Birthday Girl is turning 5

I usually want input from the kids on what they want for their cake.  There is a lot of ideas and a lot of changed minds but this year Ladybug wanted a butterfly cake.  So I originally had the theme of butterfly in my mind but that quickly got changed to a garden theme since I morphed the cake from a butterfly to a butterfly garden to just a garden (once all the butterflies I made out of fondant broke :)  But since I still had the butterfly cookie cutter I kept with some of the theme. 

Now I didn't go overboard for this party there are enough of those in the future, so I did an easy party...I had the party at a play park and the only activity was a pinata.  The kids entertained themselves and had a great time, while the parents had snacks and coffee and chatted.  A win all around.

I only 2 things for the party and everything else I bought.  So we I wanted to make butterflies on popsicle sticks but the sticks became the weak spot so I gave up on those and made just butterfly cookies and put them in bags.  I started out with a secret recipe that I got from a friend.  I managed to bug her enough for the recipe and it makes the best sugar cookies ever.  I think they are just great without any icing since I find them sweet enough and since I was lazy I didn't decorate them, although I know that kids have the biggest sweet tooth.

Jen's Sugar Cookie Recipe

1 cup Butter

1 3/4 cup White Sugar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

2 Eggs

2-3 tbsp Milk

2 tsp Vanilla

4 cups Flour

*Beat butter very well until the butter becomes lighter in colour and somewhat fluffy.

*Beat in sugars, baking powder, and salt.  Beat well.

*Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla.

*Beat in half the flour and then add the remaining flour.

*Chill dough at least 30 minutes.  Then take dough out of the fridge for 5-10 minutes to make rolling easier.

*On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/8"-1/4" thickness

*Cut out shapes and bake at 375* for 6-7 minutes (edges should not brown)

Here are all the wet ingredients all whipped up.

 I usually divide the dough into 2 balls and wrap in plastic.  I usually flatten them to make easier to roll them out.

Here is one of the few butterflies that survived.

Here are the actual butterflies that the kids got in their gift bags. I tried to make all the gift bags consumables since who really needs more crap.  So I gave out playdoh, bubbles, cookies and stickers. 

I took some pictures of the kids while I was baking and it amazing to see how different they are.  Rosie takes after me in the looks department.  Who would have thought that J and I would have a blond-ish blue eyed kid.

 While Ladybug takes after J.  Here is my golden skinned, hazel eyed sweetpea.

So here is the basic cake that I made.  7" bottom and 3" top.  Each are 3 layers of cake with a cooked silky frosting on the inside.  The blue (a request of the birthday girl) is a classic buttercream. The top is an Oreo cookie crumb dirt top.

White fondant fence with a brown fondant rock pathway.

Some green buttercream grass and some amazingly ugly flowers.

So here is the final results.  Fondant flowers and rabbit on the top and the dried broken fondant butterfly which I painted with vodka and gel icing colours.

Here is the cake from a different angle.  So I forgot to bring the camera to the park for the party.  

Surprisingly there was very little garbage from the party.  Cans and tetrapacs in the recycling.

Wrapping paper in the paper recycling.

Paper cups and plates and all the food stuffs in the compost

And this little lunch bag was the only thing that went into the garbage.  All in all it was a very successful kids party.

Rich Chocolate Cake
from: "The All New Good Housekeeping Cook Book"


2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Butter, softened
2 cups Sugar
4 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
1 1/3 cups Milk

-Preheat oven to 350* and line a 13"x9" baking pan or 3 - 8" round cake pans or 36 - 2 1/2" muffin cups with parchment.
-In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
-In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until blended and fluffy.
-Add eggs one at a time.
-Add flour mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour.  Beat until batter is smooth.
-Pour batter into prepared pans, bake until a toothpick comes out almost clean.
-Bake 13"x9" for 40-45 minutes, 8" pans for 30 minutes, cupcakes for 20-25 minutes.  Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pans and let cool completely.

Silky Vanilla Butter Frosting
From: "The All New Good Housekeeping Cook Book"


1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 1/3 cups Milk
1 cup Butter
1 tbsp Vanilla

-In a 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar and flour.  With a wire whisk add in the milk and mix to combine.  Cook over med-high heat, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens and boils.  Reduce heat to low and cook 2 minutes while stirring constantly.  Allow to cool completely.
-In a mixer whip butter until light and fluffy and gradually add in milk/sugar mixture.  Beat in vanilla.
-Makes 3 1/4 cups of icing.

Buttercream Icing
1 cup Butter
1 kg package of icing sugar
Milk
2 tsp Vanilla

-Beat butter until it is light and fluffy and slowly incorporate the sifted icing sugar.
-Add Milk as needed, a tbsp at a time.
-Add vanilla.