Sunday, July 12, 2015

The Easiest DIY Peppa Pig Cake!

Hey guys! Oh my goodness, I have been so busy with Baby Bug's Peppa Pig party. I felt like it was a success and lots of fun for our sweet girl! One of my main projects was making a Peppa Pig cake. I'm happy to report that it turned out AWESOME! I was so proud of it, and guess what? IT WAS SUPER EASY! I posted a picture of it in one of my favorite Facebook groups, BFMT-Mamas in the Kitchen, and it got GREAT responses! So many mommas were asking for the recipe, that I decided to go ahead and share it with you guys, too!
One of the best things about this cake is that it is super cheap to make, much cheaper than purchasing a cake, and so much more rewarding :)




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
First things first. Prepare a good ol' box cake of your choice! Any flavor will do. Easy-peasy, right? Do everything according to the box instructions, unless you like to sub in healthier add ins!



Prepare a 10" non-stick baking pan with butter, lard, or cooking spray and bake according to the box.
(I used a 10" spring form pan because I find it much easier to get the finished product out!)

 
 
I created a Peppa Pig template by placing a clean sheet of paper over my computer screen and tracing Peppa's face. (I felt like it was a bit wide, so I cut the template longer than I traced it.)
 
 
Cut out and place your Peppa Pig template over your cooled round cake and cut around the template.







To even out the top, you will want to use a knife that is at least as long as the diameter of your circle (10" in this case) . Place the knife and cut while turning the cake as if it were on a turn table.
 
 
Now your Peppa Pig cake is ready to be iced with good old fashioned icing! Be very careful as not to tear the cake while you are icing it! Start with a generous amount of icing in the middle of the cake and ice outward! 
 
 
 
 
 
Okay, so I was in a bit of a hurry and forgot to take pictures of the fondant process, but it is super easy! (I know, amateur...)
 
 
 
 
 
For the fondant, you will need:
 
  • One 10oz bg of mini marshmallows. 
  • 2 Tbsp water.
  • Blue and red food coloring.
  • 6-7 Cups powdered sugar.
 
Yes, that's all you need! It's pretty great, right?
 
 
First, Place all the marshmallows and the water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for one minute and let cool for one minute.
Microwave again for one more minute.
 
While the marshmallows are microwaving, prepare a wooden or silicone spoon by covering in lard and flour. ( I didn't have lard, so I just sprayed a silicone spoon (and my hands) with cooking spray and it worked out fine)
 
 
Once the mallows are done, begin stirring in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Be sure to either sift or sprinkle in the sugar so it doesn't lump!
 
Eventually you will get to the point where you will have to work it in with your hands. You may not need all the sugar. The fondant should not be sticky enough to stick to your hands like glue, but pliable enough too roll out.
 
At this point you may add a few drops of red/pink food coloring, but SAVE a 1" ball of white for the eyes! I made the mistake of forgetting that and I had to make a bit more fondant!
 
Work in your food dye and wash your hand immediately OR WEAR GLOVES!!
 
Now you are ready to roll out some dough!
Cover your work surface in powdered sugar so the fondant doesn't stick!
Begin to roll out your fondant using a rolling pin. It only needs to have a 11" diameter to cover the cake! Once you have a smooth, thick circle place the pink fondant over the iced Peppa cake!
 
Unless you have a fancy tool, use your clean fingers to lightly press the fondant down around the edges, be especially careful around the ears and snout as it could break. IF it does break, I have found that putting water on the break and working it back together with your hands in the best way to mend it.
 
Cut the extra fondant off around the edges of the cake.
 
Now using the extra fondant, add more red/pink dye to make it a bit darker. (If the fondant has hardened at all, you can microwave it for a few seconds!)
 
Wash your hands and begin rolling the fondant on the surface from the middle outward to create the outlines.
 
You will need one long, (about 20") outline to go around Peppa's face. If it doesn't stick to the existing fondant, you can use left over icing to 'glue' it on.
Make two more shorter outlines for the ears, and one 3" out line for the mouth.
 
Now you will need four circles. Two larger and two smaller, for the snout, cheek and eyes.
place the cheek and snout circle, and make two very small balls to place in the snout.
 
You're almost there!
 
Now, take the extra white fondant that we saved earlier, and roll it out a bit (Don't forget to 'sugar' your surface!)
Using any circle you have (I used a shot glass) Cut out two circles for the eyes, and add a bit of blue dye to whatever is left over for the pupils!
 
Place the white circles, then cover with the pink outlines and place the blue pupils!
 
 

 
I hope your Peppa Pig cake is a hit and that my tips have helped! Working with marshmallow fondant can be a bit frustrating at first, but once you get the hang of it, you can have great homemade cakes at a fraction of the cost :)
 
PLEASE comment and tell me if you have any suggestions for working with fondant! I am definitely not a professional and would love any ideas or tips!
 
Happy Baking!
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Planning a Phenomenal Peppa Pig Party!

Over the last few weeks I've been planning Baby Bug's second birthday. My main goal is to throw a fun, Pinterest-y party with LOW stress levels. I know what you're thinking. "How can a room full of two year olds be stress free?!" Well, it probably wont be (it definitely wont be!), but I figure the more prepared I am, the smoother things will go! :)
 
One of the first things I did was look up and write down each decoration or food that I need to make. Bug's birthday theme is going to be Peppa Pig, so let's look at all the projects I chose! All of the ideas came from Pinterest, because, well.... Pinterest.
 
  • Peppa Backdrop
  • Dinosaur Juice
  • Balloon Cloud Backdrop
  • Popcorn Cups
  • Muddy Pudding
  • Grandpa Pig's Fruit
  • Grandma Pig's Veggies
  • Utensils in Watering Can
  • Lasagna
  • Corndogs
  • Cheese & Crackers
  • Favor Bags
  • Cake
  • Floor Balloons
  • Coloring Activity
  • Cardboard Twinkle Castle
  • Giant Picture '2'
  • Food Flags
 
Once I decided on the projects, I began my shopping list. I tried to keep it simple and as stress free and possible by choosing projects that did not require a lot of time (or dishes.) I made my shopping list with two categories; food & misc.



 
Bug's Peppa Party
 
Ice
Strawberries
Broccoli
Veggie Dip (ranch)
Gummy Worms
Corndogs
Ketchup/Mustard
Chocolate Pudding Cups
Oreo Crumble
Popcorn
2 Boxes Vanilla Cake Mix
2 Bags Marshmallows
Cube Cheese
Ritz Crackers
Mini Water Bottles
Green Juice
Lasagna
Ice Chest
Cups
Paper Straws
Utensils
Napkins
15 White Balloons
Large Pack of Colorful Balloons
Construction Paper
String
Green Table Cloth
Coloring Pages
Crayons
Popcorn Cups
Watering can
Favor Bags
Poster& Pictures for “2”
Peppa Back Drop
Dino Juice Sign
Food Flags Toothpicks
Two Round Table cloths
Three Tier Table
Three Large Cardboard Boxes
Twinkle Lights
 
 
 
Lastly, I decided to go full OCD and draw out blue prints of how I want the tables laid out. Blue prints equals preparedness equals LESS STRESS! :)
 



Now, that I've satisfied my control craving, I'm ready to get this party started! Bring on the screaming kids and Baby Bug's inevitable break down because Momma's got lists and blueprints... and Wine (for after of course). :)

Thanks for checking out this post and look for an update on how the party went and pictures next week!




 

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Momma's First Blog!

Okay, so here it is! Time to put the kids to bed and break out the wine, because I'm breaking out of the mommy funk and starting a blog!
I have some hopes and dreams for Momma and Moscato, but for now, I just want to write and explore my own brain a bit. I'll be sharing funny thoughts, projects, parenting tips and experiences, meals, relationship reflections, hopes, prayers, dreams, and everything in between! I will also be exploring the world of vlogging once I have a better idea of what I would like to share with you guys! I hope this blog will be useful and fun to read for everyone, and I am so excited to get it up and running.
Full disclosure: I have no idea what I am doing. Enjoy!