Happy Birthday

Grab a cup of coffee, I have a lot of catching up to do!

Oh my goodness, what a busy week this is turning out to be! OK, 2 weeks.

 It's my own fault. Years ago, we started giving each kid a whole week's celebration for their birthdays. Yes, a week. 

The birthday week. It is fun, but man! Is it BUSY! I have barely even been on the computer!

Today, my Sugar is 9.

Nine!

I can scarcely believe it!

You were so little...

now you are reading Harry Potter.

Happy Birthday to my Sugar.

I sure love you!

 

(he shaved his head because it's easier than combing it in the morning! That is just his personality.)

And now, to my bloggy friends:

I have stated before that I am not a great cook. I am OK. I can read a recipe.

 I can order take-out really well too! :)

But one thing I CAN do: I can bake. 

Not to brag, but I mean I CAN BAKE!!

 :)

And my Sugar has a sweet tooth. Oh boy!

On his second birthday, he requested a dinosaur cake:

why didn't I take the plastic off for the picture??

(probably because i didn't have a blog yet!)

On his third, the year I cried because he was no longer my baby: 

A chocolate layer cake with dinosaurs crawling on it.

I can't seem to find the pictures of the cake...

When he turned 4, we had a Volcano with dinosaurs!

Where are my pictures?

That cake had blue frosting lava.

I had a hard time eating that one.

Are you sensing a theme here?

Sugar is always the one who asks for something wild, outrageous or otherwise unusual.

For the past three birthdays he has asked for this cake:

Yes, we are moving past the dinosaurs, but not past the outrageous! 

This cake has a whopping 12 oz of cream cheese in it!

He loves it!

Here is the recipe for you to gain weight on enjoy:

Click the link to the recipe straight from allrecipes.com

Do you use this site?

It is AWESOME!

It saves all my faves in a little tab called "my recipe box". How cute is that?

Do I modify? Of course! My recipe is below (it's printable!). I will highlight my adjustments. It's just a touch.

It is easy, but it is time-consuming!

Sugar's Strawberry Birthday Cake

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package Duncan Hines white cake mix 
• 1 1/2 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries, pureed
• 12 ounces cream cheese
• 8 (1 ounce) squares white chocolate
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 container of sliced fresh strawberries (i use most of them)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Mix 3 eggs, and 8 ounces of the cream cheese at room temperature. Blend well till smooth. Mix 1 1/2 cups of strawberries with dry cake mix. Mix well. Add only 1 TBSP of vegetable oil. Slowly add two mixtures together
3. Beat well and pour into the prepared pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center will not come out clean when this cake is done since it is so moist. <---I do not find that to be true since I decrease the oil.  Let cake cool fully before frosting.
5. To Make Frosting: Chop your white chocolate well! Heat the heavy cream until just beginning to boil. Pour it over the white chocolate (chopped). stir till smooth and then add remaining 4 ounces cream cheese. you may need to beat it. Mix well and let cool. Once cool, fold into the whipped topping. Use to frost cooled cake and garnish with sliced fresh strawberries.

I have made it with a layer of strawberries, cooked down and thickened, in the middle layer. Then you would only want 8 oz. of Cool Whip. (Keep in mind that will make the White chocolate more concentrated...too much, in my opinion) I like it better with the 16 ounces and both layers thick with whipped cream. Do not be stingy when adding that middle layer! I wish I had a picture... I think mine is about 1/2-3/4" after it is smashed down with the top layer. The more the merrier!

I really want to convince Sugar to let me try this cake with the frosting recipe that is vanilla pudding mix and milk folded into whipped cream. I think the white chocolate is a little rich. 

Let me know what you think.