Archive for Special Occasion
Rainbow Cake, gluten-free
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Part of my busy schedule last month included my daughter’s birthday. She didn’t seem intent on any particular theme for her party, so I suggested rainbows. Seems like an easy cake to make, right? Right. I made it a little more interesting by adding some dimension to the rainbow.
For the base of the cake, I used three Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mixes
For the rainbow on the cake, I baked one 9-Inch Round Cake
For the frosting, I made a Buttercream Icing. Rather than using a dye to mix into the frosting, I sprayed the frosted cake with blue Spray Color. I thought the uneven coloring would look more like sky and clouds. Plus, it was faster and left fewer bowls to clean up. I used the same buttercream icing for the trim, clouds, and rainbow on the cake. Then, I sprayed the back of the rainbow cake with red coloring.
For the front of the rainbow I simply used different Colored Sugars
So there it is. Another cake decorating idea that you can do yourself, but still wow the kids.
Supplies I used:
- 2 Pyrex 9×13 Baking Dishes
- 1 Round Cake Pan
- 3 Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mixes
- 1 Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 tub Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- 1 recipe Buttercream Icing
- Color Mist Food Color Spray
(blue and red)
- Frosting Bags (I like to use Wilton’s Disposable Decorating Bags
, but you can easily use a plastic bag and snip off a corner.)
- Decorator Frosting Coupler and Tips
- You really don’t have to use these. But I have them, so why not put them to use? I used a simple open round tip for the clouds and an open star shape for the cake trim.
- A variety of Colored Sugars
More Rainbow Cake Ideas I found Online:
- This six-layer Super Epic Rainbow Cake at Whisk Kid is a rainbow on the inside!
- These rainbow Colorburst Cupcakes at Our Best Bites are just as colorful.
- The Super-Duper Rainbow Cakes – in a Jar at off the (meat) hook would make beautiful table decorations, party favors, or gifts to give!
- A variety of decorating ideas for rainbow-theme cakes can be found at Coolest Birthday Cakes.com.
Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
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This is a fairly simple, traditional recipe that I put together for our Thanksgiving family gathering this year. I always enjoy sweet potato casserole for the holidays. I usually prefer a crunchy pecan and brown sugar topping, but decided to change it up a little this year. I know some people always look forward to the toasted marshmallows on top. So, this year, I did both. This is now my favorite way to eat them. I’d like to think of this as a vegetable side dish, but really it’s sweet enough to call it dessert. This is the picture I took before baking. Sorry, I forgot to take the “after” shot.
Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
Main Ingredients:
4 large Sweet Potatoes or Yams, peeled, cooked and mashed (about 4 lbs or 8 cups)
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1 TBSP Maple Syrup
3/4 Cup Almond Milk (I used vanilla flavored.)
Topping Ingredients:
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1/3 Cup Butter, melted
1 Cup Small Marshmallows
Directions:
- Cook and peel the sweet potatoes, or yams. I like to score the skin on the yams both around the middle and lengthwise. Then I put them into boiling water and simmer until they are fork tender (about 20-30 min.).
- While the yams are cooking, combine the first four topping ingredients with a fork and set aside.
- When the yams are done, remove them from the heat and drain the water. Cover with cold water to cool down. If the skin hasn’t come off already, gently pull the skin off.
- Mash the yams and add the rest of the main ingredients. Combine thoroughly. You may want to beat the ingredients together for a smoother, fluffier texture.
- Spread the yams/sweet potato mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. (You can cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator at this point, if you are saving for the next day.)
- Then top the yams with the mini marshmallows and pecan mixture in alternating diagonal stripes.
- Bake at 350° F for 30-40 minutes, or until the yams are bubbly hot and the marshmallows are lightly browned.
Additional Notes:
- To make ahead: I made this the day before Thanksgiving, skipping step 2 and ending at step 5 the first day. On the morning of Thanksgiving, I took the dish out of the refrigerator and let set on the counter while I worked on step 2 of the directions and preheated the oven. I then finished the baking with steps 6 and 7.
- If the marshmallows don’t brown after 40 minutes, put it under the broiler for a few minutes. But watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
Notable Links:
- I’ve linked this recipe to this week’s edition Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.
- For a savory, rather than sweet, sweet potato recipe, try Amy’s recipe for Crispy Sweet Potatoes at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.
Hot Wheels Birthday Cake
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It was such a busy summer that I never got around to sharing this birthday cake idea with you. My son loves Hot Wheels
I started going through his Hot Wheels tracks for ideas. I found a fun little track that I thought would be fun to incorporate with it. But, I couldn’t remove all the track pieces from the base and support structure. As I discussed the idea with my husband, he suggested that we just use the regular flexible Hot Wheels track pieces
I didn’t get pictures of the building process. I was too busy trying to figure out what to do to stop and take a picture. And, I’m really sorry I never got a video of it working. We had to enlarge the tunnel a little, and find the right, low-profile car
More specifics:
I baked two round 9″ cakes. I used Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Cake Mixes
I made Wilton’s recipe for Chocolate Buttercream Icing, and used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa
).
For the bottom layer cake, I cut a path for the tunnel 3/4 of the way through the middle. (At this point, it looks almost like the letter U.) Then, I frosted the top and inside the tunnel.
For the top layer cake, I cut out another path for the tunnel. Then, I placed the cake on top of the bottom layer. I had to make some adjustments for the tunnel, by cutting a little more here and there so that the cake becomes like a ramp down the middle. After testing it with the track, I frosted the top, sides and inside the tunnel.
For the side of the cake, I tried to keep the decoration simple. I used a plastic chop stick to make indentions along the side of the frosted cake to resemble tire tread.
For the flames: I used simple icing made with powdered sugar and water. (I start with 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp water and adjust as necessary.) Then I separated it into three small bowls and used food dye to create red, orange and yellow frosting. I used Wilton’s small round #3 decorating tip
For the support of the track, my husband used a yard stick and a dowel rod secured with a nail. The track and clamp
More Great Birthday Cake Ideas:
- Heidi made a show-stopping Monster Truck birthday cake at Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom.
- Heidi also made a fabulous Star Wars Clone Trooper Helmet cake you should check out.
- And, don’t miss Andrea Meyer’s Lego Star Wars Stormtropper Cake at Andrea’s Recipes.
- If you’re looking for a Cars cake, Andrea also built a great Lightning McQueen cake.
I’m also linking this post to Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker, where you’ll find lots of wonderful gluten-free recipes, reviews and ideas.
Fruit Pizza Dessert
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Every year, we get together with family to celebrate all the summer family birthdays. Most years, each person has already had a birthday cake to celebrate on their special day. So, when we finally all get together with aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents, we often do something other than birthday cake for the dessert. Last year, we had chocolate fondue for dessert. This year, I decided to make a dessert pizza with fresh fruit.
It was a busy weekend for us, and I actually decided last minute what I was making, so I took a short cut and used Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix
Gluten-Free Fruit Pizza Dessert
Ingredients:
Sugar Cookie Dough (2 Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes, 1 Cup margarine, 1/2 Cup rice milk, 5 tsp vanilla)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 Cup powdered sugar, sifted
Variety of fruit, sliced (I used 3 kiwis, a pint of strawberries and a handful of blueberries.)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.- Make the sugar cookie crust. Follow the recipe as usual for the sugar cookie dough. (I combined two mixes with 1 Cup melted butter, 1/2 Cup almond milk, and 5 tsp vanilla.)
- Place the dough on a large sheet of Parchment Paper
and top with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Then roll, or press, out the dough to a 16″ round. Remove the plastic wrap and slide the parchment paper with dough onto a Pizza Pan
or cookie sheet.
- Place the large cookie dough into the oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until it starts to brown around the edges.
- Remove the pizza crust from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. The parchment paper will make it easy to slide the crust off the cookie sheet and onto the wire rack.
- Mix up the cream cheese spread by thoroughly mixing together the cream cheese and powdered sugar.
- Once the crust is completely cooled, spread the cream cheese/sugar mixture evenly over the top of the crust.
- Now add the sliced fruit to the pizza. If you are going to make a fun design, I suggest you start in the middle and work your way out to the edges.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until time to serve.
Additional Notes:
We cut our pizza into 16 large servings.- Each Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix
- Feel free to use any variety of fruit: berries, peaches, nectarines, mango, cherries, etc. You can also use bananas, but remember they will brown so add them right before you serve it.
- Want more fruit? Cut thick slices, overlap the fruit, or just pile it all on. Get creative and have fun!
- You can also use canned fruit, but be sure to drain any sauce or liquid completely from it, so it doesn’t make the pizza soggy.
- Some of our family members added a scoop of vanilla ice cream to top their pizza slice. I don’t think it needs any topping, but if it sounds good to you, you may also consider topping with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, or a simple glaze.
- You don’t have to make this as a round pizza. Use a baking sheet/jelly roll pan for the crust. Then, cut into squares for serving. Or, halve the recipe, press it into a 9×13 pan, and bake it for about 15-20 minutes.
- This is such an easy dessert to make, it would be a great project for the kids to make.
Notable Links:
- Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix
- This Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Recipe from scratch makes about 4 dozen cookies, so you should only need to make one batch.
- Visit Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker for more gluten-free recipes and ideas.
The Princess and the Frog Birthday Cake
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Earlier this year, while visiting family in Omaha, we celebrated three different birthdays. Both my mom and sister bought gluten-free cakes at the Cupcake Island so we could enjoy their birthday cakes with them. The gluten-free cakes and cupcakes were delicious and decorated perfectly for the occasions. I hadn’t really investigated getting gluten-free cakes from local bakeries in Virginia. But when I came home, I thought I’d see if a local bakery could make a gluten-free cake for my daughter’s birthday. Surprise! Cakes by Happy Eatery in northern Virginia makes gluten-free cakes. Unfortunately, my daughter was having a lot of friends at her party, and the cake large enough to accommodate was going to cost $85-100. I just didn’t think that would fit into my budget. So, I made the cake myself.
I enjoy decorating cakes, but I was short on time this year. Rather than make the cake from scratch, I took the short cuts: Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mixes and frosting. I used four cake mixes. For the bottom layer, I combined two yellow cake mixes and baked them for about 50 minutes in a 9″x 13″ pan
Now to decorate. My daughter wanted a Princess and the Frog
Some of the tools I used to decorate the cake:
- Wilton Color Mist spray
– blue and green for the swamp
- Disposable Decorating Bags
- Wilton frosting tips – Open Star Tip
to decorate the edge of the cake, Leaf Tip
and multiple-hole tip for grass
to define the edge of the pond, and round tip
for writing.
Want to purchase a gluten-free cake or cupcakes, instead?
Give these bakeries in the DC/MD/NOVA area a try:
- Cakes by Happy Eatery in Centreville and Manassas, VA
- Cherry Blossom Cakes in DC
- Free For All Cupcakes available by special order
- Mallow Drama in Reston, VA
- Sweet Sin Cupcakes in Baltimore, MD
More Notable Links:
- Don’t forget to visit The Gluten-Free Homemaker this week for the Cake Challenge. Lots of great gluten-free cake recipes are linked up.
- Celebrate It! is hosting this week’s All Things Family blog carnival with a roundup of summer party and craft ideas.
