Hummingbird Cake with Petal Tutorial

Have you ever heard of Hummingbird Cake?

It's a southern recipe.

It is a banana-pineapple-walnut-spice cake with cream cheese frosting.
I also added applesauce in place of most of the oil.

If you like banana bread, you will LOVE this cake!
It is moist, dense and so delicious.

Plus, you get to use some of those over-ripe bananas in your freezer!
(Please tell me that I am not the only one with a plethora of bananas in my freezer...)

Hummingbird Cake

by Bird On A Cake

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Ingredients

Hummingbird Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 8 oz. can crushed pineapple (with juice)
• 2 cups diced ripe bananas
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Hummingbird Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of three 8 inch cake pans with wax paper, and grease the sides.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add applesauce, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Stir in pineapple, bananas and walnuts. Divide equally into prepared pans.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla. Add the sugar a few cups at a time, beating until fluffy.

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Now I'm going to show you how to decorate it with a petal technique.

A yummy recipe and a decorating tutorial...it's a Two-fer!

This design was inspired by My Cake School.
I think it is my new favorite - so easy and so pretty!

• Cover your cake with a crumb coat (very thin layer of frosting).
• Prepare a decorating bag with a large round tip (Wilton #12).
• Pipe a vertical line of dots on the side of your cake.
• Use a small spatula to press down on each dot, dragging to the right.
• Make another line of dots, just to the right of your petals. Repeat.

For the top of the cake, I did the same technique in circles.
A spiral would have worked even better.

FYI, this cake will have a "back side". When you get back to where you started,
you will have a seam where the petals meet up.

You should give it a try!

Enjoy!

I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

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Nutella {Chocolate Hazelnut} Cupcakes

Moms everywhere (that would be ME) are counting down until the first day of school.
It's almost here...
Wahoo!! 

Let's take a break from Back to School shopping and celebrate, shall we?

I think this calls for chocolate. And nutella! I give you...

Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream!

Here are the star ingredients in this recipe...

The coffee creamer adds a touch of hazelnut flavor to the chocolate cupcakes,

and makes them super moist and delicious.

The nutella makes the buttercream out of this world!

Seriously, you will be eating it right out of the bowl. With your fingers.

 Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream

by Bird On A Cake

Yield: 30 cupcakes

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Ingredients

Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup hazelnut coffee creamer
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Nutella Buttercream

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your muffin pans with paper liners. Bring some water to a boil and keep it simmering while you mix the other ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, hazelnut creamer, oil and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until combined.

Add 1 cup of the boiling water and carefully stir until it is mixed in. Beat for 1 1/2 minutes with mixer. Pour batter into paper liners, filling each 2/3 full. Bake for 15-17 minutes (until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean). Allow cupcakes to cool on a rack.

Nutella Buttercream

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and Nutella on low speed. Alternately add sugar and cream; mix until fluffy. If not desired consistency, add more cream one tablespoon at a time. Keep covered.

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Garnish each cupcake with a piece of chocolate hazelnut candy bar.
Enjoy!

I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

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Orange & Pink Polka Dot Cake

Today I am sharing a super simple way to make a polka dot cake.

 

What is my secret to perfectly round dots that are all the same size?

Candy melts!

 

The directions are very simple.

After frosting your cake, press the candy melts into the frosting with the flat side up.

You can arrange them in a pattern or place them randomly.

You can create lots of variations on this idea, just by using different color combinations ...

White candy melts on blue or pink frosting for a baby shower!

Brown candy melts on orange frosting for Halloween!

A rainbow of colors on white frosting!

I'm sure you can think of more great possibilities.

I chose an orange and pink combination just because I think they are pretty together.

Then I used my Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes recipe for the cake.

Have you tried it yet?

It is one of my absolute favorite recipes...YUM!!

Enjoy!

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4 Ingredient Cherry Crumble {aka Dump Cake}

There is no possible way you can mess up this recipe.

There is no measuring or mixing involved.

It has only 4 ingredients,
and it is delicious!

Do I have your attention yet?

I was introduced to this easy dessert many years ago.

At the time, I was told it was called "Dump Cake".

It earned this name because you just dump everything in the pan, and you're done.

Although a cake mix is involved, this recipe is more like a fruit cobbler or crumble.
And I think it deserves a more appetizing name, because it's SO yummy!
 So, I am calling it Cherry Crumble.

Much better, don't you think?

Ingredients

one can crushed pineapple

one can cherry pie filling

one box cake mix (yellow or vanilla)

1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine

 

First, evenly spread the crushed pineapple on the bottom of a 9X13 pan.

 

Second, drop spoonfuls of the cherries on top.

(I may be a bit obsessive about cherry placement. Don't be like me.)

Third, sprinkle your cake mix on top, covering all the fruit.

Fourth, cut the butter into squares and arrange on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown.
Your house will smell sooo good!

Serve while warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, and you have...

Perfection!

4 Ingredient Cherry Crumble {aka Dump Cake}

by Bird On A Cake

6061166

Ingredients

• one can crushed pineapple
• one can cherry pie filling
• one box cake mix (yellow or vanilla)
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Evenly spread the crushed pineapple on the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Drop spoonfuls of the cherries on top. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly on top, covering all the fruit. Cut the butter into squares and arrange on top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown.

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 Take this to your next potluck. You will be very popular. :0)
Enjoy!

 I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

British Flag {Union Jack} Cupcake Toppers

I have a confession to make...

I am an anglophile.

Wait, don't run away!

That just means that I am obsessed with Great Britain and all things British.

When I was 21 years old, I spent 18 months as a missionary in Wales and England.

I walked the streets of little villages and rode my bike through big city roundabouts.

I saw amazing history and architecture without ever going to a museum.

 I learned to recognize what county someone was from by their accent.

 I ate bangers & mash, beans on toast and trifle with clotted cream.

I got rained on a LOT. 

Kidwelly Castle, Wales

 

Basically, I got to know Great Britain and it's people really well...

And I love them!!

 

 As you can guess, I am thrilled that the 2012 Summer Olympics are in London!

You better believe that I will be glued to the TV, waiting to catch a glimpse of the country I love.

And I made Union Jack Cupcake Toppers in preparation...

  
You will need:
A batch of frosted cupcakes
White candy melts or almond bark
Wilton "Red-Red" icing color gel
Wilton "Royal Blue" icing color gel
Decorating bags fitted with small round tip (Wilton #2)
lollipop sticks

Download and print out this template:

Tape your template on to a piece of cardboard or the back of a cookie sheet.
Tape wax paper over the template.

Melt some candy melts according to package directions, and divide into three bowls.
Leave one bowl white, color one red and one blue.
 Place each color in a separate decorating bag.

  Trace the white parts of the flags first. Pipe a few lines at a time, then use a toothpick to push the candy melts into corners and straighten up lines.

 
Next, fill in the red parts of the flags.

 
Finally, fill in the blue parts of the flags. Place them in the refrigerator to set up.

 
 When your flags have hardened, carefully peel them off the wax paper.
Put a dollop of candy melts on the right side, and press a lollipop stick into it.

After the sticks have set up, Insert a flag into the top of each cupcake.

These cuties would be a fun treat for your Olympic Opening Ceremonies party. :0) 
Cheers! 

I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

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