Eight is great!

It's great - Nicholas is eight! But oh man he wanted a Pokémon cake. What does that even mean? I don't do character cakes - what if I can't make it look like what it's supposed to be? Ok... Pokémon it is... I went in search of cakes and found one that was flat. he really preferred a round orb of cake... but I draw the line some places, and clearly that was where. Round flat cakes work for me. The birthday boy wanted carrot cake, my mom's carrot cake. I've never had it in any other form than a jelly roll pan - but OK... Let's try some round pants and increase the recipe by a half. Carrot cake requires cream cheese frosting - it's a must! I found a recipe I thought would work. It whipped up amazing, I was excited - it was fluffy and smooth. I started placing all the fondant pieces we'd made, stuck the layers in the fridge and prayed. I went back to look and ALL the pieces were sliding down leaving a black streak behind, the fondant belt was a wet slimy mess, and the eye... just look at that eye. Oh man... Bronwyn encouraged me I could get this to work. Darn right! Buttercream to the rescue. I whipped up a batch and B cleaned off the fondant pieces and we tried again. Second time was a charm. The cream cheese frosting filling was delicious - but buttercream was the star - mostly because Pikachu looked like himself and the birthday boy cheered! Phew!! Thankfully eight is great!

Carrot Cake
Cake:
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups oil
3 small jars strained baby carrots (baby food)
2 cups flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Salt
Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
3 1/4 cup (1 box)confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together sugar, eggs and oil. Add baby carrots, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Bake on cookie sheet for 35 min. Mix frosting and spread on bars when cool.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature (3 sticks)
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 - 4 Tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, using the paddle or whisk attachment whip butter on medium-high speed (if using whisk attachment whip on high speed) until nearly white and very fluffy, about 7 - 8 minutes, frequently scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add in powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until blended, then increase speed to medium and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 - 6 minutes, frequently scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Immediately spread over cooled cake or cupcakes.

Not-So-Sweet Whipped Frosting
6 ounces (170g) block full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (very cold!)
In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract, and then beat on medium speed until combined and completely smooth (absolutely no lumps), at least 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to smooth out.
Switch to a whisk attachment (if you haven’t already been using it). Turn the mixer to low speed and with the mixer running, carefully pour in the cream in a slow and steady stream. After all of the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to high speed and whip until thick and stiff peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. This time can vary depending on exact temperature of ingredients, temperature in kitchen, and even the humidity. Do not walk away during this time and do not be concerned if your frosting takes longer to whip. You’re looking for a thick, airy consistency with stiff peaks. If you were to shimmy and shake your bowl, the frosting would hardly move. If your frosting appears soupy now or at any point you are working with it, it needs more whipping to introduce more air. If your frosting appears chunky or curdled, it’s over-whipped. To fix, stir 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream into the frosting by hand to smooth out again. Use more heavy cream if needed to smooth out.
Use it: After you make the whipped frosting, it’s ready to frost your cupcakes, cake, or other confections. After frosting a cake or cupcakes with this frosting, I strongly recommend refrigerating them uncovered for at least 30 minutes to help “set” the frosting (especially when using on a layer cake). Then you can serve or set out for a few hours before serving. And please note that you’ll notice the frosting becomes thicker and airier the longer it sits in your mixing bowl. This is not a problem and can easily be fixed by gently stirring it to pop any air bubbles. Likewise, if you notice the frosting really airy and looking over-whipped as you pipe it with piping tips, either “massage” the frosting while it’s in the piping bag (sounds weird, but this can help deflate air bubbles) or pipe back into the mixing bowl and gently stir it. You can even stir in a splash of heavy cream to thin/smooth out if needed.