Celebrate the 4th with a Flag Suprise Cake

Everyone will be amazing and surprised when you cut into this cake that just looks simple and like a basic cake. Until they find out that really it is over and above on the patriotic scale.

You can use either 4 cake mixes or you can bake the cake from scratch. So you can achieve this cake no  matter what skill level you are on!

You bake7- 9 inch layers of red cake you can make this strawberry or you can dye it with red food dye 1 blue 6 Inch Cake for the blue part of the flag I just used some of the batter from one of the batches of cake batter and didn't dye it red obviously I dyed it blue. You assemble it using white butter cream frosting. When you get to the last 3 layers you cut out the center of the red layers frost and then insert the blue cake into it.  Frost like a regular cake and SHHHHH keep a secret so when you finally cut into the cake everyone is shocked that you went through all this trouble.

Carrot Cake with pineapple filling and cream cheese frosting

 

Carrot Cake with pineapple filling and cream cheese frosting
Carrot Cake

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder...
1 teaspoon baking soda
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lb. (6-7 medium) carrots, peeled
1½ cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1½ vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with baking cup liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt; set aside.
In a food processor fitted with a shredding disk, shred the carrots. Transfer the carrots to the bowl with the dry ingredients and set aside. In mixer add sugars and wet ingredients. Stir in the carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.
Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature.


Cream Cheese Frosting

1 Brick Cream Cheese
2 Cubes Butter
1.5 pounds Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
... 1 tsp Wonder Flavor ( This is optional)

Cream the Cream Cheese and butter. Add Vanilla and Wonder flavor while still mixing slowly add the powdered sugar.

Pineapple Filling

3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/2 cup and 1 Tablespoon Sugar
Mix well in pan then add:

... 1 Can Crushed Pineapple with the juice and mix well
Turn on medium heat

Add 3 Tablespoons butter

Stir with, whisk until not cloudy and that the mixture is the desired consistency. Take off heat place in bowl in fridge until cool and use in cupcakes or filling for the layers of a cake.

Strawberry N Creme Cupcakes

 

 

Strawberry Cupcakes kinda from scratch!!!!

1 box vanilla cake mix
1/4 cup water
3 eggs.
1 3/4 cups of fresh strawberry puree
...
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line (2) 12 count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
Using an electric or stand mixer, mix the cake mix,, and melted butter until smooth.
Using a food processor or blender, puree strawberries. Add strawberries and milk to batter, beat until fully combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Pour cake batter into the cupcake liners (about ¾ the way full). Bake for 12 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.

Favorite butter cream icing with a few tablespoons of puree or strawberry jam and add food coloring to make more pink. Spread on or pipe on it is yummy simple and easy.

If you want to fill them use my cream filling and a couple of tablespoons of puree mixed into that and fill the cupcakes with that quite yummy and they make people smile

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter frosting

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter frosting

 

 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda...
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. milk

Directions
Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler placed over, but not touching, barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and creamy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix in the melted chocolate. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is blended into the batter. Add the vanilla and beat until the mixture looks creamy and the color has lightened slightly, about 1 minute. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. On low speed, add half of hte flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in the water. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill muffin cups with cupcake liners with about 1/3 c. batter. Bake about 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack and turn out to cool completely. Yields 18 cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe

½ cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter (skippy etc not natural pb)
2 cups powdered sugar
¼ or so heavy cream

Directions

combine butter with peanut butter and cream add powdered sugar ( mixture will be stiff) then add the heavy cream a little at a time until you get the consistency you like for spreading or piping. Try not to eat it all before it makes it onto your cake or cupcakes. Its seriously good

you can also use crunchy peanut butter