Family Theme Halloween Costumes

I understand if you are a little confused.

You are probably thinking, "Um...where is the CAKE?"

Today I decided to share one of our family traditions with you.

Six years of family theme Halloween costumes!

This year we chose a Star Wars theme.

If you read my last post with the Butterscotch Bundt Cake recipe,

you already know that my oldest daughter is a huge Star Wars fan.

 

And here are our costumes from years past...

My secret weapon is that my mom is a fantastic seamstress,

and has spent many hours helping us make these costumes!

Alice in Wonderland (2011)

My parents even joined in on the fun!

Dr. Seuss (2010)

 Toy Story 2 (2009)

Steve Irwin & Crocodiles (2008)

The Incredibles (2007)

I hope you enjoyed taking a look at our family theme costumes.

Does your family dress up together too?

Tell me about your favorite costumes!

Happy Halloween!

Butterscotch Bundt Cake

When my 13 year old daughter created her first email account,
she combined two things that she loves to come up with a name for herself...
"Butterscotch Jedi".

This Butterscotch Bundt Cake is dedicated to her.

I decided to keep it simple by starting with a yellow cake mix,
which I jazzed up with butterscotch pudding, melted butter and rum extract.
The cake turned out really buttery and moist.

Then I used butterscotch chips to make a glaze.
I was too impatient to let it cool & thicken, so I let my cake swim in a lake of butterscotch
and spooned a liberal amount over each slice of cake.

Sometimes it pays to be impatient. :0)

Butterscotch Bundt Cake

by Bird On A Cake

6035579

Ingredients

Butterscotch Bundt Cake

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 (4 serving) box butterscotch instant pudding
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons rum extract

Butterscotch Glaze

• 3/4 cup butterscotch chips
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a bundt cake pan. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Place the butterscotch chips in a small metal bowl. Heat cream over medium heat. Watch it closely and immediately remove from heat when it starts to boil. Pour over butterscotch chips. Let sit for 2 minutes, then slowly stir the mixture. Continue to stir until all the chips have completely melted. Let cool slightly before pouring over cake.

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  "Mom, you will give me all the cake."

Enjoy!

Would you like another delicious bundt cake recipe?
Check out my Red Velvet Bundt Cake.

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

This recipe was featured!

Toothy Monster Cupcakes

Here is a simple tutorial for some fun Halloween cupcakes!

I just love their big mouths full of pointy teeth,

and their staring zombie eyes...

Toothy Monster Cupcakes  

I was inspired by these cupcakes on the Wilton site.

What You Will Need:

A batch of cupcakes

Chocolate ganache or melted chocolate fudge frosting

Decorator bags fitted with a round tip (Wilton #12)
A batch of buttercream frosting

Purple and yellow food coloring gel

M&M's

First, cover the tops of your cupcakes with ganache or melted frosting.

Let them cool and harden.

Color 1/2 cup of the buttercream yellow. Divide the rest into two bowls.

Leave one bowl of buttercream white and color the other bowl of buttercream purple.

Pipe purple buttercream along the top third of the cupcake,

moving back and forth in a zigzag motion.

 Make the teeth by piping a dot, then pulling away quickly to form a point.

 Pipe two large dots of yellow buttercream for the eyes, and press M&M's into the dots.

  

Watch out, he bites!! 

  

Enjoy!

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

And this holiday link party...

This post was featured!

Chocolate Orange Spider Web Cake

Have you ever combined two things that you love,
to discover that together they make something even more awesome?

That's what is going on here today.
Because, chocolate + orange = WOW!!

Chocolate Orange Cake

I was inspired by those yummy chocolate oranges you smack on the table to break into slices.

And orange sticks. And Jaffa cakes (it's a British thing).

I added orange extract to my favorite chocolate cake,
covered it with orange cream cheese frosting,
and topped it all with chocolate ganache.

And this flavor combination just happens to make Halloween colors.

So I put a spider web on the top to make it fun.

Chocolate Orange Cake

by Bird On A Cake

6034094

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup boiling water
• 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 buttermilk (OR 1 c. milk mixed with 1 T. vinegar)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange extract

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• orange gel food coloring

Chocolate Ganache

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of three 8 inch round cake pans with wax paper and grease the sides. Bring a small pan of 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, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and orange extract. Beat with 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. Batter will be thin. Pour the batter into prepared pans and bake for 18-22 minutes (until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean).

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Allow cream cheese and butter to stand at room temperature and soften. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, orange extract and vanilla. Gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar. Mix in food coloring.

Chocolate Ganache

Place the chocolate chips in a metal bowl. Heat the cream over medium heat. Watch it closely and immediately remove from heat when it starts to boil. Pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for 2 minutes. Slowly stir the mixture until all the chips have completely melted and it is thoroughly combined. Stir in the vanilla. Let the ganache cool if you prefer a thicker consistency.

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To Make the Spider Web:

Reserve some of your orange frosting, and put it in a decorator bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off. Immediately after spreading the ganache on the cake,  use the frosting to pipe a spiral that covers the top. Using a knife, start in the middle of the cake and pull lines through the frosting to the edge (like spokes on a wheel).

Helpful Hint: Don't use orange candy melts like me. They harden too quickly.

 Enjoy!

 Would you like another yummy orange cake recipe?
Try my Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes!

 I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.
   
This post was featured!