{Recipe} Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

A couple of weeks ago was my MIL's birthday.

I was in charge of dessert, so I asked her what she wanted as a birthday treat?

She told me...

"Anything Chocolate!"

So I created...

Mini Chocolate Cakes with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

 Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

4oz Cream Cheese, softened

1 stick Butter, softened

2/3 cup Nutella 

2 T. Cocoa Powder

4 cups Powdered Sugar

1 T. Vanilla Extract

Milk as needed

Caramel Sauce *optional*

Chocolate Jimmies *optional*

Cake Prep

I used my go to Scratch Recipe for Chocolate Cake.  I need to get that recipe on here soon!  It has more than a normal cake mix, so if you need a lot of mini cakes... you may need two boxes of cake mix.

I baked my chocolate cake in a jelly roll pan so that the cake was about an inch-inch and a half thick.

Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, I cut out multiple circles approx. 24.

I then spooned and spread a layer of caramel onto each mini cake so that it could start to soak in.

Frosting Prep

Beat the cream cheese and butter together, then add Nutella until incorporated.

Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, then slowly add to the mixing bowl. 

Add the vanilla extract.

Add the milk as needed for desired consistency.

Using a 2D Wilton tip, make a frosting rosette- starting from the center of each mini cake.

Stack the cakes so that they are 2 high.

Drizzle more caramel sauce and top with chocolate jimmies

Reality Check-
How is it that Blogger and Pinterest still don't consider Nutella a word?  It is a beautifully delicious word:)


I used a caramel sauce that was too runny.  This would have tasted better, with a richer flavor if I would have used a thick caramel sauce... store bought or homemade.


The combination of the toasted hazelnuts in the Nutella and the cream cheese, for some reason reminded me of camping and roasting mallows. Who knows why, other than I am weird:)


These were the perfect little portion with a great cake to frosting ratio.  The flavor combinations that you can do with these are practically limitless.


Linked to~ My Favorite Finds

{Party} Surprise Barbell Birthday Party

Today is Matt's 28th Birthday!

 He has class tonight, and won't get home until after 8pm.

I wanted to do something fun for him, since I knew we couldn't celebrate tonight.

2 months ago I started planning...

something small...

A SURPRISE Party!

I lied to Matt and told him I got my mom to take care of the kids so that we could go out for our Anniversary (5 years next week:)

I made an invite, hoping for secrecy.

I planned it on a day that ended up being homecoming, and my cousins birthday...

so it was Matt's immediate family, and my immediate family

and we had a blast.

I made a Barbell Cake to fit the theme...

Nutella Rice Krispie Treat "Protein Bars"...

Oreo Suckers with Red, Silver, and Black Sprinkles...

and Bottled Water.

When Matt got home, I blindfolded him...
I guided him to the car and got him thoroughly confused.
I led him to the church, and he knew we were there because of that "church building smell"

I untied the blindfold...
and everyone yelled SURPRISE!

Then Asher went and licked the cake... he couldn't wait anymore:)

I got Matt a wok, since we recently tried and LOVED Thai Food.
I added some jasmine rice, sweet Thai chili sauce, bamboo cooking tongs, and a Love Notes journal.

I went for simple
Matt had fun
and the kids loved surprising Daddy:)

SUCCESS!

Happy Birthday Matt
I LOVE You Always!!!
 Linking to- Whipperberry, Ladybird Lane, Delicate Construction, The Answer is Chocolate

{Party} Pinkalicious

My cousin's little girl Kadence celebrated her 5th Birthday this past weekend.  She wanted a Pinkalicious Party after the book, and her mom spent a couple of months preparing for the party.

 Her parents did a stupendous job, especially considering that her mommy was in a car accident and broke her kneecap a couple of days before the party.  Kadence was a happy girl with all of the effort her parents put into her party.

I helped by making 6 dozen cupcakes for the party.  She wanted them super PINK, so I obliged:)

Her parents put together a bunch of fun party favors and treats for the kids.

David and Leanne even put together cute bags of treats to rid yourself of Pinkititis, like in the book.

Leanne had my Aunt Barb read the story to some of the younger kids at the party.  I had never heard of this book, but both of my kids thought it was fun and silly.


Asher was so excited to finally be able to eat a cupcake.  These cupcakes were so pink, it made Abbie's diapers Pinkalicious for the next two days:)

We got to the party before everyone else to set up the cupcakes and help with anything else.  That meant that Asher, Abbie, Kadence, and Shelby got to play on the bouncy slide before everyone else got there.

This is the Birthday Girl's little sister Shelby.  Shelby was just as excited for Kadence's birthday as she would be for her own... she was so cute.

The three girls together

Look at the angle of Abbie's feet in this picture... this was right before she did an awesome face plant, then got back up for more:)

All of the kids had SO MUCH FUN!  Asher played so hard, that he actually got sweaty.  Both of the kids slept so well that night.

Asher and Abbie both catching some serious air.

 

The kids also loved the balls at the bottom of the slide, though my kids called it popcorn... I guess we will never have normal names for things;)

David and Leanne did such an excellent job.  Every kid at the party had a blast.  It got so hard to take pictures of everybody because there were so many kids moving, dancing, and jumping around:) All Asher can talk about is having a bouncy slide when he turns five NEXT YEAR. 

{Party} Minnie Mouse Birthday Party

I had so much fun planning Abbie's 2nd Birthday party.  She always talks about "Ninnie Nouse," so I thought Minnie Mouse would be the perfect theme for her birthday.  I learned so much while setting up this party and I love that I get to evolve and grow during each event's process.

I made Abbie's shirt using a $3 white ruffled sleeve t-shirt, and some Tulip Fabric Paint in Glossy Black that I had leftover from Matt's race project. 

For the white backdrop I used this tutorial and made my own version.  It cost me $4 for the white sheet and $3.50 total for the pieces of wood.  The excellent thing is... now I can customize the backdrop for each party.  I can paint the sheets, use vinyl cutouts, draw images with a projector, use different colored sheets.  It is a most affordable asset to have for my parties. 

I did learn with the frame, that I either need to cut 6" off of the bottom of the frame, or use a taller display table.  I don't like the ratio of blank space to decorations.  I also learned a lot about proper table set up, which did not occur this time around;)

I made the pennant banner for $5 and the letter "A" was only $1.50.  Affordable and easy.  My goal is to get one of each letter of the alphabet, but we'll see.

These balloons met their demise the day after the party, when Asher found a pink party fork and had a happy time demolishing the balloons.  (My mom introduced them to balloon popping and the kids LOVE it... I prefer to watch them fly away in the sky, but whatever)

I got two cute mini pink metal buckets with white polka dots that I filled with marbles and black crinkle gift paper to tie the balloons to as weights.  The buckets were $1.50 each at Hobby Lobby and the crinkle paper was $1.50 at Wal Mart. It all comes together in the little details.

I finally got to use my Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutter I got at Disneyland last year.  The ears are more fragile than I realized, but they were all gone by the end of the night:)  I frosted them with melted chocolate that I dyed pink, and sprinkled with edible white pearls.

Because the gel paste food coloring is water based, I had to add some shortening to the chocolate because the water made it start to seize up.  Next time I know to use powdered coloring.

I was proud of my ingenuity for the cupcakes.  I used white cake mix divided three ways. One bowl was left white, one bowl was dyed Fuchsia, and one bowl was dyed black.  The cupcake wrappers were leftover from Asher's Birthday, I used my Buttercream Frosting Recipe,  and I made Oreo Truffles with Oreo Mini's as the ears.  I will do a recipe post on these later.

This was the Photobooth Backdrop I made for the party.  It cost me $2 for the crepe paper, $4 for the Fuchsia fabric, and everything else I had on hand.

I just used thumb tacks and hooked it straight to the wall, because we still have to finish the living room, so I wasn't worried about leaving holes in the wall.

My mom helped me so much, and it was her birthday too.  I made the Minnie Mouse Headbands as props for the photobooth (Tutorial coming soon, cost me $0) My mom was great to let me practice with my camera, and to see how this was all going to come together. 

I learned more of what can be done beforehand, and what needs to be done the day of the party.  I didn't utilize my mom's help to the best advantage, so not all of the treats got made for the table.  the best pictures are taken during the daylight hours, because there is only so much you can do with exposure and photo editing.

The party still turned out great, and Abbie had a blast... which really was the most important part:)

{Party} Asher's Birthday Bash Part I

(Asher's favorite was the "smoke" in the root beer. I think Claire was thinking, "Why is is he spitting/blowing in the rootbeer?")

It was Asher and Claire's 3rd birthday, so I decided to celebrate them together with a Younger Cousin Halloween Party.

 I let Asher choose and help with a lot of the details, and we had a blast together getting it ready.

I can't believe that it has already been three years.  He is so smart, and when he uses big adult words, with his little voice, it cracks me up.  He is the biggest percentage wise, that he has ever been, at about thirty one pounds and 30%.  He is 38 1/2 inches and missed being able to ride Splash Mountain by an inch and a half.  Maybe next time:)  I love that he plays the "Save Me Tickle Game"  Matt tickles Asher and his giggle makes my heart soar.  He then gasps for me to save him and waits for daddy to return.  His imagination grows each day, and it is awesome to see where the adventures take him, and us.  I love the fact that he wants to be such a helper with the farm, with cooking, and with crafting.  He is going to be an awesome missionary one day:)

Onto the party...   

The Favors

Multicolored Crayons

 Asher helped break the crayons and I put them in a silicone mold to bake at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes.  At first I wanted to to what Jill at Homemade by Jill did, but I didn't have the time or patience. The crayons looked so cool, but a tip if you make these...

 Don't unwrap 96 crayons by hand, it will take FOREVER! I used scissors and dug into the paper and the crayon, it is going to be broken anyway.  Also, Crayola Crayons are the best, don't try and use the cheap stuff or they won't turn out as well.

Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

I used the same silicone jack o lantern mold as the crayons.  I got the idea on How Does She, it was so easy to make, and works great.  You can use any of the Wilton Cake Gels, and make a variety of colors.  The options are endless.

The Food

Creepy Cupcakes

 Asher knew months before his birthday that he wanted a purple cake.  I used a white cake mix dyed purple and my homemade chocolate cake and marbled them together for his cupcakes. I got some fun lime green polka dot liners, black polka dot liners, and vibrant purple liners to go with the Halloween palette we chose. I got an awesome deal at TheTomKat Studio for some of the Halloween cake toppers.  I made the "beware" toppers using Picnik.  Asher of course wanted bright purple frosting, so I made a yummy homemade butter cream frosting.

Franken Fingers

Asher helped dip the pretzel rods, and he and Abbie loved eating the leftover sprinkles. Bright, fun, and super easy.

Spider Web Cookies

 Asher told me that I had to use the sparkles on the cookies, so after I made the spider webs with Royal Icing, I used the edible Disco Dust.  They were soft and yummy, though it seems like my royal icing is never going to harden like it should. Oh well they were eaten, so no worries.

Yummy Mummies

I got the idea for these mummy suckers over at How Does She.  Asher helped make them at the same time as the pretzel rods.  They were easy, and the perfect salty sweet treat:)

Witches Wands

I wish I knew how to make these:) They were my favorite growing up, so I had to get some for Asher too.  Luckily, the local party store has many different flavors and colors. (The root beer is the best, but brown suckers would have totally thrown of the color theme) 

For dinner, my mom and step mom helped make Monster Eye Mini Pizzas, Bone Breadsticks, and Homemade Rootbeer.

The Decor

We used my awesome spooky tree that I made last year, and my mom's dungeon backdrop with "flickering" wall torches.  We also used here spooky candelabras and my creepy spider webs.  The only casualty was a picture frame that I will fix someday:)

 It was fun to set the stage of spooky magic for the little kids.  The cousins that were older, like Porter, noticed the small details like the skeleton bone ladle for the root beer.  None of the kids were scared, so the night was a success even though we started a little late.


Linked to- Life in the Motherhood

Birthday Banner

Here is the little birthday banner I made for Abbie's 1st birthday. I had 13 pictures to represent the time frame of new born , month 1, month 2, on up to month 12. I love the paper line, which I believe was from Papercrafts. I need to get more. There were probably easier ways I could have done this, but the end result worked just fine. Plus, now I can put it in her keepsake box for her to look at how much she changed in her first year. Asher loves to keep staring at the pictures, and looking at Abbie's various expressions. I love my babies.

{Party} Rainbow Birthday Cake

Abbie's 1st birthday has come and gone. This cake, well it didn't last forever, maybe 15 minutes; but the pictures sure are pretty. Abbie loved it! She kept on putting handfuls of this colorful cake in her happy to be naked, messy body via her ever smacking lips.

I started off with the recipe from Cheeky Kitchen for her Bow in the Clouds recipe with white chocolate frosting. That frosting was so yummy, I could have eaten just that. Each of the layers had a fruit flavor to go along with the color.

Red- Raspberry

Orange- Duh:)

Yellow- Lemon

Green- Lime

Blue- Blueberries

Purple- Blackberries

The kitchen smelled so yummy. Asher wanted to touch it, taste it, mix it, so I let him help me mash the berries. It was a fun cake to make, but definitely time consuming with the various components I wanted it to have.

Like I said in this post about the cake, I should have used the same brand of cake pans for all six layers. It wound up making the whole cake go in and out, and look a little lumpy. The frosting spread really well, and was super easy to make. I finally found a white cake recipe to try from scratch today. It looks just as simple as the chocolate one I make, because I have all of the ingredients on hand all of the time. Nothing special needed. Plus, it can make four dozen cupcakes, in one batch, oh yeah. The Pillsbury boxed White Cake Mix could have been where the issues began. I normally have no issues with the Pillsbury brand. The cake already has the pudding in the mix, and the cake wound up being so moist that the layers each had to sit in the refrigerator overnight to firm up. Otherwise, the tops would have ripped right off, and nobody likes to look at a cake that has huge chunks of crumbs were frosting should be and no perfectly baked top. Something else that helped was I purchased for about $3.00 (at Robert's with a coupon) the Wilton Bake Even Strips these strips made it so that each layer cooked evenly and I didn't have to cut the tops off. (Except maybe then I would have got the chance to taste the cake:)

I covered the cake with Marshamallow Fondant. The MMF helped to smooth out the lumpiness of the cake. I still need a lot of work in the large cake being covered in fondant area, but overall it was fine. I wrapped the bottom in a lime grosgrain ribbon. Then I bought sugarpaste powder(coupon- Roberts) and made it up. I used my fondant tools to make the little flowers; after I tinted it rose pink. I then made a simple royal icing to use as the flower's middle.
Abbie is one, she didn't care if it was lumpy or crumb-y, as long as she can look back and see all of the work I went to. I realize, especially now that the party is over, that it was 25% for her and 75% for me. I had so much fun prepping over the two and a half months leading up to the party.

Here is the wooden doll cake topper I painted. The little wooden stands were only two for $1. The dolls were two for $2.50 (coupon- Robert's) I just painted it to represent Abbie with three brown tones in swirls to imitate her curls. Then I sealed it all with a Krylon Gloss spray. I should not have affixed it to the stand with hot glue, when I went to remove the topper, the doll tore off.

I thought the cake was fun to make, it was time consuming, but fun. Hopefully next time I make it, I will actually get to taste it. We are doing a Wizard of Oz theme for young Women in Excellence, and maybe I will do this cake again, or better yet as cupcakes. I can't wait.

Enjoy!