Birthday Cakes- Almond cream cheese Pound Cake

I started the tradition when T was 1.....then and there I realized this is a mistake!! I made T's first birthday cake homemade, with homemade butter cream icing & fondant. It took me 4 hours just to decorate it!! I made 3 cakes the few weeks prior to to TEST and see what it would be like. Glad I did- because the bakery would have gotten a 911 call from ME!! Not until about a year later did I notice I put all that time and effort into decorating the Cake & making it look just right.....that I miss spelled BIRTHDAY!!! I realized it when I was looking at this picture in an album one day!! Funny, no one told me that day.....I would have corrected it and it would have sent me off the deep end probably. Planning and having my kids birthday parties is FUN- and after not having kids for so long- then having two back to back.....it is a lot of FUN to celebrate their birthdays....I try to ALL out!!!

Here is C and his cake. I made his simpler and in the shape of a 1! I went to my local craft store and bought all the cake decor, stencils, ready made fondant, and flavoring. I used a deep pan 11x19 I think and then carved and cut and place in different ways to make the shape right. Then used lots of ICING to cover it all up before placing the fondant on top. The fondant will show each and every mistake.
I then just made the cakes from the pans I had. I did however making birthday hat for T's made it out of this bowl. Then I just carved and cut until it was just right. I used round cake pans for his face.

The cake that I make for both cakes......My friend Denise opened my eyes to this cookbook- and I have slept with it close to my side ever since!! This cookbook has taught me many many tricks and told me a lot about cakes I had no clue about!! Any time I make a cake....I pull this book out- a box of cake mix & add other things....then people will say "WOW this cake it great!!" Only my little secret that is came from a BOX!!!

Here it the recipe that I made for both cakes.

Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Vegetable oil for spraying mist in pan ( I uses olive oil in a can)
flour for dusting the pan
1 package (18.5 oz)of Butter recipe Golden Cake mix
1 package (8 oz) of cream cheese at room temperature
4 large eggs
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of oil ( I use canola)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 350*
Spray pan lightly then dust with flour- set the pan aside.
I use any pan.....round, square tube. The recipe calls for tube- because it is a pound cake.

Place the cake mix, cream cheese, eggs, water, sugar, oil vanilla, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low for 1 minute. Stop machine and scrap down sides then increase mixer to medium for 2 minutes. Stop and scrape down sides as needed.
The batter should look well blended.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. smoothing with a rubber spatula.
Place pan in the oven, Bake for 30-45 minutes
Bake until lightly golden brown and springs back- when lightly pressed with your finger.

Remove cake from oven then place on a wire cooling rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert to rack.


*Rating...5 trips back to the kitchen*