Cake Decorating Classes

I signed up for a cake decorating class just for kicks.  I thought it would be fun.  And it was, but it required me to make cake on a weekly basis.  Through this class, I learned two things:  1)  I don't like butter-cream frosting (the kind of frosting we were supposed to bring every week), and 2) Cake is pretty low on my preferred desserts list.  If I were to actually choose to make a cake, it would not be the traditional frosted cake.  It would be gooey and dripping in something delicious and fatenning - not frosting. 

Needless to say, I didn't sign up for the 2nd month class.

But, so long as I took the class, here are some pictures.  I forgot to take pictures of the 1st week, and the 3rd week my frosting was to thin and was sliding all out of place before I got home.

We were supposed to write something on the cake, but the class was out of time and I decided I'd rather go home and see my pretty puppy (and my husband) then stay late and write on the cake, like everyone else was doing.

I will say, though, the chocolate frosting recipe I made was pretty good:

Whisk together 4 Tbsp cocoa and 3 C powdered sugar.  Add 1/4 C butter, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 Tbsp milk.  Beat with mixer.  Gradually add 1 additional Tbsp milk as needed to get desired consistency.

Pumpkin Bars

 These were super yummy, though didn't taste as strongly of pumpkin as I had hoped.

2 C flour
1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cloves (I didn't have any and didn't want to run to the store so I used ground nutmeg)
4 eggs
15 oz can pumpkin
1 C oil

Stir together all dry ingredients.  Add eggs, pumpkin, and oil until combined.  I added a handful (or 4) of chocolate chips, because why not?  Spread in an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.  (I didn't have a jelly roll pan - something I keep meaning to buy, so I used a 9x13.  It would be better in the jelly roll, I think, because it would be thinner).  Bake at 350 for 25-30 min.  Cool and top with Cream Cheese Frosting:

Beat 4 oz cream cheese with 1/4 C soft butter and 1 tsp vanilla.  Gradually beat in 2 1/2 -3 C powdered sugar.

Delicious!

Original Recipe from The Ultimate Cookie Book