snowman cake

due to the holiday decorating i had to make a yummy dessert to go with dinner. i came up with a little frosty the snowman cake since littlefoodie jr loves all things x-mas, now that he understands it. its pretty simple, nothing frilly and anything can be used to decoate it.

the cake itself was yummy and moist. i had a ton of eggnog leftover so i have been trying to make up some recipes with it...its adds a nice flavor a moistness. i frosted it with a simple cream cheese frosting..in fact, so simple i have no measurements for it!

enjoy!



pumpkin, eggnong and cocoa cake

1 3/4 cup cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup organic cocoa
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup eggnog
i can pumpkin

preheat oven to 350F. if using for snowman cake grease 1 8 in round cake pan and 1 9 in round cake pan. set aside.

sift flour thru salt in a med bowl.

beat butter in mixer until creamed. add brown sugar and beat until fluffy. add eggs 1 at a time.

beat in flour and eggnon alternately in 3 additions...beginning and ending with flour. (flour 3 x's, eggnog 2 x's).
batter will be thick.

pour into prepared pans and bake 20 min.

remove, cool and then invert onto a big platter.

cut a small crescent out of the bottom of the smaller cake round and place on top of the larger side to get a good snuggly fit.

cream cheese frosting

1 block cream cheese, room temp.
1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
dash of vanilla extract
powderd sugar as needed (i use about 1/2-3/4 cup but i dont like it very sweet)
milk if needed

beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. add the powdered sugar until desired taste. beat in vanilla. add milk if its too thick.



assemble:
frost the cake all over.
sprinkle with coconut all over, evenly to look like snow.
i used frozen blueberries for the buttons.
a small wedge of tangerine for the carrot nose.
chocolate chips for the eyes.
halved grapes for the scarf.
chocolate chips for the mouth.
a half a pretzel stick ofr pipe and a fig cookie for the top of the pipe.
pretzel sticks for the hands.


p.s we need all the good vibes we can get today! littlefoodie jr. is getting half of his cast off today. he will be able to move his knee now! i have a feeling i will be getting puked all over from the fear of the saw but i promised him the forbidden today...lollipops, chocolate chips and french fries afterwards! now that i think of it he is probably going to be happy due to my indulgent and bribbing ways.

spiced eggnog and cranberry muffins

things have been a bit slow in the kitchen of casa de littlefoodies. littlefoodie jr.s broken leg is kicking our butt...he is, to put it sweetly, ANNOYING. we know he is frustrated and all that but hey, what about the mama and the papa? good news is that monday is the 3rd week and that means he gets half of his cast off.
i have been explaining to him how its going to work and that its only half of the cast to which he replies "i no want half of my green sticker off...i want 2 parts of it off." somebody is going to be getting the smackdown come 1:45 monday afternoon and thats going to be me..(since littlefoodie daddy is being held captive and work and can't come.)
last week we visited gus fav grandparents and mommy got a little break time. but now we are back and ready to have 19237120 lbs and start our month of cooking!

these muffins are delicious. not low calorie though but so tasty anyway. if you're not a fan of eggnog go ahead and replace it with buttermilk only reduce it by 1/4 cup. the eggnog flavor is not too prominent just a subtle flavoring. little foodie loved them but camera battery is out so pics will come later!

enjoy!

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ground ginger
pinch of cloves and nutmeg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups eggnog
1 egg
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
wheat germ

preheat oven to 400F. grease muffin tins.

combine flour thru nutmeg.

combine wet ingredients and whisk to combine. add to dry and mix until moist. fold in cranberries. batter will be thick.

fill tins with batter and sprinkle tops with wheat germ.

bake 20 min.