Birthday for Baseball Players

This cake was one of the most fun cakes I ever made!  It was a baseball birthday!  I made a double decker 9X9 cake with frosting in the middle. Topped off with a baseball.  Mom had a cake pan she had never used for a baseball and it made a fun cake topper!

The grass tip was so super fun to use, I think I may have done more grass than I needed to but I was having so much fun making grass and grass and grass....

Lastly, a photo of the boy I made the cake for... He really liked it and said, "Thanks, Mya.  You did a good job!"

XOXO Mya

Happy Birthday PARTY!

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth --Psalm 119:103

Today is my birthday party!  I am excited because I will be 9 years old this week! 

Had to think about the birthday party I wanted to have.  I have had lots of different birthday parties.  This year I wanted to do a “Cake BOSSETTE” birthday.  Mom really surprised me with the decorations.  She kept with our color theme and bought a lot of things for the table in lime green, royal blue, and aqua blue (teal).  I set the table and really had fun with all the accessories.

We have royal blue plastic silverware, plates in lime green and teal blue.  We have my blue candle centerpiece and a new blue and lime green salad bowl.  We have a lime green table cloth.  Mom decided to get plastic so we may do our nails right on the table.  (One of the girls that I invited, Lizzy, is a nail technician.  She isn’t certified but she is GOOD!) I have green balloons to decorate the mailbox (to find our house) and then she got me matching frosting colors so we can match the cake to the theme.

We made the cakes (12 of them) early in the week.  I made 6 small topper cakes and 6 large bottom cakes.  I had some trouble with the 8” bottom cake because it wouldn’t cook in the 25-30 minutes.  It took twice as long.  I had to cook it 25 minutes and then add ten and then add ten.  It took a total of 45 minutes to cook.  Mom said it took longer because it was a deeper pan.  She bought me three new 8” and three new 4” cake pans (they were on sale at Ben Franklin 25% off! This week)

We froze those cakes to wait for Saturday (my party).  Buddy Valastro said in his TV show that cakes should be frozen not put into the frig because they lose moisture in the frig and the freezer “locks in” the moisture. We froze the cakes and took them out Saturday morning.

Saturday Morning / Party Day:

7:00 AM beginning the dirty-ice buttercream for the cakes.  We made three batches of the buttercream frosting and dirty-iced the cakes (two tiers). This took a long time and we use a lot of ingredients.  Mom had already bought them all at the store.

10:30 I ran out of vanilla extract! I have two batches of decorator buttercream (with Crisco, vegetable oil) left to go!  Good thing Dad can run to the store.  He gets imitation vanilla (I am not impressed) but we will use it in the decorator frosting and it will be o.k. Dad doesn’t know we use the good stuff when it comes to vanilla extract.  It might be my secret ingredient… The kind I use is a secret and makes my cake awesome… It is like a secret weapon or something!

11:30 all cakes are waiting guests and all frosting is waiting to be piped.  Time to make the lunch we are having turkey or ham and cheese sandwiches and salad.  I can’t wait for them to arrive.  Lizzy comes early to help me set up my nail polish.  Her gift is cool to look at, wonder what is inside!  We can play from 12:00-1:30.

1:15 the dogs are in the garage, my brother is on the mower in the yard and the other is playing video games.  I am ready.

1:17 I am going to wait outside.

1:21 the first girl arrives! I am out front and she arrives out back but I am so excited!!

1:27 the SECOND girl is here! I show her to where we are putting the presents and she likes the table decorations.

WHO HAS A BROWN VAN? Someone else has arrived… 1:29 She even brought her apron!! Around the circle drop the present off and see the table… Back outside more are coming!  WE ARE FIVE THERE ARE GOING TO BE SIX… Now, we check the pool.  Can’t swim yet but it is open and waiting.  It is still cold this time of year.  Dad is shocking the pool. 

Someone else, are they here?? It is 1:34, we are ready to decorate.  I have to show them how to use the pastry bags and choose my tips.  We have two bags of green, two of teal and two of royal blue.  I show everyone how to work the bags and what each tip does on my cake then they all work.  It is so quiet, a birthday party full of girls concentrating! We decorate for about 40 minutes.  Time for the photo shoot, each girl and her cake!

Next it is time to eat at 2:30, back to the table and we eat salad, sandwiches and sprite! What fun we are having (and I am the REAL cakebossette!!)

Can you believe my Mom forgot ICE CREAM? She was so worried about the cake(s) she didn't remember to get us ice cream!  WE LAUGHED it was funny when she realized she had forgotten the ice cream!

Presents were cool I got so many neat things I can play with… Now it is time for the nail polish game.  Do you want French Tips with white or Sparkle?  Then I will spin the polish and whoever it lands on you have to paint a nail that color.  Ready-? Now we have 30 minutes left…. Outside to play!

Dear Readers, (if you’re out there) you can find a link to follow me on twitter and pinterest too on the Left Hand Side. You can even sign up to receive email alerts when I post a new blog...

What other activities would be fun for a kid birthday party? (you can add a comment below) and please tell me if you liked any of my ideas (comment below).  Hope to see you again soon!

XOXO

Mya

LifeWithLissy: INTRODUCING LifeWithLissy's NEWEST CONTRIBUTOR

LifeWithLissy: INTRODUCING LifeWithLissy's NEWEST CONTRIBUTOR

Readers, if you are out there...

I am now a "guest" bogger with my friend Lissy!!

So exciting!

XOXO Mya

Pound Cake anyone?

Didyou know pound cake came from England? Why because Romans brought the bread ovens to England. Returningcrusaders brought sugar from the Middle East. England is a leading producer ofdaily goods [butter].  Everyone back thenhad children to help them. Pound cake dates back in the 1700’s and was anEnglish creation. In 1847 the first recipe for pound cake was printed. In orderto make pound cake you have to have 1pound of sugar, flour, eggs, and butter.The cake is always full of air if it is not let’s see why you have to let thethings you’re going to use sit out in till soft that way it will incorporate well!!    Different kinds of pound cake are 7-up,brown sugar, velvet, and blueberries with lavender syrup.     You see why some people like pound cakefor some people cannot have milk so this is good for them!!!  That’s my research report on pound cake.

President Franklin D. Rooseveltcelebrated

the 1949 inauguration with

chicken salad and pound cake!

I Earned an A+ on my report and took in 24 slices of cake to share with the class.  My friend, Carter asked for TWO slices of cake!! He really liked it.

XOXO Mya

My BIG cousin tries to bake!!

I am so proud of my older cousin for trying to bake cupcakes!! She is in college and sent me a picture!! I hope they turned out...

Buddy valastro would call her a cheater, she used a box mix... You have to start somewhere!!

Board meeting cupcakes!!!

I have been hired to make cupcakes again. This is only my second time making chocolate cupcakes so I am nervous if they will be good!

I made vanilla with bird nests, vanilla with chocolate frosting and chocolate with chocolate frosting!

It was very fun!! I hope Miss Heather likes them!!

Bunny cake at my gramies house

We made a bunny cake at Grandma's house. I had a good time decorating while Grandma made suggestions... It is a really fun thing for granddaughters to teach their Grandmas

Easter cupcakes

I watched cupcake wars on tlc and I saw a lady pipe ramen noodles on a cupcake. It gave me the idea to make a bird nest exactly like she did. We got Jordan almonds to serve as bird eggs! What fun!!

Also, we made an upside down pineapple cake... More on my bunny cake later!

HOPPY Easter

XOXO Mya

Adjectives.... Yummy words

Creative Writing assignment in school today: Adjectives

I never thought I would dream to make cupcakes for a living but I do at only eight (soon to be nine).  I am just a country girl, it is hard to believe but I am.  Right now, I only make sweet, good, and yummy cupcakes.  I make vanilla and chocolate (spelling word).  They are really good.  If you don't believe me, try one!

I have a blog.  I made St. Patrick's Day cupcakes and 48 Valentine's Day cupcakes.  It is really fun and I hope to encourage you to do what every awesome, amazing and fun joby you want to do!

XOXO Carmya

Buddy Valastro on STAGE!

A DREAM COME TRUE!! I went to see Buddy Valastro, aka Cake Boss, at his show!  You can see more about his live performance here: http://buddyontour.com/  It was great!  I wore my pink cupcake apron and took my book, “Baking with the Cake Boss” that Santa  brought me this year.  I even had my wooden spoon (in case he wanted to sign it). 

My mom took my two brothers and me for my birthday.  She likes to take me on an experience instead of presents.  (Last year we went to NYC American Girl Doll shop but that is another story.)  Anyway, it was awesome.  We got there early and I got to buy a shirt “Carlo’s Bake Shop” all glammed up with diamonds.  It is supercute! 

Anyway, I’ll tell you about the show!  It was great.  We were all waiting and then mom said they were playing a Bon Jovi song when Buddy Valastro came running down our aisle.  I had just told my mom, “I know Buddy likes to play tricks he won’t just walk on stage”  I was looking all around I thought he might drop from the ceiling or up from the floor but it was great when he ran by us!  Mom said to shake his hand but she didn’t understand that I froze when I saw him.  It was really him and I was shy.  It was great to see him but I couldn’t shake his hand.  I just couldn’t…

Mom asked me what my favorite part of the show was.  I told her “all the parts” it was great.  My teenage brother liked it too, I heard him laughing really really hard during the show.  He even grabbed a tee shirt out of the air.  Buddy shot them out through the audience and my big brother jumped up and caught it with both hands.  He is amazing!  My middle brother laughed so hard too!  He is in upper elementary school and he thought the show was great!  He got to wear the tee shirt because it didn’t fit my older brother.  He was excited to see Buddy too!

First Buddy called up Moms to come on stage.  He had three ladies and two of them were Mother and Daughter.  They were funny.  The Mom was dancing with Buddy and made a very good rose.  She won the competition.  That was a funny way to start the show!

Next, he had kids come on stage.  Patrick was about three and he was so funny when he told Buddy his Mom made cakes from a box.  Buddy told Patrick his mom was a “cheater”.  I laughed so hard! I wish I could have been there.  He asked every kid if they baked for a living.  None of them did.  But I do.  I made $10.00 yesterday from delivery of my St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes. (another blog) and it made me feel bad I couldn’t answer his questions.  I bet he would have been surprised to learn I don’t bake from a box I use his recipes (and even improve them!) Plus, I do bake for a living.  It was fun to see them anyway.

Dad’s came up to pipe roses on nails.  They were horrible!  It was funny to watch when they had a dance off and I laughed.  Then they had single men come up and make a chocolate rose and deliver it to a lady.  This was the part I heard my brothers laughing the most!  I think my middle brother laughed so hard his belly hurt!  It was a fun time!

Buddy told us about his story and told us to believe in our dreams and find what we love to do.  I have already done that.  I know I will be a baker because I already am one.  I am doing it now and I don’t have to wait to become a baker.  I have an oven and I know where they sell cake flour.  I could have a few better machines and a few more pans but that doesn’t change what I do as a baker.  My mom still helps me with the mixer sometimes (it can get heavy) and I have a kitchenaid mixer from my great grandmother (1940) and I can’t run it very good (no paddle attachment). 

I am making it work.  I took my wooden spoon to get Buddy’s autograph and my book from Santa “Baking with the Cake Boss” which started this blog and my love of baking.  I couldn’t wait to get them signed by Buddy.  Mom really tried to get back stage passes.  She was on the internet for hours and I saw her calling and calling for days to get them.  They always told her there weren’t any backstage passes.  Then, I thought maybe he would come back out and sign a few books after the show. So afterwards I went down to the stage.  I couldn’t wait.  An usher told Mom that he wasn’t coming back out.  I was so sad but then I saw a line forming.  Mom said, “Hey let’s get in line and ask.” 

Then, we walked over and got in line.  I heard another Mom in front of us say to her daughter, “Buddy just can’t wait to meet YOU!” My heart jumped I knew he couldn’t wait to meet me too!  I have been waiting my whole life to meet him and now was my chance!  My Mom asked the lady if they were letting  some people go back to meet Buddy.  The lady told my mom that she had backstage passes. Suddenly my mom looked really sad.  She said, “But I tried to get them and couldn’t  find them.”  The lady told my mom, “I am a food editor that is how I got them.”  When my mom looked at me she had tears in her eyes (even though I know she tried to hide them).  I asked her “Can we go back stage passes too?”  She told me, “Not people like us, honey.”

I am not really sure what she means by that.  People like us?  Does she mean because we aren’t food editors? I have my own business, I have my own blog and I bake cakes too. I don’t understand why she couldn’t get us extra tickets to see Buddy in person.  Didn’t he want to meet me.  Why did he want to meet the other girl more than me? I am special too.

It was fun and I will remember this trip forever!  Some girls want to meet Justin Beiber but not me.  I wanted to meet the Cake Boss and I  got to see him.  He didn’t see me.  He didn’t see me this time.  I will keep baking and blogging.  He will want to meet me someday,  I know it. Until then, "TO THE BOX TRUCK BABY!!"

Taste the RAINBOW!

We are getting ready for St. Patrick's Day and I have been experimenting with how to make the rainbow cupcakes.  (I posted the recipe that I found below).  It was a TON of fun to make the batter~

This is the batter before I added anything!

One DROP at a time!!

Making the colors! (this is going to be purple!)

Now we have green and yellow...

Finally all six colors are ready!

Well, there is an art to getting the color into the cups.  Mom was better than I was at that.  It doesn't taste as good as regular and the cakes did not puff up like normal.  They were flatter, like a pancake on top.  Wonder if the coloring added an extra element that didn't make it rise as well.  They are fun cakes to make, but they will be like a tie dye shirt, no two the same!

Next, we will experiment with piping grass on top for the rainbow and the rolo candy.  That is another night (not a school night!!) We just quick white piping on top for now!  I bought some duncan heinz bubble gum frosting I will use and some left over white I made from the weekend.  They won't last long in this house!! Plus, mom will take some experimental ones to work for fun tomorrow!

XOXO Mya