Monday, May 18, 2009

Kit Kat and M&M Birthday Cake

Today is Ad's birthday. I'm not even going to pretend I'm going to lie and say that I didn't try to take the easy way out with his cake...I totally did. I really like to make the big, over the top cakes for him and the girls, but it gets to a point where it's such a waste. It's nothing but a picture to put in my portfolio. And a ton of cake that gets tossed in the garbage. I first came across candy cakes back in February when I was lurking around on Cake Central, and loved the idea. Not only are they a cool idea, they are way easy to make. No smoothing out of the icing, no piping bags....Ad loves Kit Kats, and Cam could live on M&M's, so I decided this cake would be perfect for today. I even made it, start to finish, in just a few hours...including cooling time. What cake decorator wouldn't love a cake like this?!

I used my mom's Snowy White Cake, which I've changed up some...ok, I've changed up a lot. Don't get me wrong, I love her version, but always found it "crummy" and a little difficult to ice. Here is my version...

2 1/3 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. Sunny D (I've never tried actual orange juice)
2/3 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sour cream
2 eggs (or 1 egg and 2 whites...sometimes it depends on how short I am on eggs. It works a little nicer to use the egg whites, but let's face it...I'm way cheap.)

Cream together butter and sugar. Add remaining ingredients except eggs and mix well. Add eggs and beat for two minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until top springs back.

The amounts of this recipe work great for 2 8" rounds. Another hint, too...when using this recipe to make cupcakes, fill the tins and then let them sit out for at least 15 minutes. They will get a nicer (higher) top on them.

For the frosting, I used my normal sugar-high buttercream...
2lbs confectioners sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (or if you want it to crust, use 1 stick of butter, 1/4 c. shortening)
some vanilla
pinch or so of salt
milk

I place everything in the mixer except for the milk, and then add the milk until I get the right consistency, and then whip it till it's fluffy. If you add too much milk, add some more confectioners sugar.

Cool and trim the cake so that it is level, then fill and ice the outside and top. Next take your Kit Kats (I needed 4 of the large packages,) break them into two bar sections, and start placing them around your cake. When you are done, spread M&M's on the top, making sure that you cover all of your icing. And then finally, tie a bow around the cake! Voila!

71 comments:

Risa said...

This is so cute! I love it.

Sunshine Mom said...

What a great cake!! My kids would LOVE it!

Pamela said...

My little four year old is having a birthday in the next couple weeks and this would be a great cake for him. He will love it. Thanks

Dawn0fTime said...

That looks stunning! What a clever way to decorate a cake! (Especially since I don't care much for cake, but I'll happily finish off those Kit Kat bars!)

Memória said...

That cake is perfect! It is so cute!

I've never heard of OJ in a cake. Cool!

mpaigew said...

I added the Sunny D one time when I was really low on milk and needed to save it for my daughters cereal! The recipe originally calls for water, so since then I've change it up to replace the water with Sunny D.

Family First said...

Dropped by via Foodgawker. I dont bake often enough but am learning through lovely blogs like yours.

This is such a cool cake for the kids and I will definately try this when my boss is old enough for some healthy chocs!!!!

A really lovely colorful fun presentation!

The Cooking Photographer said...

So fun! Any kid (or big kid) would adore this!

The Tipsy Hostess said...

This is SO cute! I'm saving this idea for sure. P.S. I love Cake Central, you can learn all sorts of stuff there!

Unknown said...

My teeth. They ache.

Sakorarox said...

aww this is a very cute and fun looking cake!:)

Anonymous said...

Way too cute and simple. Love it!

Cathy said...

What a great idea!

the decorated cookie said...

This is fabulous! And great photo! I posted a link on my edible crafts column (www.ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com) thanks for sharing!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

This is so cute! I would love to link to it if you didn't mind!

Anonymous said...

Love this! I might just have to make it for the fun of eating it!

Kate said...

LOVE this!

The Buntens said...

That is adorable! So so cute. And looks like it was yummy!

Stephanie Wilson she/her @babysteph said...

My heart literally skipped two beats.

Steph

Meredith said...

I think I know what cake my 7 year old son will get next year!

Thank you for the inspiration. Found you via Jo-Lynne.

The Tipsy Hostess said...

I had a chance to make this cake last week or so and it worked out fabulously. I posted about it today on my blog with a link back to you. Thanks again for sharing!

Joseph.dennis said...

I am so fat 10 pounds of my body must be made of cake. damn you for making me want more cake.

nandini said...

oh my god!!!!! it is so gorgeous.... so perfect for a child's birthday....

Anonymous said...

I just made this for my dd's 7th birthday. It was a huge hit with everyone and tasted divine.
Thankyou!

Bethany said...

Thanks for the great recipe! I am making it for my daughter's birthday on Saturday!

Plain Chicken said...

I decorated my Dad's birthday cake like this! Thanks so much for sharing the idea.

SteamyKitchen said...

This is like pure awesomeness!

The Cooking Ninja said...

Awesome! Which kid even adults wouldn't want to just take a bite of that.

AmyRuth said...

Oh How cute is that? I am even emailing a link to my friend in San Antonio TX who has little kids. Do you think big kids would love this too? I kinda think so....think I'll add to my google documents. YIPPEE its a keeper. love it. You did an awesome job with all that candy we all grew up eating. woohoo
AmyRuth

Unknown said...

Oh that's fantastic! I think I might try to make this for my future brother-in-law's birthday. (Almost 21 and he still has a kid's love of candy!) :D

Unknown said...
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LenaLandmine said...

...I don't think I'd be able to put that ribbon on there.

For the simple fact that half of it would be gone by then. I love m&m's and kit kats.. it would be in my stomach before it's finished, no question.

Lovelovelove the photo. You are my hero :]

teresadiehl said...

I will make this cake for my sons birthday. He is sooo excited that I want to make sure I do it right. I dont think my kit kat bars are long enough to go from bottom to top of cake. Did you find them long enough or are there two stacked?

The Bearded Lady (Laura) said...

HEAVEN!! Thank you for this!! It will be making a debut in my house for my two sons joint bday party!!

I love your blog!

Marcie said...

How fun! Really, is it a ton of m&m's on the top? Wondering what it looks like when u cut? It is really adorable. Came over via HWTM. Thanks for sharing...going to add u to my blogroll! :)

D@nielle said...

such a cute idea, candylovers will find it heaven !

In My Closet said...

That it devises prettier! it enchants to me, mainly for an infantile celebration. Congratulations for your blog

Anonymous said...

Adorable! So cute it inspired me to create my own version, but I gave you the credit due in a link to yours. (Hope you don't mind- I just thought yours was so cute everyone should see it.)

Unknown said...

hi..im pretty new to baking but this cake looks stunning! may i ask...what type of flour will be suitable for this cake? cheers =)

babyjanewatson said...
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babyjanewatson said...

With that, this birthday cakes Brisbane is very much recommended to experience and taste a very delicious birthday cake that can be offer to friends and family.

Brittany said...

How do you cut this cake? I'm making it for my daughter tomorrow, but I have no idea how to cut it! Any suggestions?

R said...
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R said...

BUY MORE KIT KATS!
I just made the cake with 2 nine inch pans. The king size kitkats must be smaller now. I ended up using 5 packages and still had room to fill on the edges. I could have used 2 more pieces. We can't wait to try it.

Paige said...
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mpaigew said...

Wow, I did not realize so many comments had been left on this post! For those that asked how to cut it, I believe (if memory serves me correctly!) I cut it in thin wedges so that each piece would have two or so sticks of Kit Kat. When cutting, some of the M&M's will fall off, but because of the frosting there should be a layer that will stay on. After the piece is plated, you can place the M&M's that fell off around it.

This is the only time I've made this cake, so it's very possible that the size packaging I used has changed since then.

And lastly, I used all purpose...I'm very cheap and always try to find good recipes that don't use cake flour!!!! =)

CrystalWilliams said...

I totally stole this idea for my kids' birthday party this weekend and it was a HUGE hit. The kids thought it was the coolest cake ever and even the adults were impressed lol.

Anna said...

I just happened to find this recipe, as I was searching for an M&M cake for my daughter who loves her M&Ms and chocolate. I think I may use the decorating idea. Adorable!

Shayna said...

This is such a gorgeous cake. How do you cut it?

Anna said...

I ended up using this cake idea for my daughter's birthday. I linked to your blog when I posted a picture of it. Thanks so much!

Sarah said...

I made this cake for my son's b-day last year and now my older son is requesting it for his b-day. It was a huge hit, everybody loved it! The cake recipe was really good, everybody asked me what recipe I used.

woodd said...

thank you so much for your design. I made a half sheet cake, chocolate, french butter cream frosting with Reese's peanut butter cup cream filling. He was in a chocolate coma the last time I saw him. Thank you again.

Cute Party Ideas said...

Your M&M cake looks like a lovely hot tub and I'm swimming in the beauty of its simplicity! Nice job.

Anonymous said...

OMG this is awesome and I have seen a lot of awesome cakes but this one "takes the cake" LOL I love it... I am going to have to make this. Sweet!!!

Tam said...

Thank you for posting this. I made it for my husband's birthday yesterday and everyone loved it. A very impressive cake for not much effort!

Laura said...

Hi Paige, I just found your blog and straight away had to make your Kit Kat and M and M cake. I used my own sponge recipe (for quickness) and only used about half the amount of M and M's that you did but I am very pleased with the results. Thanks for the recipe.

Dana deVries said...

I am going to try this for my sons 16th birthday.

Paul Joachim said...

DELICIOUS! I love cakes like this. Simple, yet thoughtful goodness.

NickyReviewsReads said...

ohhh thank you you just saved the day :) its ds's 18th bday tomorrow (when did i get sooo old) and i was still looking for a novel cake idea and now ive found it... ill be making it with his favourite oreo cake inside ...

sp said...

Hey, why does a ton of the cake go into the garbage...don't you guys eat it, share it ,etc??

Btw, I love the way it looks and want to make it tomorrow.

Could you please reply soon to my query - by flour do you mean all purpose flour??

mpaigew said...

SP-Yes, all purpose flour. I'm too cheap to but cake flour, and will go out of my way to find a recipe that uses all purpose! =)

koreangirl_14 said...

hi! I would like to ask if how much did you spend for this cake?

Anonymous said...

Are you the originator of this cake? I just read a legalese thing about Pinterest - that cake is all over Pinterest, and my niece made one, I wanted to give credit where credit is due ... are you the first to make it?

Thanks.

Tom/Tabitha said...

Dang, forget my kids' birthdays, I think we're making this for my birthday!

Kristi said...

I love this idea and it would even be great with the red, white, and pink m&ms for Valentine's Day. Might have to make my hubby one. :)

~Kristi

Emily said...

I'm making this cake for MY Paige's 7th birthday!! She LOVES Kit kats and M&M's so I knew the minute I saw this cake that she would absolutely LOVE it!! I've never done a candy cake so it will be a fun surprise! Thanks so much for sharing!! :)

Cheryl said...

I found this on this page! Oh yum!
https://www.facebook.com/PagesOfStuffToShare

Unknown said...

Looks so easy. Thanks for the recipe.

Ali said...
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Maggie said...

Instead of M & M's can I use chocolate dipped strawberrys?

Maggie said...

Instead of M & M's can I top the kit Kat Cake with chocolate dipped strawberrys?