three

So. I think it would be fair to say that our niece Rylee makes life very, very fun. It feels like the sun shines just a little brighter when you’re near her. More than anything, I just love that the simplest things like doing a puzzle are extraordinary with her. This weekend we celebrated her third birthday.

I love few things more than the excuse to make a celebratory dessert. I think a large part of it is I actually don’t love desserts myself and having people around to eat said dessert is a big bonus. But, even more, I think nothing says Happy Birthday – you are super special and are so loved - quite like a home-baked cake.

This year Rylee was very clear with her request: “Auntie Lissa I have Strawberry Shortcake please”. Now if you know any little people, you know, this does not mean a dense yet delicate biscuit with fresh whipped cream and berries(see here if that’s what you are looking for) but rather a little girl with bright pink hair. So I set out trying to find a fun design to bring a smile to that sweet little face.

This is one of my all time favourite white cake recipes – it is a butter cake and tastes like the rich cookies you eat at Christmas.

Anna Olson’s Swedish Butter Cake

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Prepare cake/ cupcake pan(s) by spreading butter on bottom and sides; dust evenly with flour; tap out excess. Preheat oven to 350degrees F.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and well-blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Alternately add the dry ingredients and milk, beating after each addition, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. Stir in the vanilla extract
Spoon batter into the prepared pans, level the top, then spread the batter slightly toward the pan edges. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes for a cake or 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes or until the top is golden and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Frosting
• 1/4 cup 2% Milk
• 1 tablespoon 2% Milk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• icing sugar, sifted (3-4 cups)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat butter with electric beaters until fluffy. Add 2 cups of icing sugar, plus milk and vanilla and beat for 3 minutes on high speed until fluffy. Add remaining 1 to 2 cups icing sugar until frosting is a fluffy, spreadable consistency.

two

It is hard to put into words the joy our little niece has brought to our family. It seems as though I blinked and there she is two years old. A beautiful, sensitive, inquisitive little soul. It really blows my mind. Today was her birthday party, we celebrated with water balloons, sand castle making, sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Whenever I see her with bubbles I think of the line from knocked up " I wish I liked anything as much as they like bubbles" - it really is a beautiful thing to see.

Above is the tinkerbell cake I made for her party.

Happy Birthday pumpkin head.

The field on the bottom is vanilla cake baked in a 12" square pan, covered with icing (I used the hair/grass tip and wilton icing tint).

The tree stump is made out of chocolate cake and baked in two 6x2" round pans, covered in icing. I used the icing tint and a kebab stick to make circles in the tree stump. I also used the icing to make the roots.

The flowers and leaves are made out of fondant.
Tinkerbell, is actually a candle I bought at the bulk barn. I put some leaves and flowers around her base in order to make her look more like part of the cake.