Milestone time!!!
My littlest guy has hit the double digits. He Is TEN.
I can’t even believe that my round-faced little giggle monster is ten years old.
Evan- all books and brains and smiles and laughs. Full of enthusiasm and creativity. Does not like to be told what to do. Ever {He comes by that very honestly}. My little Evan that talks too much and tells me made up facts about falling flying squirrels and calls it science. Evan that likes to leave me notes all over the house and makes me cards for every occasion.
My funny guy that still likes to snuggle me on the couch with books.
He is his own worst critic. He is a really terrible liar (an exceptional quality). But he still tries to pull the wool over my eyes when he spills on the rug or I find candy wrappers under the couch. Evan shares my love of bread and baked goods. Homemade hamburger buns are NOT safe with Evan around. And if you turn your back on biscuits you can just go ahead and count them out.
Evan is sweet and smart and thoughtful. He likes to share. He still likes to show me off.
In Evan’s ten-year-old-boy-brain I think that he thinks I am on some kinda TV bake-off level. So whenever his birthday rolls around he tries to come up with impossible things for me to build out of cake. This year, in one of his attempts to be outlandishly creative, he asked me for a sandcastle cake.
Just thinking about it made me tired.
And since it’s Dr. Seuss week at school all week, and since EVERYONE loves Dr. Seuss, and since we just watched The Lorax for the 326th time, and since Hayley at The Domestic Rebel posted THESE last week… I decided a Dr. Seuss Cake was in order. Evan totally agreed.
We decided on Cotton Candy frosting. Frosting Creations from Duncan Hines are a new thing for me. I usually steer clear of pre-packaged flavored anything, mostly because I have the time to make my own , but also because not being able to pronounce the ingredients in my food kind of freaks me out. Here’s the thing, though- kids don’t care. Birthdays only come once a year. And how else are you gonna make cake frosting taste like cotton candy?
Exactly.
So I made a traditional vanilla buttercream from scratch and then funked it up a little bit. Usually there is birthday cake left after a party.
It’s all gone. Cotton Candy Frosting is insane.
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 ( ounce) packages Frosting Creations Cotton Candy Flavor
- 3½ ounces marshmallow fluff
- Beat the butter for a minute until smooth.
- Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl with the butter and beat on low (so you don’t get powdered sugar everywhere) for about 2 minutes.
- Add the salt and vanilla and continue mixing.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream. Beat until smooth. Add the 3rd tablespoon of heavy cream, and then the 4th if you feel like your frosting is still too thick.
- Mix in the cotton candy flavor packages. Beat until it’s completely combined and the color has evened out.
- Blend in the marshmallow fluff.
- Frost!!
Frosting inspired by THIS recipe at The Domestic Rebel
Happy Birthday to my little sugar bug from the proudest Mommy evuuuuurrr.
Today you are YOU that is true-er than true; There is NO ONE alive that is you-er than YOU!
Evan is so handsome. You must be sooo proud of him Heather! I hope he had a fabulous birthday. By the looks of that grin on his face I’m sure he did! Andddd his birthday cake looks awesome! Well done.
Simply Tia recently posted…Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (No Churn)
Hey, Tia! Thank you! I am so so so so proud of my little dimpley cutie full of smiles. His actual birthday is today– party was on Sunday and it was super!!
Happy Birthday to your little two digit guy! That is an awesome cake ~ I love making vanilla frosting with marshmallow fluff – a nice alternative to buttercream and you can also give it a little color. Like you, I shy away from package frosting b/c I have time and the inclination to just make my own. I want to give your ‘vanilla’ cake a go – my vanilla cake recipes are OK but not great.
Rutabaga the Mercenary Researcher recently posted…I’m All Verklempt
i am baker put up a really great white cake recipe last week. I DO NOT like canned frosting so I always make my own, but this cake came from a box. If you leave the sprinkles out of my funfetti cake recipe it’s a pretty great white cake, but more almond white cake flavor than vanilla. Such a simple thing– so hard to get just right!!! This cake turned out to be super tasty. Evan loved it. Yay birthday!!!
What an adorable double digit guy!!!! Happy Birthday to you both!
Thank you so much!
Awwww…Happy Birthday, Evan!
I love the cotton candy flavor packets, too.
thoughtsappear recently posted…You Have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs
Thanks, Thoughtsy!
I know we should be oohing and ahhing over that cake and I am, but I love the photo of you and he…so cute!! Happy birthday to your handsome ten year old.
Allison@Main St. Cuisine recently posted…Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Aww thank you, Allison! My sister is family photo pro- this photo of us is a keeper for sure.
Ah, I love this post! HAPPY BIRTHDAY Evan! Hiope he had an awesome day celebrating and snuggling and giggling and reading and biscuit eating and fact inventing! I love Dr Seuss, I love that you have a Dr Seuss cake even more and (as a geeky teacher type!) I love that they’ve had a Dr Seuss week in school even more! All awesome!
thepinkrachael recently posted…What are you reading right now?
We love all things Dr. Seuss. The school stuff is fun. Yesterday was crazy hat day. Today is crazy hair day. Friday they get to dress up like their favorite book character and they have a parade. Evan’s birthday was happy, though you’ve made me think I should have made some biscuits!!! Thanks, Rachael!
Happy Birthday, Evan!! He sounds like a fun 10 year old! I love how he tries to test you with a creative cake. Too cute!
Thank you! He is a trip, that is for sure. Next year I’m sure he’ll ask me to build a train village out of cake or something.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVAN!!!!!!! I was shouting, did he hear me???? hahahahaha What a little munchkin man!!! Double digits…girl where does the time go haha Don’t worry, before you know it he’ll be 18…I mean 11…I mean, he’ll never leave you!!! lol Sorry… Anyhow such a framer that pic of the two of you!!! And I’m surprised to learn those flavor packed don’t suck!!! You’re the best Mom ever!!!! P.S. I own those same candles hahahahha
Aww thanks! I’m not sure I’d recommend the flavors that could ACTUALLY be created out of real food (like mocha or caramel) but the Cotton Candy flavor was great! (With homemade marshmallow buttercream, of course.) No store bought frosting. There is something weird about that stuff. I can’t believe my little guy is 10. Andrew is about to be 13. I’m not old (yet) but gah they make me feel old. My little cutie boys– so so sweet.
Awww, happy birthday to your sweet Evan! Your cake is PERFECT! Great bright colors. I just bought one of those flavor packets to try out. Now after seeing your success, I’m anxious to play with it!
Sandra – The Foodie Affair recently posted…Hummus, Basic and Spinach
Thanks, Sandra! I was afraid to try any of the other flavors- like flavors I could ACTUALLY reproduce with real food (raspberry, mocha, etc), but the Cotton Candy was IT. What flavor did you buy?
It’s flavored with RED color. Lol that’s what I really wanted it for, the food coloring. I was being economical. Red food coloring was $4 bucks and the packet was 89 cents. I was thinking of to working it into red velvet cake
The Foodie Affair recently posted…Protein Bites, Gluten-Free Snack
Pingback: Orange Creamsicle Cookies | Sugar Dish MeSugar Dish Me