue3.hop.clickbank.net/ and get your video library started today!

Easy Easter Egg Cake and Frosting Recipe

EASY EASTER EGG CAKE RECIPE

Easter eggs are not just found in an Easter basket. A bright, colorful Easter Egg cake will be a special surprise when it comes time to serve dessert. It's easy to decorate this cake in whatever colors you want.





EASTER EGG CAKE

1 boxed cake mix (any flavor)

yellow and green food coloring

green, orange, yellow and pink decorator gels

white frosting

decorating tips

gum drops

silver non-pareils

one round cake pan



WHITE BUTTER CREAM ICING RECIPE

16-ounce package confectioners sugar

6 tablespoons butter or margarine (softened)

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt


Instructions:

Note: The Easter egg cake needs just one round cake pan, so plan to make either two Easter egg cakes or cupcakes with the remaining batter.



Prepare the cake as directed on the package. Pour half the batter into one round cake pan and bake as directed on the box. Let the cake cool thoroughly before frosting.

Prepare the icing in a medium bowl with mixer set on medium to low speed. Beat all ingredients together until the icing is smooth and spreading consistency.


Put ¾ cup of frosting in a separate bowl. Add two drops of green food coloring and stir until mixed.


Put three drops of yellow food coloring in the large bowl of frosting and mix. (If you want pink, add a few drops of red food coloring until you get the color you desire.


Remove the cake from the pan. Using a sharp knife, cut the cake into an oval shape, and place the oval form on a serving platter.


Frost the entire cake with the yellow frosting. Spread some green frosting around the bottom edges of the cake to give the appearance of grass.

Smooth the frosting with a spatula or flat icing spreader. Pipe zig zags, swirls and lines across the cake's surface with the decorator gel and frosting. Dot the cake's surface with the non-pareils. Scatter gumdrops in the green frosting (grass) around the bottom of the cake.

Decorate the egg-shaped cake anyway you please. Color the frosting differently, do a rainbow design, or make it solid. Be creative and add your own touches – this is your Easter Egg cake creation!

How To Make An Easter Bunny Cake

Making an Easter bunny cake is easy to do. This cake is simple to assemble and kids and adults, alike, enjoy the colorful bunny at any Easter celebration. You don't need to spend a lot of money or time when preparing this delightful Easter bunny cake.



What you will need:


cake mix (any flavor)


icing


coconut


green and red dry Jello or food coloring


assorted candies and gumdrops


licorice


edible fresh flowers (if desired)


tray or cardboard rectangle (about 18” x 12”)


(If using cardboard, cover the rectangle with foil, parchment paper, or plastic wrap.)


Mix the cake mix, pour in two 8” round cake pans. Bake per package directions. Let cool thoroughly.

Place one round cake on the serving tray (or cardboard). Cut the remaining cake layer as shown below.


Frost the cake. Cover the bunny face and ears with coconut. Color about 1 cup (or more) of coconut with red or green dry Jello, or food coloring. Use this to cover the bunny tie. Sprinkle a bit of pink/red tinted coconut in the middle of the bunny cake ears.

Use gumdrops or jelly beans for the eyes. Slice and shape a pink gumdrop into a triangle for the nose.

Cut a thin strips (2” to 4” in length) from a piece of the licorice, and use these for the bunny whiskers and mouth shape.

(Note: Keep the eyes, whiskers, and mouth secured, dip the side that will be against the cake in whipped topping and place on cake.)

Sprinkle green tinted coconut around the edge of the serving platter, and place jelly beans here and there to decorate. You can add small chocolate candies or fresh, edible flowers, if desired.

Let your imagination run wild, and embellish the Easter Bunny Cake as much or as little as you want!

Perfect Royal Icing for Cake Decorating!

Have you ever wondered how those bakeries get the smooth texture and delightful colors to their icings? It's really no secret, although some bakeries use their own secret icing recipe, many more use the good ole standby Royal Icing to create their works of art.


Cake icing is basically a mixture of butter, sugar and flavoring. It is used between cake layers, drape and cover the cake, and it is used to make the edible decorations on top and around the cake. Each icing has individual properties, and choosing the correct icing for your cake is very important.

Icings, such as butter cream, have a sweet buttery flavor, and is perfect to frost cakes, create borders, rosettes and other decorations.

Royal Icing can be stiffened to use in molding figures.  Royal Icing is made with meringue powder, and has a sweet taste, dries hard, and is best for flowers, figure, and filigree or lace work. Often, this icing is used for gingerbread houses because it hardens and holds the house parts securely together.

Rolled fondant-icing provides a smooth flat surface when used to cover cakes. This icing is rolled out like dough and then molded over the cake. However, it remains semi-soft on cakes, which give assurance that the cake decorations will not get too hard or slip off the cake.

Poured fondant icing also produces a smooth flat covering for cakes. This icing is poured over the cake and dries to a semi-hard covering. Many novice cake decorators enjoy using a poured fondant icing because it is the easiest and quickest to use.

Cake icing serves three purposes: (1) to make the cake look great, (2) prolong the cakes life, and (3) hold in the cakes moisture.

Piping the final touches on your cake must be done carefully and with a steady hand. If you have trouble filling the piping bag, try putting the piping bag in a tall glass and fold the edges over the rim of the glass. This will let both hands free for ease of filling the bag properly. Many times decorating accidents happen because the bag was not filled correctly.

Successful decoration creation depends on the type and consistency of icing. There are three icing consistencies: Stiff, Medium, and Soft.

Stiff icing is used to make flower petals that need to be shaped in an upright stance without drooping.

Medium icing is used for cake borders, shells and ropes.

Soft icing is used mostly to write names or messages on cakes. This type of icing can also be used to shape (or level) a cake top.


Royal Icing

1 lb confectioners' sugar

3/8 cup milk

3/8 cup light corn syrup

desired flavoring

In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar and milk. Then add the corn syrup just until combined. Divide to flavor or add color.

Royal Icing with Meringue Powder

(Note: add ingredients in the order given, and beat with a mixer)

6 Tbsp warm water

3 Tbsp Meringue powder

¼ tsp CLEAR almond extract

Then add gradually:

1 lb confectioners' sugar

Combine warm water, meringue powder and almond extract. Beat on medium speed until the meringue powder and water mixture resembles frothy egg whites, and all the meringue power is dissolved. Add the confectioners' sugar gradually, beating on low to medium speed until the icing is light, fluffy and holds its shape. It should stand up in peaks and have a dull appearance. This can take up to 15 minutes.

(Tip: If you need increased icing strength, add ½ tsp Cream of Tartar.

Be sure to keep the icing covered at all times with a damp cloth. Once a crust forms, it cannot be used! Re-beating will restore the icing texture. If the icing is beat on too-high speeds, air holes will cause the decorations to become very brittle and break. The icing can be stored un-refrigerated up to 2 weeks, and will keep indefinitely if it is refrigerated.

Get free step-to-step cake and cookie “How To” videos, photo galleries, and monthly newsletters, plus hundreds of cake, cookies and candy answers. Go to http://8e827g6i-tv9viyw5uintlaue3.hop.clickbank.net/ and get your video library started today!

Special Cakes Begin At Home

It seems baking and making cakes for special occasions has been one of my crafty ventures for a long time.  Yes, I've been decorating cakes with edible flowers, whipped cream icings, and pre-made candies.  But, I've always admired those beautiful cakes you see displayed in a bakery window. 
Of course, I never actually thought I could make a cake as beautiful as one decorated by a professional, but I was wrong! 

I found this offering a place where I can get free step-by-step cake and cookie “How To” videos and  photo galleries.  Monthly newsletters, plus hundreds of cake, cookies and candy answers are also provided. 

It's given me a lot of ideas and has elevated my confidence to be able to create a cake that's just as beautiful as the ones you pay boo-coo bucks at a bakery shop! 

If you'd like to learn how to make your own beautiful, special occassion cakes, I think you'll like what you see at:  http://8e827g6i-tv9viyw5uintlaue3.hop.clickbank.net/.  Stop by, get your video library started today, and turn up that oven!

What Do Edible Flowers Taste Like?

Decorating cakes with fresh edible flowers adds interest and enhances the beauty of the cake and affair. Colorful corsages made with edible flowers tend to become the focal point of the cake and party accessories. Fresh edible flowers can be arranged or scattered on the top of the cake in a color scheme and design of your choice. A border of fresh flowers can embellish the serving plate as they wrap around the bottom of the cake. If only the top is being adorned with flowers, scattering petals around the edge of the serving plate adds to the beauty of the presentation.


When selecting edible flowers, ask your florist for flowers that have not been sprayed with pesticides, or gather the flowers from your own flower garden.

Always wash the edible flowers (gently) in water. Place the blooms on paper towels and let them air dry before using. Once dried, place the flowers in plastic bags and freeze them quickly just before using to be sure they look and smell fresh.

When placing flowers on top of a cake, cut a 3-inch piece from a drinking straw, bend one end up and tape it securely. Fill the straw with water (just over half full) and stick the flower stem in it. The flowers will stay fresh and you won't need to worry about them wilting by the time the cake is served.

Not all flowers have the same taste, so you might want to experiment to determine which taste might be best for certain types of events. Some edible flowers have a spicy taste, while others a more clove-like flavor. Some have a honey sweet taste, some bitter, and still others have a delicate floral aroma and taste. Citrus blossoms, such as orange, lemon, and grapefruit petals should be used sparingly, as they have a pungent and slightly bitter taste.

Some edible flowers you might want to consider using on your next cake are:

Marigolds. These brightly colored blooms are a good choice if bright sunny colors are desired. Marigolds have flavors ranging from spicy to bitter, tangy to peppery.

Carnations. When using carnations, the petals offer a surprisingly sweet taste, but if eating the entire bloom, be sure to cut the petals away from the bitter white base of the flower. Miniature carnations (Dianthus) have a light clove-like or nutmeg scent. Carnation blooms can also be soaked in wine to add a surprising and interesting taste.

Chrysanthemum. This flower has a tangy, slightly bitter flavor ranging in colors from red, white, yellow and orange. The tastes vary from faint peppery to a mild cauliflower flavor.

Clover. The beautiful pink to white blooms of clover taste sweet with an anise-like licorice flavor. However, raw clover flower heads can be difficult to digest.

Cornflower. This flower is also known as a bachelor's button, and offers a slightly sweet to spicy taste.

Dandelions. These flowers, often thought of as weeds, are actually part of the daisy family. They have a sweet, honey-like flavor, however, when the blooms mature they are very bitter.

Day Lilies. These beauties have a sweet and mild flavor, although many suggest the flavor is more like a sweet lettuce or melon.

Hibiscus. These summer loving blooms have a cranberry-like flavor with citrus overtones.

Honeysuckle. These little stars are very sweet, like honey. But, only the flowers are edible. Do NOT eat the berries, as they are poisonous!

Nasturtiums. These flowers come in a variety of sunset colors, from yellow, orange to rose pinks. The blooms have a sweet, spicy flavor, and are among the most popular edible flowers.

Pansy. Pansies have a sweet grass flavor. If only the flower is eaten the flavor will be mild, but if the entire plant is eaten it has a stronger wintergreen tone.

Roses. The flavors are as varied as the types, colors, and the soil the roses are grown in. Many have flavor reminiscent of strawberries and green apples. Sweet, but with undertones ranging from fruit, to mint, to spice. All roses are edible with more pronounced flavors in the darker colored blooms.

Tulip Petals. The flavor varies from flower to flower, but generally, tulip petals taste like a sweet lettuce, sweet baby peas with a cucumber-like texture.

Violets. These beautiful flowers can be found in dark and light purple colors, yellow, pink and even white. They are widely used to decorate pastries and salads. The tender leaves are also edible and flavorful. They have a sweet, almost grape-like flavor.

Get free step-to-step cake and cookie “How To” videos, photo galleries, and monthly newsletters, plus hundreds of cake, cookies and candy answers. Go to http://8e827g6i-tv9viyw5uintlaue3.hop.clickbank.net/ and get your video library started today!