Maybe before you read further, I should remind you I am not a perfectionist. I do not expect, with my minimal experience and skills, to produce beautiful results.
Cakes are not my thing. Really. They rarely come out of the pan nicely. And then when I try to frost them, it's nothing but a fight. (And then I don't really like to eat them too much either...especially the frosting. I actually just eat the cake and share the frosting with someone else.)
Being that Birthday Week takes place every year in our home in October when all three of my children celebrate their birthdays within a week of one another, I really tried to offer other options for them. Unfortunately, the two older children still wanted cake/cupcakes. (I just did the same for the youngest.)
So when I saw on Pinterest (follow me on Pinterest here) that you could microwave a can of frosting and just pour it on the cake, I thought I finally found a way to stop the fight. (To do this you remove the lid, microwave for 30 seconds and stir...and then continue to heat for another 30 seconds or so. Then just pour it on the cake.) I had done this successfully a few months ago when I made an "Eclair Cake" that uses graham crackers and pudding. Because it was made in a pan, it worked fine. When I tried to do this on Big Sister's seventh birthday cake which was setting on a cake carrier, it didn't work. There is no easy way to not make a mess of the cake pan with this method that I could see. But that is not the funny part. Just background of how frustrated I was.
After the frosting on Big Sister's cake cooled, I made a lovely template from paper of the number five. I set it on the cake, and made a giant "5" in sprinkles on Big Sister's birthday cake. It was the best I could do considering all of the frosting frustration. After our meatloaf dinner (her favorite), I took the cover off the cake. My husband asked, "Why is there a five on the cake?" Big Sister was celebrating her 7th birthday...not 5th! I quickly apologized and covered the entire top in sprinkles. It wasn't exactly pretty, but she was very forgiving.
You may laugh now. Go ahead. I'll wait.
For Little Sister and Brother's cakes I had already planned to try the Cool Whip and pudding frosting. It is incredibly easy to make and SUPER easy to frost a cake with it! In fact, it was so easy to frost the cake with NO frustration, that I played around with decorating a little. (Previously, sprinkles in designs and M&M's cake decorations were my favored options.)
Don't laugh at this being the "pretty" cake of the week. The lettering in her name was actually neat and centered! This is a cake made with Cool Whip and Pudding frosting. Remember, I am not a perfectionist. If I was these photos certainly wouldn't be here!
1 small box pudding (any flavor in 3.9 oz size)
1 cup milk
1 tub Cool Whip type whipped topping, thawed (8 oz)
Whisk milk and pudding together for two minutes. Mix in Cool Whip thoroughly. Spread on the cake. To use for cake decoration, chill for two hours.
When using a piping bag, it will warm in your hands quickly, so you may want to work in small batches. Also, some designs may not hold well since this frosting is not as thick as standard frosting.
This frosting is light and fluffy! It is not overly sweet like standard frosting. For Brother's fifth birthday, I attempted some designs on the five cupcakes we ate that night in celebration. I was able to do these without any practice. (I am not saying they look wonderful, just letting you know that it really was simple.) Just start on the outside and work your way to the inside.
~ Annette {This Simple Mom}
I am not good with cake or frosting, either -- not even the ready-made frosting you just squeeze out of a tube. Once when using that the tube burst and frosting started coming out the side of it. :-/ I had never heard of microwaving the ready-made frosting or the cool whip and pudding idea - thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteI've been using the Wilton buttercream frosting recipe for the last several years, and I like it. THIS looks really good, though, and I like that it won't taste so sweet. I might just have to try it for Bubblebee's birthday, which is rapidly approaching.
ReplyDeleteAnd, your cakes/cupcakes look great!!
Plus, thank you for mentioning the meatloaf! I forgot I wanted to make it for the men of the house. Friday is grocery shopping day, so I think it's on the menu(and lentil loaf for me!) :) We tried the cheeseburger macaroni last week, and Jonathan says its a keeper(as all of your recipes we've tried are!)