Finding Nemo Birthday Party Bash With A Splash!

 DIY Nemo Cake

I know we've all heard it before..."Mommy, for my birthday I want a _____cake!!" Our little 4 year old filled in the blank with, "NEMO!" My first thought was, "Where's Nemo?" No joke. But, where on earth do you find Nemo in 2014? Ebay? Amazon? Goodwill? Well, I checked all 3 of those and did come up with some cute, inexpensive items. But, I was falling short for the "Ta Dah!" factor in the cake. Every place in town could attempt to make a Nemo cake...but, that is $25 +! So, my husband and I put our heads together and came up with our own Finding Nemo birthday party cake for a whole $6.00! :)

Finding Nemo DIY Cake Directions

First you need the pans!! Ahh...the pans. I used a 10x2 and a 6x2. However, I think you can have the same results with 2 8x8's.

 

Next, make your cake from scratch OR make one box of cake mix as directed and stir in 1 Cup of chocolate chips to add some excitement to your cake.  Pour batter into lightly greased pans and bake as directed. I picked a moist cake, as it would be more pliable to work with.

When your cake is done baking, let it cool completely in pans on a wire rack. About 1 hour. When cakes are cool turn pans over on a cake plate and lightly tap pan to remove cakes. Once your cakes are free CUT where the lines are in the picture above.  When you have your 2 curved pieces simply flip them to make fins. One on top, one on bottom. You have your fish! Decorate with Orange, black and white butter cream frosting. Click here for buttercream frosting recipe. You can use sprinkles if you like, to enhance the colors!

 Enjoy! They sure did!

 

I was also able to find Clown fish inflatables at Dollar General for $.25 a piece! There were only 2 left...but, it made a fun Finding Nemo Wall!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

My Favorite Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

 

Who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter? Seriously, one of the best baking combos! This cake is super moist, taste just like a Reese's peanut butter cup, and is overflowing with chocolate! You can find the recipe here. Make it! Love it! Eat it!

"An Apple Cake A Day Keeps The Doctor Away" Cake

Fresh Apple Cake! 

 Who can resist a fresh apple cake with cream cheese frosting!? This cake is delicious! The oil in the cake makes the batter moist, yet crisp around the apples edges so they are NOT SOGGY! No one likes a cake or even a muffin that has baked fruit that is soggy. 

When making the frosting, make sure to have cream cheese at room temperature. This cake is great for breakfast or dinner! Gobble up and enjoy!

The Original Recipe

Fresh Apple Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups oil

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice

3 cups chopped apples with or without skin (great either way)

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish. Beat oil and sugar until well blended. Add lightly beaten eggs and vanilla extract. In separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice.Gradually beat into sugar mixture. Fold in apples. Batter will be thick. Spread in prepared pan and bake for 1 hour.

Cream cheese Frosting Recipe

1 pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese at room temperature

4 cups of sifted powdered sugar

milk

Mix cream cheese on low until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and just enough milk to your liking for spreading consistency. Spread frosting on cooled cake!

Banana's Going Bad? Here's a recipe for you!

Banana Cake With Jumbo Chocolate

 

B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Talk about a great recipe for your old bananas! I've got to tell you that I do not have a "go to" banana bread recipe. I have not found a recipe that really "wows!" me. So, this time I decided to make banana cake. This recipe did "Wow!" me. Very moist with cream cheese frosting! The recipe calls for an 8in. square pan. I used a 9x13 and topped it with the cream cheese frosting and added jumbo chocolate chips instead of nuts. Click here for delicious Banana Cake Recipe 

 

Grandma Sponaugle's Poppy Seed Bread

SUPER Moist Poppy Seed Bread With Orange Glaze

 

When I told my husband I was making poppy seed bread, he was not thrilled. He said "I do not like poppy seed bread". But, as our house quickly filled with the aroma of a delicious baked good he HAD to try it! His reaction was "Wow, this is delicious! It's like cake! I always thought poppy seed bread was gross until this!" Haha. He can be a little dramatic. :) If you have a poppy seed bread recipe I ask you to please try this one! I guarantee you will love it!

The Original Recipe

Ingredients

3 Cups Flour

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/8 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 Cup sugar

1 1/2 Cup milk

1 1/2 Tbs. poppy seed

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. butter flavoring

Cream together sugar and vegetable oil. Add eggs one at a time beating well after addition. In separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, sugar and poppy seeds. Gradually add dry ingredients to sugar mixture alternating with milk and finishing with the dry ingredients. Once combined add almond, and vanilla extract. I did not use the butter flavoring. But, if you have it...go for it!

Pour batter into 2 greased bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. 

When bread is done cool on racks for 5 minutes. 

Frost in pan with Orange Glaze

Orange Glaze

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

3/4 Cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. butter flavoring

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients well and pour over warm loaves. My grandma's notes say "Very good, Freezes well." 

  

Cinnamon In Every Bite Coffee Cake

  Buttermilk Coffee Cake

 Talk about a delicious not too sweet coffee cake! This cake is full of cinnamon with a wonderful crumb topping. It's a nice moist cake with cinnamon flavor in every bite. 

The Recipe

 

Ingredients

 

2 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 tsp. of salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. baking soda

1 beaten egg

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup of vegtable oil

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix flour, salt and both sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add vegtable oil and mix until ingredients crumble together. Set aside 1 cup of mixture.

In a small bowl add baking soda, beaten egg, baking powder and cinnamon to the buttermilk. Slowly pour milk mixture into flour mixture mixing until just combined. Batter will be runnie. Pour batter into a 9x13 cake pan lined with wax paper. Top cake batter with reserved crumble topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

 

ENJOY!

Mmm...Hot Milk Cake, Similar to Angel Food Cake!

Hot Milk Cake

 

 

This is a delicious spongy cake! VERY similar to an angel food cake. It's so nice and fluffy you can almost feel it jumping in your mouth!  It's a great cake that's not too rich. The brown sugar frosting compliments the cake perfectly.

The Recipe

 

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup hot milk

2 tsp. baking powder

1 scant tsp. cream of tarter

5 egg whites

pinch of salt

In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, sugar and baking powder several times. Once combined pour 1 cup of warm milk over mixture and mix well. Set aside. Beat 5 egg whites, when egg whites are half beaten add cream of tarter and pinch of salt. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into cake batter. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. 

 

A Cake...with Fruit Cocktail!? YES!

Fruit Cocktail Cake  

This recipe is one of my grandma's hand written recipes. It is her own recipe and also according to her is my aunt Donna's favorite cake. So naturally if it's my aunt Donna's favorite cake I HAD to make it. And wow! I see why that is! This is one of the moistest cakes I have ever made. And there is NO butter or oil in the recipe! You have to love old fashion recipes. I never knew that a can of fruit cocktail could taste so good.

The Original Recipe

Fruit Cocktail Cake 

Ingredients

2 eggs divided

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups of flour

1 1/2 tsp. of baking soda

1 can of fruit cocktail

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup pecans

In a large mixing bowl beat together sugar and 2 egg yolks. In separate bowl mix together flour and baking soda. Gradually add dry ingredients alternating with fruit cocktail. Mix until blended. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into cake mixture. Spread into a greased 9x13 cake pan. Sprinkle brown sugar and pecans on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Frosting

1 Cup of sugar

1 Cup of evaporated milk

1 stick of butter

Cook all ingredients on stove top until thickened. Spread over warm cake. Eat and enjoy!

A pie..full of coconut and pineapple!

"Dang Good Pie"

When I stumbled upon this index card titled "Dang Good Pie" I HAD to make it! And, I must say the title of this recipe fits the pie perfect! The pie is full of coconut, crushed pineapple, sugar, butter and you could definitely add some pecans. I baked this pie for our church's Lenten worship supper and it was gone in minutes because of recommendations on on how good it was. 

 

The Recipe

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup of pineapple with juice (I used crushed)

3 eggs

3 Tbs. flour

3/4 cup melted butter

1 cup coconut

1tsp. vanilla extract

dash of salt 

  

Beat 3 eggs on low speed, add sugar and pineapple, mix until well blended. Add flour, melted butter, coconut, vanilla and salt. Mix until well combined. Pour into a 9in. pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown. 

If you end up with extra pie filling add 1 1/2 cups of baking mix (like Bisquick) to filling and pour into a 9in. square baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. This will make a nice "Dang Good" cake. Top with your favoriate icing. I used 2 Cups of sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 cup of melted butter and 4 Tbs. of crushed pineapple for a glaze. Pour glaze over warm cake.

 

 

"Dang Good" Cake Bites 

 

 

Everything's Bigger in Texas...Especially The Flavor!

Introducing Texas Coffee Cake

 

My husband said this is the best thing I've ever baked. The butter flavor  sinks throughout the cake. The brown sugar and cinnamon mixture in the middle really makes this the perfect coffee cake. Also, you can sprinkle the icing with chopped pecans for some added flavor and to just look pretty.

 

 The Original Recipe

 

Texas Coffee Cake Recipe

Ingredients for cake:

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 1/2 cups sour cream

3 eggs

2 tsp. butter extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients for filling:

1 Tbs. cinnamon

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 cup brown sugar

In a small bowl mix together and set aside 2/3 cup yellow cake mix, cinnamon, butter, nuts and brown sugar. Mix until crumblie

Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Mix together the remaining cake mix, sour cream, eggs, butter extract and vanilla extract until smooth. About 3 minutes. 

Pour half of cake batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of filling mixture. Repeat with rest of the batter and sprinkle the remaining filling on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Icing:

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. butter extract

Mix all ingredients together with enough milk to make it easy to spread. Frost while cake is HOT.

My Favorite Strawberry Frosting

The Best Strawberry Frosting (I promise.)

 

Ingredients

1 stick of butter at room temperature

1 lb. or sifted powdered sugar

1/2 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries

To make frosting: Combine butter and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Beat in strawberries beating until well blended and creamy. 

The final product is a smooth sweet and creamy frosting with real starwberry flavor blended throughout. Mmm...