I made this lovely cake and thought I would share the recipe and decorating technique!
Last year I made Irish Car Bomb cupcakes and I didn’t even get to eat one because they were all SO good! They were modeled off of the drink that mixes Guiness Beer, Jameson Whiskey, and Bailey’s Irish Cream. So the cupcakes and cake pack quite a punch as well! I was making cupcakes and ran out of liners, so I decided to make a cake as well! I made a double batch and had enough for two batches of cupcakes and a very small round cake.
Irish Car BombCake and cupcake recipe:
I found this recipe from a website here. But it was all done from scratch. I tried to save time and used a cake mix and can icing with some adjustments. Here is my recipe.
Well you know from my previous posts, I don’t measure out exact…so this is more of a guideline.
Cake: follow directions according to box chocolate cake except use Guiness beer instead of water. Be careful, the cake rises more than normal during the baking process. I only filled the cupcakes half way.
Chocolate filling:
For the cupcakes I used a tiny spoon an cut out a 1 inch cube from the center. This is where the filling will go. I melted chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl then stirred them until creamy. Add a couple teaspoons of Jameson Irish Whiskey in and stir. It will start to clump and get hard. I wanted it not to drip but still able to spread. Then I filled the holes of the cupcakes with it.
For the cake, I just made a layer on top. The original recipe calls for heavy cream, but I did not want to keep the cake refrigerated so I left it out.
Icing:
I took a can of vanilla icing and mixed it with some Baileys Irish Cream and then some powdered sugar to thicken it up a bit. When it was the consistency I wanted I just iced the cake and cupcakes as usual. If the icing is too thin and watery, add more powdered sugar and use a hand mixer to make it smooth. If it is too thick add more Bailey’s. It is all how you want it to taste and how strong you want your icing!
When the cupcakes were iced I added a little green sprinkles to be festive.
The Shamrock decoration:
I looked for a shamrock stencil and didn’t have one, so I had to improvise. First I put a few sprinkles all over the cake, then blended them in with the frosting. This way the entire cake was decorated slightly and when there are a few stray sprinkles from the shamrock, it won’t be as noticeable.
Next I took heart cookie cutter and held it gently over the cake. I filled the heart with green sprinkles. Then repeated this two other times, turing the heart to make the shape of a shamrock. The stem was a little trickier. I poured sprinkles in my hand and carefully sprinkled them in a line to create the stem. Then I took my icing knife and “cleaned up” the edges by smoothing the stray sprinkles into the icing. (This is why I put sprinkles all over it to begin with)
I was pretty impressed with the shamrock and this could be done on any cake with any shape! It really was easy. Just use a cookie cutter or any stencil and sprinkles! Have fun and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
I learned this trick a few years ago and thought every single mom in the world knew it too. But the other day one of my Mommy friends had never heard of this. So for the few people that are not doing this for their kids, I had to do a blog post.
My girls love snacks, especially popsicles, but that gets SO unhealthy. So I have found a healthier alternative. We take the squeeze yogurts (like Yoplait Go-Gurt or the organic kind Horizon Tuberz) and I put them right in the freezer. Then when my kids want a snack, I cut the frozen one in half and I have the perfect little popsicle.
I then wrap a paper towel around it to keep their little hands from getting cold. It is not messy, doesn’t usually drip and they LOVE them. Now I know those are still full of sugar and not exactly the healthiest snack, but they are a heck of a lot better than most popsicles, plus the make ZERO mess!
I found these reusable tubes (here for link) on Amazon where you can fill your own up with whatever you want. This may be a much healthier alternative. The only down side is the convenience factor…I have to take the time to fill them up! But maybe I can stick left over smoothie (click here for the recipe) in them and the girls can eat that frozen too.
What did you do for Valentine’s day? Kares wanted to give treats to everyone at school, everyone at dance class, and everyone in the neighborhood. I wanted something a little different than the typical Valentine and wanted something she helped create….but not too expensive of course!
We made chocolate and sprinkled marshmallows! They were a hit.
The ingredients were simple and cheap! Marshmallows, white chocolate (only because ours had to be pink…dark or milk chocolate will be great too), sprinkles, and food coloring.
First I melted the chocolate and added the color. I used a double boiler (I don’t actually have one, so really it was a pot of boiling water with a different pot on top that held the chocolate). You can also melt it in the microwave, but the chocolate will harden after a little bit. If you have a big batch use your crockpot and the chocolate will stay melted and creamy until you are done! Then using a toothpick or I prefer a long skewer and dip the end of the marshmallow in the chocolate.
Next I put sprinkles in a shallow bowl and gently touched them with the hot chocolate on the marshmallow.
(pay no attention to the tiny feet…she helps me cook by sitting on the counter so she can reach!)
Then let them cool on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. No need to even refrigerate!
Kares had fun helping me make them and they didn’t break the bank! They were pretty easy as well. I also made them for Kailani’s birthday party i left them on a stick for her party and maybe will do them for St. Patrick’s day as well. Just change the color sprinkle and chocolate. I even saw different shaped and colored marshmallows if you want to get really fancy.
Today is the last of my “Healthy Eating Series” click here for Days one and two.
I always try and have my girls help me cook dinner. We talk about the ingredients, we discuss what is healthy and how it helps your body. They know that carrots help you see, broccoli helps you fight sickness, and cookies are not healthy at all! This way they are learning good habits and I want them to know why they have to eat healthy rather than doing it because I said so.
When they do help me cook they either sit on the counter or stand on a stool. This way they can take an active part and actually help! My other motive behind them helping me cook is that they are constantly wanting to snack on what they are cooking. So they snack on healthy things before dinner. (click here to see my post on that)
They also are more likely to try new things and eat what they cook. If they made it, they want to eat it.
Here are a few of our favorite recipes that have little or no processed food or carbs in them. We don’t eat like this every night, but really try most days!
Here is the second post about healthy eating. Click here to read the first one.
I love smoothies, and so do my kids! Here is a “recipe” for one of our very healthy, very yummy smoothies!
Now anyone who knows me well, knows I don’t cook using exact measurements, so my smoothie recipe (if you call it that) is more of a general guideline!
I first start with a blender full of baby spinach and baby kale. I don’t pack it in, just drop a bunch in.
Next I put in a few spoonfuls of low fat Greek yogurt.
Then I add some kind of citrus like orange, clementine, or grapefruit. Something to counteract the taste of the kale. I used some pineapple today because I was all out of oranges. That was delicious!
Next I add 100% juice in. I use whatever I have in the fridge (meaning whatever kind was on sale this week). Orange, apple, cranberry, or whatever. I put enough in to make it blend and creamy. Sometimes I have to add more if it is not blending well.
Next I add in some frozen berries. Usually strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. (when my fresh fruit is about to go bad, I stick it in the freezer. This way I don’t waste food and have frozen fruit for smoothies!)
My last ingredient is flaxseed meal. I put in two tablespoons. It is great for omega-3!
Then I blend until it is creamy. If it is too much like ice cream, add more juice. It makes enough for my two girls and a glass for me!
Make it how you like it. Add more berries or even a banana or an apple if that is what you like. It isn’t an exact science, have fun and enjoy. My girls certainly do!
Just like most people, I am really trying to eat healthier and feed my kids healthier! I thought I would share some of the tricks, recipes, and ways I am doing this at home. Now I don’t live in a dream world…I am not always successful. My kids eat crap sometimes, whine a lot, pitch fits, and complain about what I cook. BUT most days they eat healthy with a smile, they love what I make to eat and ask for more. So I thought I would share what works for us MOST of the time. HAHA
I really want to keep my blog posts short and sweet, because honestly who has time to read a blog anyway? So I will just post one or two ideas every few days. (You can subscribe to get my blog via email each time I post so you won’t miss any if you are interested!)
Healthy Eating Post 1
My kids always seem to ask for a snack right before we are ready to eat dinner. I don’t want them filling up on junk and then not eating my meal. I could just say no and make them wait, but I hate depriving them of food if they are actually hungry, plus they are SO whiny that time of day…no one wants to listen to it!
So I always try to give them something super healthy to hold them over (and stop the constant whining)! I usually have raw vegetables for them. They know they can eat carrots, cucumbers, red pepper sticks, or some other vegetable. Sometimes I will make them a smoothie (recipe to come in a few days!). I cut up apple fries or other fresh fruit. The strangest snack they love are frozen peas! Yes frozen! I just put them in a bowl for the girls and they eat them right up!
Now, they may not finish their dinner these nights, but at least I know they filled up on healthy food first. I don’t care if they don’t eat everything at dinner if they had a whole bowl of carrot sticks before dinner!
Only Little Once 