Captain America to the Rescue!

This past week was Mr. Q's 3rd birthday. He is such a fun little guy to have around. I love his cuddles, when he stops long enough to sit. I love his laugh, it is so infectious. He loves cars, trucks (especially Mater), tractors, trains, dirtbikes, transformers, boats & pretty much anything that goes. He also likes superheroes, with the exception of the Hulk. He's pretty much terrified of him for some reason. He loves wearing his superman costume around the house pretty much everyday.

When Mr. Q asked for a Captain America birthday, I thought it sounded like a great idea.

 Not only is he an admirable superhero, who fought the Nazi's and stuff, he has a shield which made an incredibly easy birthday cake. Hahaha! The DVD case above is what Matt got out to by the inspiration for his birthday cake. I usually go all out and try to do everything on theme, but.... it had been a busy week. He got a cake, cousins, and a little party. I hope he still felt special.

The fondant was actually really easy. I followed this recipe to make the fondant. A great tip I got from my friend Sherry was to use a bit of Crisco on the counter & rolling pin to help with the stickyness when rolling it out. That helped tremendously.
 The cake is my Grandma Neta's recipe. It is so moist & yummy. I'm gonna share the recipe, since I get asked for it all the time.

Grandma Neta's Chocolate Cake

1/2 c. butter or margarine (I always use butter)
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 c. buttermilk (I always use 2tsp. white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 c.)
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 c. boiling water

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9X13 pan (or equivalent... I often use 2- 8" round pans or make cupcakes) with a mixture of 1/2 tsp. shortening, 1/2 tsp. oil and 1 tsp. flour. This will help it to release easily from pan. I often use parchment paper on the bottom as well.
In big bowl, cream butter and sugar, then blend in eggs & vanilla. Stir in cocoa powder. Add buttermilk and blend it all together. Add all dry ingredients and stir. The mixture will be really thick. At this point, you pour in the boiling water and carefully stir till it is smooth and well combined. Pour in pan. Bake for about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. If you're making 2 separate pans or cupcakes, it will take much less time.
After about 20 minutes, your house will start smelling amazing. Mmmmm....

Mr. Q was somewhere between really interested & kinda scared when it came to the sparklers. These were the only 2 pics I was able to take because, of course, my memory card was full.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy. We love you!