Recently in Happy Birthday Category

Each year Colby requests something nontraditional for her traditional birthday cake. We have had everything from cherry pie to doughnut cakes. This year was no different. She requested a sno ball cake. Indeed. A recreation of the famous Hostess sno ball snack cake.

For those not in the snack cake know a sno ball is a chocolate cake filled with creme and topped with pink marshmallow and coconut. Sounds - ummm - interesting, no? Yes!

This birthday cake is a Sno Ball for a grow up.

I am lacking in photos as I didn't have enough hands to complete each task and take the pictures so bear with me.

You can tell me to go suck it here and instead use a boxed cake mix and instant mousse if you want. It will still be fabulous! Everyone will still think you are genius and went out of your way for dessert. I won't tell. No hatin' here. It's all about the eatin'.

I baked a devil's food chocolate cake using a dome shaped pan I already had. The pan wasn't really half a sphere but if I could have found the cake pan I wanted it would have been! Instead of white chemical creme filling that needs to ripen 6 weeks before it is consumed I opted to change up and pipe icey cold creamy chocolate mousse as the interior filling.

Easy! Old Fashioned! You too can do it. You have to try this icing! You will have a moment of epiphany! It can even go a not completely cooled cake!

Next came the marshmallow icing.

The icing sounds complicated but it is really easy. Also super quick if you have a stand mixer that can do speeds high enough to break the sound barrier. Yay for Kitchenaid! BTW, I have it in red. :)

Marshmallow Frosting

1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt

Mix and bring to a boil. Allow to cook while stirring occassionally until the simple syrup reachs a soft ball stage.

While the syrup is reducing and reaching the 245° F-250° F stage separate 3 eggs. With a high speed mixer you want to beat the egg whites until they reach stiff peak stage. I don't go to a lot of trouble with egg white. A super clean bowl and beater, a pink of cream of tartar and whipping like there is no tomorrow.

Once the egg whites are whipped and the syrup is ready pour the boiling syrup slowing into the whipped egg whites while the mixer is on medium speed. Make sure you mixer bowl is deep as the icing will increase in volume right before your eyes.

Once the egg white and syrup are incorporated and before the mixture looses too much heat toss in a cup of miniature marshmallows. Crank up the speed and let the frosting whip until the marshmallows are melted and incorporated well.

You can leave it white or add food coloring. I added neon pink food coloring to mimic the sno ball color.

I used 3 duck eggs for my egg whites. They had never been refrigerated and where at room temp. This really is one of the tricks to having outstanding peaks when you beat the egg whites.

The icing is ready once the marshmallows are melted and well incorporated. It is an outstanding icing that holds it peaks and its volume. Even on a warm cake it won't melt and slide off. You really should try this one. I am sure it would be equally as awesome with flavoring added - lemon, almond, vanilla. Yumm!

Steven couldn't wait and blew out the candles before a photo and before Colby could take a deep inhale.

The cake was finished with shredded coconut and birthday candles. Please, if I ever teach you anything, for cake topping, garnishment, etc. please do not use cheap coconut. Pay the 50 cents extra and get the Baker's angel flake or another national brand like almond joy. You want a sweetened, moist flake not a dry shred.

 

Slicing into it you can see it is a lovely cake. It also tastes great. After a huge steak dinner with baked potatoes, asparagus, rolls and sauteed mushrooms and onions we barely had room for a taste of cake. We had to put off the cake for a while before we could manage to swallow a piece. Today it will be thoroughly enjoyed! I'll have mine with coffee.

 

I think the smiles and cake crumbles on the boys cheeks says it all.

The miracle of modern medicine never fails to amaze me. Gracie is doing so well one could imagine she was never sick at all. She finishes up her courses of steroids and antibiotics monday. The doctor wants her to end the breathing treatments over the weekend unless she gets into trouble with excessive coughing. She is not participating in P.E. now just in case. No running around and getting hot and sweaty and getting those lungs inflamed again. I believe one of the reasons she suddenly progressed when we got home is because of the air. Here the air has been light and cool, so easy to breath. Back in Georgia and South Carolina the air is still very hot and heavy. The humidity in the air is oppressive. Before Gracie had shown any signs of illness I had mentally noticed it took a little more work to breath. I am so happy to be back home. Not only is it easier to deal with sickness and life in general at home but fall has come to the mountains of Virginia and it is gorgeous. The leaves are beginning to change but more importantly the temperature has made a major change. The nights are down in the 40's (44 last night). The days are still topping out in the lower 70's. This is the most perfect weather. While we were gone I had extremely limited internect connections. I missed Badger's big Four Oh (40) on September 20th. Happy belated birthday! I did think of you but I know you understand other things were going on. So, for Badgers missed birthday I give my gift: A poem by Emily Dickinson. There is no frigate like a book To take us lands away, Nor any coursers like a page Of prancing poetry. This traverse may the poorest take Without oppress of toll; How frugal is the chariot That bears a human soul! May you always find pleasure, joy and treasure in your books.