Before even thinking about how to execute a train cake, I had to decide on what kind of cake to make. I thought about making the same coconut cake I used for Ace's cake, but I wanted to try something new. I found a recipe for a peanut butter sheet cake that sounded different yet delicious. This cake suggested a peanut butter frosting, but I knew that would be hard to turn red, so I found a butter cream frosting by Martha Stewart that I decided to try instead.
Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
Ingredients
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1 cup water
2 sticks of butter
2 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
Method
Preheat over to 350 degrees.
1. Bring the peanut butter, water, and butter to a rapid boil until everything melts together.
2. Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
3. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the flour mixture.
4. Mix and stir in the eggs and buttermilk.
5. Pour the batter into a greased and floured cake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Butter Cream Frosting
Ingredients
3 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1 pound of confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Method
1. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high until it is creamy-about 2 minutes.
2. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add 1/2 cup of sugar at a time. Beat the mixture for 5 minutes after each addition of sugar. Continue this process until all of the sugar has been added.
3. Add the vanilla and beat until the frosting is smooth.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you plan to store the frosting in the fridge, return it to room temperature and beat on a low speed until smooth before using.
I broke out my Kitchen Aid for this project. My mom bought it for my birthday last year, but because of space issues, I never even took it out of the box. Sad, I know. When I saw that I would need to be mixing this frosting for about 40 minutes, I knew it was a job for the Kitchen Aid. I wish I had taken it out of the box earlier-the thing is amazing!
I was also inspired to break it out because after a visit to my friend Erin's house earlier this week. Her's was sitting proudly on her counter and it just looked so professional and fun. Using the Kitchen Aid made me feel like a real baker, which was short lived. As soon as I began assembling the the cake, I was quickly reminded that cake making and decorating is hard! There were crumbs in the frosting, the train was lopsided, and overall the whole process was just nerveracking. I just kept reminding myself that no matter what, Jaxson would be excited to see a giant red blob, loosely resembling Wilson on a tray with candles for his birthday.
Well he was excited. He knew right away that this cake was indeed Wilson. Jax was happy to have everyone finally singing Happy Birthday to him and having the chance to blow out the "fire" all by himself instead of having to assist others on their big day. He was even eager to taste the cake. Well as soon as the first bite was in his mouth, he promptly spit it out saying, "Gross, that is disgusting!" It should be noted that he is not a good judge of taste since he has a very limited diet at this point (his own choice) and he never even chewed the cake. He would have preferred a funfetti cake with pink frosting. However, everyone else liked the cake, comparing the taste to a peanut butter cookie. The frosting wasn't my favorite-especially with the peanut butter cake. Maybe a chocolate frosting would have been a better choice.
Happy Birthday Jax!
Auntie loves you, so so much!
xox
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