Lady Bug Cake and Cupcakes....so cute!!

This weekend was my friends daughters first birthday. I consider myself to be her Auntie Grandma!! I consider myself too young to be a grandma....so I threw the Auntie in front of it to 'young' it up a bit!! I just love me some Bailey Grace....she is just a cutie with a great personality and the cutest face ever!!! Although I don't want it to happen anytime soon.....I cant wait to be a grandma!! Shhh.....don't tell anyone I said that!!

The above pic is of Bailey's own personal cake. I stacked to 8" rounds and cut and shaped it to look like a lady bug. Then I frosted it with butter cream and used fondant for the face and spots. For the cupcakes I didn't do anything special really. Just made the cupcakes and butter cream (homemade of course) and then I made mini fondant pink lady bugs to top each cup cake with. All I did for those was roll a ball of pink fondant for the body and a way smaller ball of black fondant for the face. I made a line down the center of the 'back' and used a tooth pick to dot on the black spots.

I thought they turned out super cute but very simple!! And it wasn't even hard to make the lady bug cake.

Mocha Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

15 Years ago, on July 22nd, I gave birth to my second and last son. All I can say is.....time flies!! So for all you moms out there....take advantage of every moment you have with your babies, because before you know it they are gonna be all grown up!! I know this because my oldest just graduated from high school this year too!!

I can't believe how fast the time has gone!! It feels so weird. Who am I? I am a mom and a wife. Though, no matter what, I will always be a mom, even when they move out. I cant imagine life without taking kids here and there, and having their friends over and cooking large meals for our family. I'm not quite ready (even though my youngest is only 15 and I have 3 more fantabulous years with him at home) for this family and kids at home thing to be over.

But.....I can't stop time....so I have to just accept what it is!! The best advice I can give as a parent love your children, give your self to your children, but don't forget discipline. They need that too. Teach your children morals and values, if you tell them not to do something.....tell them why!! Teach them to be responsible, caring, and compassionate human beings.

Ok.....mushiness......done!! Now for the sweet part!! My son LOVES CHOCOLATE!!! He would have double chocolate cake with fudgey chocolate frosting and double chocolate brownie ice cream. But this year I made his step out of his comfort zone a little and I threw some peanut butter in the chocolate frosting!!

Unfortunately I can't share my cake recipe, but I would love to give you my frosting recipe!! And you can drool while you look at the picture of how the cupcakes turned out!!

1 stick of butter, room temp
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
3 T heavy cream
4 T cocoa powder

Put all ingredients in the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer or a large bowl. Beat on med-high until creamy and smooth. Spread on cake or cupcakes.

Tres Leches Cake

Oh man do I LOVE this cake!!! It is sooooooooooooo moist and delicious!! I get tons of compliments when I make this cake!! You will be overwhelmed with the ease of making it too!! Then pleasantly surprised at how good it is!!

Don't ever pay $40 to buy one again!! Make it yourself!!

1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar, divided
5 eggs
2 tsp vanilla, divided
1 cup milk
1/2 can evaporated milk
1/2 can condensed milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 baking dish and set aside. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside. Cream butter and 1 cup of sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time then 1 tsp of vanilla. Beat well. Add flour mixture slowly beating until light fluffy mixture. Pour into baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Mix together milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk and pour over cooled cake. The three milks will soak into the cake.

Using heavy cream and remaining remaining sugar and vanilla, place into a large bowl or kitchen aide mixer and beat until stiff peaks form. Frost cake with whipped cream. Top with berries if you want or eat without!! :)

Some of the cakes I've made.......

Here are some of the cakes I have made over the last 2 years. Take a look and lmk what you think!! I'd like to do it more often and hopefully someday get paid to make a cake!! Wouldnt that be GREAT!! Right now I just do it for fun and for the people I love!!

I was not pleased with this one....I think it was the brown color of the fondant that I really didnt like. It reminded me of poop. :) Anyways I made this one for my oldest sons 17th birthday....in case you couldn't tell it was for his 17th...lol!!

 This one for for my Grandma last year (2010) her and my oldest have the same birthday!!

 This one was for my sons 16th day!!

 I made this cake for my mom.....we won't mention which bday it was, but just let you know it was a bday cake!! It's one of my fav's!!

 This was for my uncle on his bday...can you guess his name??? lol

 This one was for Annie's bday cuz I <3 her!! She moved away and now Im sad, but she lives close to where they filmed scenes from Twilight....and Im jealous!!

 This was my youngest sons xbox 360 cake....kinda plan....but that's what the xbox looked like!!

This was the cake I made for my neighbor Marcie, I was trying to make it look just like her giant drum that she uses and then I added the sign for her tribe on top!!

Pumpkin Pecan Crunch

Well I definitely don't want to offend anyone........but.......I think this is better than pumpkin pie. *ducking* Don't throw things at me....until you try it....you can't say I'm wrong!! There is something about they pumpkin on the bottom then the buttery, nutty cake topping.......can you excuse me.....I need to go get more.......

K......I'm back.....thanks for your patience!!! I got this recipe on a recipe exchange website that I have, my friend Amy posted it!! I appreciate her posting this more than she knows!! :) BTW.....you can use yellow cake mix, butter cake mix, white cake mix, or I've even tried spice cake mix!!

Pumpkin Pecan Crunch
1 large can pumpkin
1-12oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 package cake mix such as yellow, white, butter or spice
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
3/4 cup butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth
Pour into baking dish
Sprinkle cake mix (dry) over pumpkin mixture.
Sprinkle pecans over cake mix
Pour melted butter over top.
Bake uncovered 50 to 60 min. until knife inserted in center comes out
clean.
Serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.