GR's 10th Birthday Cake!

Hello, again! So sorry to have been away for a couple of weeks. I had an unscheduled time off, and then just life happened. But, I'm back and should be posting regularly again, which for me is one to two times a week (three if I'm feeling prolific). So, I have a fun entry tonight. My younger daughter's tenth birthday was a few days ago, and she requested the cake pictured below. Because it's her own invention, I don't really have a name for it, except for the title above. She thought it looked like a watermelon. This is just something fun, and you can always tweak the recipe for your loved ones. Her dinner menu consisted of burgers, which were vegan Asian patties marketed as black pepper pork chops, shoestring fries, and green salad. Also pictured below is an orange being held by my oldest daughter who thinks it is the perfect orange and wanted to protect it from being devoured. She was hoping its subsequent fame would provide the needed protection.

GR's 10th Birthday Cake!

Slice of cake with vegan Neapolitan ice cream

The perfect orange held protectively

GR's 10th Birthday Cake!
Ingredients:

Cake:

1 and 1/3 cups vegan sugar
1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened
2 cups soy milk
1 Tbs. strawberry extract

1Tbs. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. red food coloring
3 cups unbleached flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt

Frosting:

1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/4 cup soy milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 tsp. green food coloring
Chocolate sprinkles

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x12 cake pan with Pam spray. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and margarine on low speed. Add the soy milk and carefully continue to mix on low speed. Add the extract and food coloring and whisk together. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and mix together on low speed until it begins to blend. Increase speed to medium and mix for two to three minutes, until it is well blended. Let little beggars lick the beaters. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 40 minutes and until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Place the pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Use a non-serrated butter knife to run around the edge of the pan to make sure nothing has stuck. Put the cooling rack over the top of the pan, and invert the cake onto the rack; it will now be upside down. Let cool completely. Invert onto a serving platter in the same manner. To make the frosting, mix all the ingredients, except the sprinkles, in a medium bowl on low speed. As it blends, increase speed to medium and mix until well blended. Hand the beaters off to impatient loved ones to be thoroughly licked again. Frost the cake all the way around and on top, making sure every spare inch is covered. Sprinkle the cake like crazy with the chocolate sprinkles, or better yet, let the birthday girl (or whomever the cake is honoring) sprinkle for you! Light some candles, sing a song, serve with ice cream, and eat up! Serves more than five hungry vegans -- or five piggie hungry vegans over two days.