Acts 2 & 3 (smushed into 1)

So here is the frosting. We've decided it's not my favorite. Make sure your shortening is fresh (it can go rancid) and not butter flavored. It turns a bright yellow. You don't want yellow, white works better. I'm working on another recipe. A swiss meringue buttercream for a wedding cake I'm going to do.

Here are your ingredients.

Add pwd sugar, salt and vanilla. MIX. In this recipe you don't have to sift the powdered sugar, we're going to melt it all.

We added hot boiling water and mixed.

Mix thoroughly.

Then add the butter and shortening clumps at a time. Whip forever.

It really is beautiful frosting, fluffy, creamy. Mom just didn't like it, so we're going with another recipe she will like. I did make a second batch, with fresh white shortening. There was no way I could make blue frosting with a yellow base. We were over loaded with frosting at my house.


Here are pictures of the cake. Sorry I didn't get pictures of putting it together. I promise to take pictures of the cake I make for my b-day. Yes... I make my own b-day cake. I know what I want. And I don't want a box cake, or a Wal-mart cake. I want a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse. Is that too much to ask for?

We've got M&M fishes, starburst stars, mini twix treasure chest, graham cracker sand, chowmein noodle coral...

What more could you ask for.


Perhaps a sea horse, and a lobster made of M&M's.
The little lobster is my favorite little character.


A fluffy buttercream recipe
(will store in fridge for 2 weeks if covered tightly)

*In bowl of mixer combine*
6 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

*with the whisk attachment, add and whip at low speed*
1 cup boiling water
Whip until smooth and cool

*Add and whip until smooth*
2 3/4 cups shortening
6 ounces slightly chilled butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume (10-20 minutes)
Yield 9 1/2 cups

Cookies and Cream filling

*in the bowl of an electric mixer at high speed, whip until stiff:
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

*Gently fold in*
20 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed into medium pieces.

(This stuff is sooooo good.)

This is where I got the idea for the cake.
http://brightideas.com/birthdays/themes/deepsea/cakestreats/c_1220_1.jsp