Blueberry & Peach Dump Cake

Can I tell you a secret you probably won't be surprised to hear?

I don't like peaches.

I know, shocking, right? That the second pickiest person on the planet (my kid being the first) doesn't like a stone fruit?

A crust loving baker who wouldn't touch a peach pie with a 10-foot pole?

What will shock you is that Jordan actually likes peaches.

It's like a paradox or something like that. I often wonder if we are disturbing the natural order of things and interrupting the space-time continuum.

The only thing peachy I do like is a Bellini. I guess if you add enough alcohol to something, it'll taste good.

But pie? Cake? Cookies? Smoothie? Cut-up on a plate?

No sirree. No thanks. Tastes like feet to me.

Not that I know what feet taste like. I've never tasted mine.

I could probably ask Jordan. She can put her toes in her mouth. Does so on a regular basis.

That's a whole other conversation, however.

Right now we're on my weird eating habits.

Stay with me, mmmkay?

So a few weeks back we had a party. I made brownies and brownies. A couple of heavy treats. I wanted to make something lighter, fruity. You know, for the girls who watch their weight.

During my whole ADD-what-do-I-make process, Robin posted a Dump Cake recipe and I found a can of peach pie filling in my cabinet. Perfect! I could get rid of the peach pie filling at a party, where it would get eaten by people who don't think peaches taste like feet.

And yes, canned fruit is still fruit. At one point it hung on a tree. Thus, fruit.

This is the easiest cake you ever made. One dish and that includes the pan.

It's called a "dump" cake for a reason. You dump everything in the pan. Fruit, cake mix, butter. What's not to love?

{Pardon the pictures. Some doofus tried to photograph stuff and then realized only afterwards that the camera was in the wrong mode.}

It smelled heavenly. But no way was I gonna like it. It was deadly peach, after all.

There was half left after the party. I picked at the top and man, was that good. Figured I better try a bite, with the fruit. Worst case scenario, I go wash my tongue with bleach.

And guess what?

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Very Vanilla Bars {50 Shades of Grey Desserts}

Um...disclaimer. If you happen to be a young, impressionable teenager...maybe you skip this post? Thanksmuch, I really don't want to hear from your moms. ;)

A month or so ago, one of my girlfriends casually mentioned that a bunch of us should read 50 Shades of Grey and do a girls' night book club for it.

I heard "girls' night" and said "of course!"

Then, of course, I had to read the book.

Have you read the book? Undoubtedly, you've heard about the book. And what you've heard is spot on...and more. Way more. Like, eons more.

{I wonder...if I really talk about what's in the book...what will some of my Google Analytics keywords say? I mean, red pancake disease is already listed. And people, do not Google that. I did. Luckily I read some of the text before clicking on any photos. Yeah. Red pancake disease does not come from red velvet pancakes.}

Anyway...back to 50 Shades of Grey. So...there are some things in there I'd never heard of.

Like these. I guess you use them for ... exercise. At least that's what the Passion Party consultant said when she showed them to us at our book club meeting. Yes, the host booked us a Passion Party. Have you ever been to one of those?

Flippin' hilarious. Especially with cocktails. There's toys and stuff. Toys.

So these Ben-Wa Cake Balls are made with, well, cake. In the traditional cake ball way. I made the "strings" with white candy melts on a cookie sheet and let them harden before I dipped the cake balls. Once I dipped the balls I place the "string" on top the still melted candy and held it there for a second while it dried. Then I used my Wilton silver spray and sprayed them all silver. Let dry and you've got...balls.

{Hee, hee.}

So...my daughter was watching me make them. She kept asking what they were and I kept avoiding her.

She then asked, "Are they headphones?"

"Why yes, they are headphones," I replied.

"But why are you making headphones?"

"Well, honey...they listened to a lot of music in Mommy's book."

She keeps asking me if all my friends liked their headphones.

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Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes

The Fourth of July is coming up soon, which means it's summer, which means it's travel season.

I love to travel. I love to stay in hotels. And I've totally passed on that love to Jordan.

We don't camp. Well, Jordan and Mel probably would. To be more specific, I don't camp. That's really a whole post all on it's own, but the gist of it is, if I'm on vaca, I don't want to work to set up my room. I don't want to cook. I don't want to be dirty. I want to sleep on a comfy bed.

So we stay in hotels.

Another problem I have? I like to be comfortable. And comfortable, to me, is not shoving the three of us into one room. Where's the fun in that? I want to put Jordan to bed and go sit in a different place, drink wine, and watch TV alone with my husband.  So we like to stay in suite hotels, whenever possible. I've become a genius at reading room descriptions. {"Suite" does not necessarily mean separate bedroom.}


I have damaged my child so much that, when we moved from a two bedroom suite at one hotel to a resort with a one bedroom suite in Phoenix, she cried because the "sofa bed wouldn't be comfortable enough."


Yes. I know that her future husband is going to have to be a special kind of man. (Or woman. Because right now she wants to marry her BFF, so you never know.)

Anyway, it's hard to find the perfect hotel room this time of year. So I've put together a list of things I would put in the hotel I would build if I won the lotto. Is that weird?


*Every room would be a suite, one or two bedroom, with the bathroom in between the living area and sleeping area. Not in the living area, causing the middle of the night tippy-toe dance around the sleeping child to deal with mommy bladder.


*Only real hair dryers would be supplied. With diffusers. Can I get an amen?


*Kids would eat free. All day. And everyone gets free breakfast. {And no, granola bars and stale pastry do not qualify as "breakfast."}


*There would be a water slide at the pool.


*And free drinks with umbrellas.


*And free massages.


*And free childcare.


Wait a minute...this list is beginning to sound like I'm travelling without my kid.


Hmmmm...


Oh, wait, I forgot one.

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ICEE Cupcakes {and other fun Softball treats}

Softball season is officially over. It's kind of sad, really, because Jordan loved it so much.

I will not miss having to get dinner ready for her at 4:00 and packing it up in a cooler for Mel and I. Nor will I miss the post-school night-game whining.

I will miss watching Jordan learn how to catch. And watching her hit, without a tee, for entire games.

Last weekend I volunteered to host the end-of-the-year softball party. For 12 first-graders, their parents, and siblings.

Yes, I'm certifiably insane.

But I love doing it. Even when I was going crazy on Friday trying to get the house clean and do last minute prep and make eight dozen mini cupcakes, when I was growling "why do I do this???" at my husband, I still was having fun.

For the cupcakes, I decided to go with a "softball snack shack" theme. You know, that crap you buy while you're bored out of your mind watching your kid play. Popcorn, hot cocoa, Icees, candy.

I made mini cupcakes out of two box mixes, one yellow cake and one chocolate. FYI, that makes a lot of minis. I had no idea how many it would make. Be prepared. Probably 3-4 dozen per box.

{Just because I majored in math, you didn't expect me just know that a mix making 24 regular sized cupcakes would make a whole lot of mini ones, right?}

I made one large batch of homemade buttercream and divided it into four portions to make the four flavors of cupcake.

These ICEE cupcakes were the biggest hit. The frosting is made with cherry jell-o. Joan at Chocolate, Chocolate, and More used Jell-O in cupcakes awhile back and when brainstorming ideas, I came up with these.


~Read More~

Chocolate Cake Ball Stuffed Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Hey, before I tell you about these awesomeamazingyouwon'tbelievethem cupcakes, I wanted to let you know that I was a guest poster today over at Something Swanky! I'm talking about using Curves in PicMonkey and another little helpful commenting/HTML tip. Go check it out!

And now, on with your show...

I work out every day. I mean I stuff Almond Joy candy bars in crescent rolls for breakfast. I kind of need to exercise.

Usually I go to the gym, where I embarrass myself in a Core class or I read 50 Shades of Grey on the elliptical and try not to blush.

{Side note: have you read that book? Oh my. It's...intense. And I don't quite understand why everyone is so thrilled about a book where a girl chooses to be in an abusive relationship? If it wasn't for the good...stories...I'd probably have stopped reading. Just kidding... I'm so excited I'll be discussing this at a book club. That night should be interesting. There better be lots of cocktails.}

I've been really enjoying running, which is a lot for me to say because my running is a lot like Phoebe's. {If you have no idea what that means, well...can we even move on from there?}

I can't do it more than a couple times a week, as I have an old lady body with old lady knees and ankles and a bad lower back thanks to being pregnant with Jordan. (I swear, it's all been downhill since I had a kid. What the heck is up with that?)

{Speaking of kids ruining your body, when I'm at the gym and see the clique of 12-pack ab moms at the pool in their teeny tiny bikinis with three kids apiece, I want to cry. Or maybe go and poke them and look for their alien not-from-Earth marks. Because, seriously, how is that possible?}

I really enjoy running outdoors, although my geriatric knees don't allow it as much as on a treadmill. Nevertheless, I strap on my running shoes a few times a week and head out, jamming to I'm Sexy and I Know It.

And every single time right when I get sweaty and out of breath and I feel like I'm ready to die because I'm running a 12 minute mile, an old dude passes me.

The same old guy. Every time. He's gotta be in his 80s. All hunched over and running.

Faster than me.

It's humbling.

But then I remind myself, he's probably an alien too. And then I feel better.

Also something that makes me feel better?

Doing this:

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Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

A lot of things go good in pairs:

Peanut butter and chocolate

Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff

Chocolate and coconut

Pie and ice cream

Clam chowder and sourdough

Margaritas and Mexican food

Coffee and Dorothy

The Real Housewives (of anywhere) and alcohol {for me, not for them}

A bath and a good book

The Soup and Friday night

Cupcakes and cheesecake

~Read More~

Flower Pot Cupcakes

Okay. So I think I've talked about how much I loved New Kids on the Block when I was a kid.

Loved people. Like not just in a  "sure I love that band" way, but LOVED them. My room was covered in posters. I have no idea what other songs were released during their reign because I never listened to any of them.

I was going to marry Joey McIntyre. For reals.

He was going to drive up in his limo to my middle school and pick me up and never let me go. He would propose on the day of my high school graduation and we would get married and have babies.

I'm not making any of this up. I'm sure my mom still has all the notebooks I wrote our life story in somewhere in her attic.

Anyway, back to the present. The other day a fellow-NKOTB lover friend of mine emailed me the link to this Groupon.

First, I was super excited. Until I saw the price. Ten grand? For a trip to Hershey? Um, I'm sorry. I want to see the boys again, sure {who doesn't?}, but for that kinda money I better get to swim in a chocolate pool like in Willy Wonka.

And then I got a little sad for my boy Joey and his band. I mean, let's be honest. Do the New Kids really have new fans? As in, teenagers or young twenty-somethings who gush all day long about how good they are?

No, I didn't think so.

All their fans are thirty-something moms whose highlight of a trip to Hershey would be sitting in the airplane because then their phones would be off and no one could reach them for the length of the flight.

What's that going to look like, that meet 'n greet? Sort of like school pick-up, but with music and bling?

Anyway that really has nothing to do with these cupcakes. Except that my husband could go return my Mother's Day present and buy me a supercool Groupon instead.

The idea for these cupcakes came about when Jordan and I were at the American Girl lunch. They served chocolate mousse in flower pots with a fake daisy. I remember thinking, a fake daisy? Really? It would've been much better as a cookie.

So that's what I did.

But I got lazy. {Hey, if your husband kids make these for you for Mother's Day, it'll be perfect, right?}

I used a tube of cookie dough. And a can of icing. But I made you chocolate dirt icing. And when you see what it was made with, you'll forgive me.

Have you seen this stuff yet? It's amazing. I made chocolate frosting with it.

To. Die. For.

To make my cupcakes look like they were in pots, I made cupcake wrappers out of terracotta colored paper. {This is the template I used.}

I wish I'd taken pictures of making the flowers. But I didn't. Forgive me?

I'll take you to a great concert.

Flower Pot Cupcakes

by Crazy for Crust

Keywords: cupcake

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes & Decoration

• Chocolate Cupcakes, baked and cooled
• Chocolate Frosting
• White Frosting (canned or your favorite recipe)
• Food coloring
• Oreos, crushed
• Sugar Cookies, from your favorite recipe or store bought dough, cut in flower or round shapes, baked and cooled
• White chocolate chips
• M&Ms or Skittles
• Popsicle sticks

For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 ounces (1/2 tub) Philadelphia Indulgence Milk Chocolate Spread
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 ½ - 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

To Make the Frosting

1. Beat spread and butter together with a hand mixer until fluffy. Slowly add in powdered sugar and mix until blended. Spread on cupcakes. (Frosts about 4-6 cupcakes, depending on how much frosting you use.)

Assemble the Cupcakes

1. To make the cookie sticks, melt the white chocolate chips in a small bowl. Dip a Popsicle stick in the melted chips and press against the back of the cookie. Place face down on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet and chill until hardened.
2. To make the flowers, tint your white frosting the desired color(s). Place in a sealable sandwich bag and snip of a small tip of the corner. Pipe the frosting onto the cookie in a flower shape, filling in the petals. Place an M&M or other small candy in the center of the flower. Chill to harden frosting.
3. To make the pots, first frosting the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting. Place the Oreo cookie crumbs on a plate and dip each frosted cupcake in the cookie crumbs to resemble dirt.
4. Once the cookie icing hardens, place the sticks in the cupcakes and serve.

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Thanks for reading!

I link up to all of these fabulous parties each week!

Tea Party Tuesdays at Sweetology, Talent Show Tuesday at Chef in Training, Trick or Treat Tuesday at Inside BruCrew Life, Cast Party Wednesday at Lady Behind the Curtain, Sweet Treats Thursday at Something Swanky, Chic-and-Crafty at the Frugal Girls, Tastetastic Thursday at A Little Nosh, Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli-n-sons, I'm Lovin' it Fridays at TidyMom, Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, A Well-Seasoned Life, Strut your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff, and all of these too!

Avocado Frosting

Wait. Don't click away. Stay. I promise. You won't be sorry.

Okay. I know you're all "What??!" right now. Avocado Frosting? Is she nuts?

{Quite possibly I am, but this isn't why.}

Seriously, I know it's weird. Avocados are for chips and tacos and margarita night. Not cupcakes.

Until now.

You all know how picky I am, right? I mean, I don't eat condiments. Fruit makes me gag. I eat burritos inside out. Seriously, I have issues.

But recently I discovered I love avocados. A lot. Like, I could bathe in them and eat them every single meal of every single day and be happy.

And now? I can have them with dessert.

So...still with me? Good. Thanks. :)

Cinco de Mayo is Saturday. I wanted to do some sort of post themed for it. I couldn't make up my mind. Then I remembered this post by Jocelyn. And thought, hmmm. Avocados. What else can I do with them?

A quick search led me to this post by Jessica and I remembered that it intrigued me the first time I saw it.

So I made it.

And it's delicious.

Hear me, naysayers? Avocado frosting is delicious. This, from the pickiest person ever. It's good. It's fruity. It almost tastes like citrus. Pairs awesome with a chocolate cupcake.

Want another endorsement? My husband was eager to try it. He ate half a cupcake. That I made. He ate one of my desserts.

Did your head just explode? Because mine kind of did.

Mel doesn't eat my desserts. He looks at them, tells me how good they look, and then goes for his fat-free ice cream and WW brownie. He never eats anything I make unless it's carrot cake related.

BUT HE ATE THIS FROSTING. And he liked it too (and he is picky...although he won't admit it.)

{Hi honey! Just talking here...about nothing. No worries. Totally not about you...}

So...yeah. It's weird. But in a good way. Seriously. Try it. I mean, if I'll eat it, you know it has to be good.

Thanks for reading!

Avocado Frosting

by Crazy for Crust

(Recipe from How Sweet It Is)

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar (plus a little more if needed)
• Pinch salt

Note: this recipe will frost about 5-6 cupcakes. Double for a larger batch.

Instructions

Using a mixer, beat avocado and butter until combined and no lumps remain. Beat in vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar slowly and mix until combined. (Depending on how wet your avocado is you may need to add up to an additional ½ cup powdered sugar.) Spread on cupcakes and store in refrigerator. (Frosting is soft and will spread on cupcakes.)

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**Updated: these cupcakes were in my fridge for about four days before they disappeared. They did not turn brown!**

I link up to all of these fabulous parties each week!

Tea Party Tuesdays at Sweetology, Talent Show Tuesday at Chef in Training, Trick or Treat Tuesday at Inside BruCrew Life, Cast Party Wednesday at Lady Behind the Curtain, Sweet Treats Thursday at Something Swanky, Chic-and-Crafty at the Frugal Girls, Tastetastic Thursday at A Little Nosh, Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli-n-sons, I'm Lovin' it Fridays at TidyMom, Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, A Well-Seasoned Life, Strut your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff, and all of these too!

Brownie Ice Cream Birthday Cake

I have a funny story to tell you today. One that's not really funny to me, but will probably have all of you laughing at me.

I almost decided against telling it, (1) because it is embarrassing and (2) because it's kinda...gross...and we are talking about food. But because I'm a truthful and honest person, I'll tell it anyway. :)

I have a cat. Her name is Callie. She's a calico, and if we're being brutally honest, she's kind of a b****. In true cat form, she's really just into herself and we are at her beck and call.

Because I value my sanity and my sleep, I've made certain accommodations for Callie. She has a habit of yowling all night long if we don't give her what she wants. (And no, "trying to ignore her for a few nights" so she'll "learn" doesn't work. Believe me. I tried.)

Case in point - she has her own water glass. It's pink, and it used to be mine. I have given up my pink water glasses in lieu of one with a lid and a straw, so that she can use a pink cup as her water bowl on my nightstand. I get to listen to her drink all night long, and she let's me live until morning.

{Side note: who knew cats could tell colors? I tried to wash her pink glass once and replaced it with a green one. Finally, at four in the morning I went downstairs and got her a new pink one so that I could get some sleep.}

Anyway, back to the point. Callie has a problem with barfing. She does it all the time. It's not hairballs. I don't know why she does it. (Sure, we could pay the $150 for blood work...but then how would I buy candy?) She's fine in all other ways, eating, drinking, etc. She just likes to barf. At night.

She sleeps on the bed with me. Behind my head. You see where this is going?

Usually her retching wakes me up and I have time to drop-kick her off the bed so that the barf lands on the carpet. Last night? I didn't wake up. Well, until I rolled over into crusty cat barf.

So what's a girl to do at three in the morning? Wake the whole house to change the sheets? No. I moved  to the middle and went back to sleep.

When I woke in the morning I went to strip the bed. And found cat barf. ON MY PILLOW.

*Cue retching.* (From me.)

So....let's talk cake, shall we? I have sort of a love/hate relationship with this cake. I love it because I thought it was cute (it was based on this pin...the pin is way cuter so maybe don't go look?) and because it tasted freakin' awesome.

I kinda hate it because it was Jordan's birthday cake...the one she couldn't eat because she was sick. The one she made us put candles in to sing to her on her birthday and then cried for a half hour because she couldn't have it. (She did eventually eat some, the next week.)

But the love wins out. It's really an awesome cake. It has lots of steps, but is super easy to make.

I layered the bottom of my 9" pan with plastic wrap. Then I made the ice cream layer. You can use whatever ice cream you like, but may I recommend Cake Batter Cookie Dough from Lovin' Scoopfuls? Um, YUM.

Then the brownie layer goes on. Wrap it up and freeze.

Then I iced it with pink almond-scented Cool Whip.

And drizzled it with chocolate ganache.

Seriously, it's awesome. I think I love it more than hate it. And boy, could I have used some when I got up this morning.

Enjoy!

Brownie Ice Cream Birthday Cake

by Crazy for Crust (Inspired by this pin.)

Ingredients

• 1 box brownie mix (9x13” pan size), plus eggs, oil, and water called for to make cake-like brownies
• 1 half-gallon of your favorite ice cream
• 1 container Cool Whip (I used fat-free), defrosted
• Food Coloring, if desired
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract (you can use vanilla if you prefer, but use about 1 teaspoon)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup chocolate chips
• Sprinkles
• 1 cup (or so) of leftover or canned frosting, whatever flavor you want
• Sugar cone and additional chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Mix ingredients for cake-like brownies. Bake the brownie in a 9” round cake pan. (I lined the bottom with parchment and sprayed with cooking spray for easy removal.) It takes about 28 minutes to bake in this pan. Let it cool completely before removing from pan and assembling cake. If the top is very rounded, use a serrated knife to trip the top to make it flat.
2. Assembling the cake: Let the ice cream sit on the counter for about 15 minutes before making your cake. (You can also use the microwave to aid in this step.) Line a 9” springform pan with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap overhangs the pan. I used three layers.
3. Spread the softened ice cream evenly in the bottom of the plastic-lined pan. Place the brownie on top of the ice cream layer and press it down to seal any gaps. Wrap the plastic wrap over the brownie and freeze until firm, at least 1-2 hours.
4. Make your ganache: pour the heavy cream into a small bowl. Microwave for 40 seconds. Add the chocolate chips and whisk together. Let cool before using.
5. To frost cake: add the almond extract to the Cool Whip and stir. Tint with food coloring, if desired. Remove cake from freezer and remove from pan. Place, brownie side down, on a cake plate or a 10” cake round. Remove plastic wrap and frost with Cool Whip. Return to freezer for about ½ hour.
6. To decorate: Remove from freezer and pour ganache in the center of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Add some sprinkles and return to freezer for ½ hour to allow the ganache to freeze.
7. To make spilled ice cream cone: Melt a small handful of chocolate chips in a small bowl. Dip the top of a sugar cone in the melted chocolate and then roll in sprinkles. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop some frosting onto the center of the cake and top it with the sugar cone, upside down. Add more sprinkles if you wish. Freeze again until ready to eat.

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I link up to all of these fabulous parties each week!

Tea Party Tuesdays at Sweetology, Talent Show Tuesday at Chef in Training, Trick or Treat Tuesday at Inside BruCrew Life, Cast Party Wednesday at Lady Behind the Curtain, Sweet Treats Thursday at Something Swanky, Chic-and-Crafty at the Frugal Girls, Tastetastic Thursday at A Little Nosh, Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli-n-sons, I'm Lovin' it Fridays at TidyMom, Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, A Well-Seasoned Life, Strut your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff, and all of these too!

Cupcake Topped Rainbow Cupcakes

Kind of a mouthful for a title, isn't it?

Will you indulge me while I wax poetic for a moment?

My daughter turned seven yesterday. Seven. As in, three years from being double digits. Halfway to being in High School. Just over ten years from now? I'll be kissing her good-bye as she leaves for college (unless I can convince her to live at home forever and allow me to still put pigtails in her hair and dress her in separates from Carter's).

Seven years ago I was given a precious gift. One I cherish every single day. I know I bitch about her a lot because, in all fairness, she does drive me crazy, but I still can't believe I get to be her mom. She's truly our little miracle (and boy, does she know it).

I get a little sad thinking about how fast it all goes. How fast I want it to go when I'm in the middle of it, because ohmygodIcan'tstanditonemoresecond. But then I blinked and she's a kid. How did that happen?

So, Happy Birthday to my sweet baby. 'Cuz no matter how much you scream at me "I AM NOT A BABY!!!" you still are, to me.

Okay, let me clear my throat, wipe my eyes, and we can move on.  Let's talk cupcakes, shall we?

This cupcake topper idea comes from one of my favorite blogs to stalk read, Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.  She used  Reese's. I wanted rainbow colors. And I was going to do just solid candy, but Jordan had other ideas. She wanted cake balls.

I used my candy cup mold (from Michael's). I wanted them to be somewhat flat, so I only used about 1/4 teaspoon of cake ball. This is a great way to use up some of those cupcakes stored in your freezer. Fill the candy mold with a little candy, top with a cake ball, and then add more candy. Level it off, tap to settle, and freeze until hardened. Repeat to get all the rainbow colors. (I used some colored candy melts, some white candy melts and Wilton candy color. You can use whatever you have.)

I'm sure you've seen these cupcakes before. They were in Family Fun Magazine a few years ago for St. Patrick's Day. They take a lot of steps, but are totally cool.

You start with cake mix (I used two). Divide it equally into 6 bowls and color each with food coloring.

Then layer them into your cupcake liners. I used quart-sized Ziploc bags to make the piping and clean-up easier. FYI, one cake mix will not make 24 cupcakes using this method, as it normally does. It'll make about 18 or so.

I frosted the cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting. Place your mini cupcake cake ball on top and frost it with more frosting. A cupcake topper for a cupcake!

I had a little left over of each color, so I took my silicone muffin pan and made one of each color (see bottom right picture). That will get turned into the cake.

The finished cupcakes are brilliant in color. If you don't mind the whole eating food coloring thing. No one at this party seemed to mind, which was good. Because everything had food coloring in it.

With those extra cupcakes, I made Jordan her own "little" cake. The "7" is a fruit roll-up, cut with a cookie cutter.  And the inside of the cake?

A rainbow! I surprised her with the cake and she loved it. (I had to use a lollipop stick as a dowel.)

These cupcakes (and the cake, too) would be great for St. Patrick's day. I love how that day is not just green, but all things rainbow.

Thanks for reading!

Cupcake Topped Rainbow Cupcakes

by Crazy for Crust (Idea from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Ingredients

For the Rainbow Cupcakes

• 2 boxes white cake mix, prepared with eggs, oil, and water called for
• Food coloring: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple (you can use the regular grocery store kind and mix the colors, but gel food coloring works best for vibrant colors)
• A double batch of Marshmallow Frosting, or your favorite white frosting

For the Cupcake Toppers

• Candy Melts in rainbow colors OR white candy melts with candy coloring
• Cake pop mixture (I used a few cupcakes I had in the freezer and some canned icing)
• Candy Cup Mold

Instructions

Make the Cupcakes

1. Mix the cake batter according to the recipe or box directions. Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners. (Recipe makes 32-36 cupcakes.)
2. Divide your batter evenly among six bowls, about 1 1/2 cups of batter per bowl. Add food coloring to each bowl, one for each color of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple). Stir to combine.
3. You are going to layer the cupcakes into the liners in a reverse rainbow, so the purple is on the bottom and the red is on the top. To make this easier to do, place each color in a separate quart-sized Ziploc bag. Seal the bag almost all the way, leaving about 1/2" open for air to escape. Snip off a tiny corner and place a small amount in each cupcake liner, starting with purple (use just enough to cover the bottom of the liner). Repeat with the remaining colors in this order: blue, green, yellow, orange, red.
4. Bake according to recipe directions. Let cool completely. Frost with white frosting, to resemble clouds.
5. Note: if you want to make a mini rainbow cake, you can do it by baking separate colors in muffin tins. Place about 1/2" of batter in each muffin tin hole (one for each color). Stack up like a rainbow, frosting in between each layer. A 4" lollipop stick makes a good dowel.

Make the Cupcake Toppers

1. Melt your candy melts according to package directions. Fill the candy cup mold about ½ full with one color. Place about ¼ teaspoon of cake ball mixture on top and cover with more candy. Tap to release air bubbles and freeze until hardened, about 5 minutes. Remove from mold and continue until all the colors you want are finished.
2. Alternately, you could make these pure candy, no cake ball inside. Or, fill with anything: peanut butter, chocolate, just plain frosting, whatever you can dream of!

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Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts, Creative Monday (Clairejustineoxox), Mix it Up Monday (Flour Me With Love), Things that make you say mmmm Monday (Cooking with Karyn), Mop it Up Mondays (I should be mopping the floors), Show me what you got (Our Delightful Home). Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training), Trick or Treat Tuesday (Inside BruCrew Life), Let's Do Brunch (My Sweet & Savory), One Stop Shop Linky (The Southern Product Queen). Wednesday: Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party (Mrs. Fox's Sweets) Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday (Lady Behind the Curtain), Famous Linkz Par-tay (Made-Famous-By), Bakes with Bizzy (Bizzy Bakes), Whip it Up Wednesday (Crockpot Ladies).  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy), Tastetastic Thursday (A little nosh), Sweet Temptations (Talking Dollars and Cents), Taking a Timeout Thursday (Mom on Timeout), Things I've Done Thursday (BearRabbitBear), (RHW Recipe Round-Up) The Real Housewives of Riverton, BFF Open House (The Answer is Chocolate), Recipe Round Up (Eat, Pray, Read, Love). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Latest & Greatest Friday (Days of Chalk and Chocolate), Bacon Time, Fusion Friday (Jane Deere Blog), Foodie Friday (Not Your Ordinary Recipes), Dwell on Joy, Fun Finds Friday (Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons). Saturday: Country Mom Cooks, Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos), You inspire me (Polka Dot Pretties). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Strut your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters' Stuff), Recipe Party (The Sweet Spot), Seasonal/Occasional Linkys: Moms Crazy Cooking, Southern Mom Cooks, Cheap Crafty Momma, Susie QT

Chocolate Cookie Dough Cake

What is it about February? There are so many birthdays this month I've lost count.

Well, I guess I should say, what is it about May/June? I would have thought the opposite; that there would be a lot of birthdays in November because of Valentine's Day, not the other way around.

Jordan's birthday is in February. But she was due in March. She just decided to be impatient (as she still is today) and come 10 days early, right smack dab in the middle of the birthdaypalooza.

My mom's birthday is on the 15th. Which happens to be the same day as Jordan's BFF's little brother. Oh, and another girl in her class.

Three other kids in Jordan's class at school have birthdays in February, making party planning fun. I just made sure to get my invites out first, a whole month early. Classy, aren't I?

Valentine's Day and the Super Bowl are also in February. It's a short month for goodness sake, what the heck?  This month is a cake making extravaganza.

Also in February? My Mother-in-law's birthday. Today, in fact. Which also happens to be the day a friend of mine is having her scheduled C-section.

Again, what the heck is it about May and June? Is there some special "romantic" notion about Memorial Day?  There wasn't anything particularly romantic for us; June was when we fit into the doctor's schedule.

And don't get me started on January. So I guess April is a big month for romance too.

Happy Birthday Lorna!

**Hey, do you need some Valentine's treat or craft ideas? Check out the Virtual Party I attended at the Dollhouse Bake Shoppe for inspiration!**

Chocolate Cookie Dough Cake

by Crazy for Crust

(Glaze from Annie's Eats)

Ingredients

• Chocolate cake (your favorite boxed mix or my favorite recipe

For the Cookie Dough Filling

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini ones)
• 3 tablespoons milk

For the Chocolate Glaze

• 4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Filling

1. Beat heavy whipping cream using whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Chill until ready to use.
2. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Pour into an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. While still hot, add both sugars and mix on low until combined. Let sit to cool for a few minutes.
3. Turn mixer on low. Mix in vanilla extract and flour. Stir in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. Stir 1 cup of whipped cream into cookie dough mixture (using paddle attachment). Add more whipped cream if needed to reach your desired consistency. Stir in chocolate chips.

Make the Glaze

1. Place your chocolate, cream, butter, and corn syrup in a bowl and set it over a pan of boiling water (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Stir until the ingredients have melted together and are smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool to room temperature. Frost cake as desired. (This will frost the top only of a 6” round cake. If you want more, double the recipe.)

Assemble your Cake

1. Slice your layers in half. (I baked my cake in 6x3” rounds and sliced each in half to make a four layer cake. You can do it that way, or leave it as two layers. Or whatever.) Top each layer with a healthy dose of cookie dough filling. Top the whole cake with chocolate glaze, or you can frost it with your favorite chocolate frosting. But beware – this is a rich cake. A little frosting goes a long way!

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Enjoy!

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Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts, Creative Monday (Clairejustineoxox), Mix it Up Monday (Flour Me With Love), Things that make you say mmmm Monday (Cooking with Karyn), Mop it Up Mondays (I should be mopping the floors). Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training), Trick or Treat Tuesday (Inside BruCrew Life), Let's Do Brunch (My Sweet & Savory), One Stop Shop Linky (The Southern Product Queen). Wednesday: Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party (Mrs. Fox's Sweets) Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday (Lady Behind the Curtain), Famous Linkz Par-tay (Made-Famous-By), Bakes with Bizzy (Bizzy Bakes), Whip it Up Wednesday (Crockpot Ladies).  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy), Tastetastic Thursday (A little nosh), Sweet Temptations (Talking Dollars and Cents), Taking a Timeout Thursday (Mom on Timeout), Things I've Done Thursday (BearRabbitBear), (RHW Recipe Round-Up) The Real Housewives of Riverton. Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Latest & Greatest Friday (Days of Chalk and Chocolate), Bacon Time, Fusion Friday (Jane Deere Blog), Foodie Friday (Not Your Ordinary Recipes), Dwell on Joy, Fun Finds Friday (Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons). Saturday: Country Mom Cooks, Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Strut your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters' Stuff), Seasonal/Occasional Linkys: Moms Crazy Cooking, Southern Mom Cooks, Cheap Crafty Momma, Susie QT