Casts and Cakes

Six long weeks.

1 very very long cast.

So glad it's over.
So long big red cast.

Derek wanted a Mata Nui Bionicle cake to celebrate getting his cast off. I came up with the volcano idea, and told him he could put his bionicles on it. I just baked a chocolate cake in 2 pyrex bowls. One smaller than the other. Put them on top of each other and cut a hole in the top. That is whip cream, and homemade hard candy with red food coloring on the top.

Derek wanted to invite friends over, but he started in on the cake without them. And then Clint and Jeff had some for breakfast the next morning. Finally a few friends made it over to the house for a piece before it was gone. It was really dry because I made the cake from scratch and improvised the butter cake recipe to try to make it chocolate, and then cooking it in the Pyrex bowls didn't bake it evenly. But it looked good. And the homemade buttercream frosting is always heavenly...And the red candy lava looks awesome! Overall, I won't complain. The cast is gone! That's all the matters.

I won't bother with the cake recipe here because it was not a good one for the bowls I had to use. But here is the recipe for the Lava, and the best frosting in the world:

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

2 sticks slightly softend butter

7 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. cocoa

1/2 c. milk

Cream butter, and then gradually add all other ingredients together. Add more milk if needed for desired consistency.

Candy Lava

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. light corn syrup

1/4 c. water

• In heavy saucepan, bring the sugar, syrup, and water to a boil. Continew boiling until the mixture reaches 295 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Remove mix from heat and add red food coloring.
• Allow liquid to cool for a min. or 2 before pouring it on a foil covered cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Pour candy into lava like shapes and let it harden and cool completley before handeling.
• If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can tell the candy mixture is at the hard ball stage if a drop is placed in a cup of cold water and it hardens immediately. The mixture will turn thick, bubbly, and dark when it is ready.