Comments for Arthur and Melissa's Notes on Everything http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:05:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on 36 hours after the snow by Ernest http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=438&cpage=1#comment-94 Ernest Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:05:15 +0000 http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=438#comment-94 How cool. You two (or three...sorry Fezzick) look as though you belong in the snow. Stay warm and drive safe. How cool. You two (or three…sorry Fezzick) look as though you belong in the snow.

Stay warm and drive safe.

]]> Comment on Karis’s Fifth Birthday Cake by Melissa http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=253&cpage=1#comment-84 Melissa Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:44:19 +0000 http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=253#comment-84 I used a buttercream recipe from my grandmother, who got it from Wilton about 30 years ago and added her own special touches. It contains 3 pounds of powdered sugar, and is intended to cover a small wedding cake, I think. Needless to say, I had a lot leftover. I probably should have cut it by 1/3, using only 2 pounds of sugar. The current Wilton recipe is perfectly good for this purpose. The 9x13 is a single layer. I did not torte it or anything. With all the icing on the outside, it didn't need anything in the middle. I was concerned about leaving an indentation in the cake, which is why I put it in the corner. I figured that if it did sink in, it would not be as obvious. For extra stability, I put two bamboo skewers through the bunny, all the way down through the sheet cake to the bottom. Luckily I did not have a problem. If you do have some sinking, you can always just run a bead of frosting with a star tip around the base of the bunny to even it out. I found a recipe on the Baking Bites blog for a lighter pound cake, which I will use next time I make a cake in this pan. You can find it here: http://bakingbites.com/2010/03/how-to-make-wiltons-3d-bunny-cake/. I used a buttercream recipe from my grandmother, who got it from Wilton about 30 years ago and added her own special touches. It contains 3 pounds of powdered sugar, and is intended to cover a small wedding cake, I think. Needless to say, I had a lot leftover. I probably should have cut it by 1/3, using only 2 pounds of sugar. The current Wilton recipe is perfectly good for this purpose.

The 9×13 is a single layer. I did not torte it or anything. With all the icing on the outside, it didn’t need anything in the middle.

I was concerned about leaving an indentation in the cake, which is why I put it in the corner. I figured that if it did sink in, it would not be as obvious. For extra stability, I put two bamboo skewers through the bunny, all the way down through the sheet cake to the bottom. Luckily I did not have a problem. If you do have some sinking, you can always just run a bead of frosting with a star tip around the base of the bunny to even it out.

I found a recipe on the Baking Bites blog for a lighter pound cake, which I will use next time I make a cake in this pan. You can find it here: http://bakingbites.com/2010/03/how-to-make-wiltons-3d-bunny-cake/.

]]> Comment on Karis’s Fifth Birthday Cake by Chalita http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=253&cpage=1#comment-83 Chalita Fri, 23 Apr 2010 04:10:37 +0000 http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=253#comment-83 Thanks Melissa for all the info. A few more questions: Did you use the butter cream frosting recipe on the Wilton pan's directions? Is the 9X13 a single layer cake? How did the dense bunny pound cake not leave an indentation in the sheet cake? Beautiful cake! Thanks Melissa for all the info. A few more questions: Did you use the butter cream frosting recipe on the Wilton pan’s directions? Is the 9X13 a single layer cake? How did the dense bunny pound cake not leave an indentation in the sheet cake? Beautiful cake!

]]> Comment on Karis’s Fifth Birthday Cake by Melissa http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=253&cpage=1#comment-82 Melissa Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:47:38 +0000 http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=253#comment-82 Yes, I did use the Wilton 3-D bunny pan. The sheet cake was 9x13. I think I followed the bunny pan's directions for decorating it. The eyes are chocolate chips, and the rest is frosting. The flowers on the sheet cake were made with star tip #2D, and the centers with a #5 round tip. I think the bunny's fur was done with a #18 star tip. The name is in a #233 grass tip. The border leaves are a #67 leaf tip. I ended up with several colors of icing: pink, yellow, violet, light green, and dark green. You only need a small amount of the pink, yellow, and violet for the flowers; I did an equal amount of the white and light green since they were my coverage colors. If you have enough white, put a very thin crumb layer over the bunny to keep the dark cake from showing through between the fur. I do wish I had baked the bunny cake a little longer. I used a pound cake batter, which was more dense than a regular yellow cake, so the center was underbaked (much to the delight of all the adults at the party!), but I feel that it held the bunny shape very well. It's hard to test the cake when it's all enclosed in the pan, but next time I will be sure to put a skewer into the middle of the cake to make sure it's cooked. The sheet cake is just a plain yellow cake. Good luck, and let me know how it goes! Yes, I did use the Wilton 3-D bunny pan. The sheet cake was 9×13. I think I followed the bunny pan’s directions for decorating it. The eyes are chocolate chips, and the rest is frosting. The flowers on the sheet cake were made with star tip #2D, and the centers with a #5 round tip. I think the bunny’s fur was done with a #18 star tip. The name is in a #233 grass tip. The border leaves are a #67 leaf tip. I ended up with several colors of icing: pink, yellow, violet, light green, and dark green. You only need a small amount of the pink, yellow, and violet for the flowers; I did an equal amount of the white and light green since they were my coverage colors. If you have enough white, put a very thin crumb layer over the bunny to keep the dark cake from showing through between the fur.

I do wish I had baked the bunny cake a little longer. I used a pound cake batter, which was more dense than a regular yellow cake, so the center was underbaked (much to the delight of all the adults at the party!), but I feel that it held the bunny shape very well. It’s hard to test the cake when it’s all enclosed in the pan, but next time I will be sure to put a skewer into the middle of the cake to make sure it’s cooked. The sheet cake is just a plain yellow cake.

Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

]]> Comment on Karis’s Fifth Birthday Cake by Chalita http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=253&cpage=1#comment-81 Chalita Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:22:26 +0000 http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=253#comment-81 I would love to bake this for my daughter's birthday! Did you use the 3-d bunny mold from Wilton? What is the size of the sheet cake? Any other tips/directions would be great! I would love to bake this for my daughter’s birthday! Did you use the 3-d bunny mold from Wilton? What is the size of the sheet cake? Any other tips/directions would be great!

]]> Comment on The plan by Arthur http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=225&cpage=1#comment-63 Arthur Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:04:23 +0000 http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=225#comment-63 They're all green to me! (even now, two months later) They’re all green to me! (even now, two months later)

]]> Comment on The plan by Arthur's Mom http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=225&cpage=1#comment-62 Arthur's Mom Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:35:08 +0000 http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=225#comment-62 Magnolias! Not maples. I know it gets cold in Huntsville, but you are still in the south where magnolias reign! Magnolias! Not maples. I know it gets cold in Huntsville, but you are still in the south where magnolias reign!

]]> Comment on Fezzik’s first snow by Sherri http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=169&cpage=1#comment-3 Sherri Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:28:08 +0000 http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=169#comment-3 I can't believe you guys got measurable presipitation. Hope you come down south soon. I miss you. I can’t believe you guys got measurable presipitation. Hope you come down south soon. I miss you.

]]> Comment on Fezzik’s first snow by texnomad http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=169&cpage=1#comment-2 texnomad Sat, 03 Feb 2007 15:39:42 +0000 http://arthurandmelissa.com/blog/?p=169#comment-2 WOW SNOW How wonderful!!!!! At least it will kill off some bugs. Have fun in it when you can or come up here and go snow skiing 10 months of the year. WOW SNOW How wonderful!!!!! At least it will kill off some bugs. Have fun in it when you can or come up here and go snow skiing 10 months of the year.

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