Confetti Cake with Homemade Sprinkles (Jimmies)

Whether you call them Sprinkles or Jimmies, as my friends from New England do, you have to admit they make any cake festive.  Non-pareils or sprinkles date back to the late 18th century, but a company called "Just Born" located in Brooklyn, NY is credited with calling them "Jimmies, which were chocolate-colored; not necessarily containing chocolate. Jan Freeman from the Boston Globe wrote, after mentioning the word "Jimmies" in a column, got several letters stating the term shouldn't be used because it was a racial slur for African Americans. However, after much research, that was a theory that could happily never be proven. These sugar strands of confection have made cakes, ice cream, and other desserts pretty popular as a topping and I so enjoyed making up my own colors for a dessert on Easter Sunday.

Confetti Cake with Homemade Sprinkles (Jimmies)

Homemade Sprinkles (Jimmies)
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 T Light Karo Syrup
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
1 -2 T water (add slowly since you need only make the consistency of "glue")

In a small bowl, stir the Karo Syrup and vanilla extract into the confectioners' sugar. Add water just until you achieve the consistency of glue.

Separate the "glue" into 3 bowls and add a few drops of food coloring.  Place the icing into a pastry bag with a #3 or #4 tip and pipe lines on a sheet of parchment.

Best results if you do this the day before, but allow at least 8 hours for drying.

I made these early morning, then went out to spread mulch in my flower beds for the day:-D

Confetti Cake

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Brush a 9" x 13" cake pan with melted butter, line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper that extends 2" on either of the long sides (helps remove the cake after baking), butter the parchment paper, then dust the pan surface with flour.  Set aside.

I used the "reverse creaming" method on this cake and it turned out perfect!

3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour (plain flour)

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 T baking powder

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups whole milk

4 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 cup Homemade Sprinkles (Jimmies)*

*I added 1/3 cup of the Homemade and 1/3 cup of "store bought" for Easter!

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the first four "dry" ingredients.  While the mixer is running, add the soft butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until the mixture is crumbly.

Mix the milk, eggs and vanilla in a 2 cup measure and, while the mixer is on low, add half.  Beat 1 minute until fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, if needed, then slowly add the remaining liquid. Stir in the Sprinkles and pour batter into the prepared pan.  Smooth the batter out and place in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Transfer pan to a rack and cool completely.  If you like, you can remove the cooled cake to a serving platter, using the extension of the parchment on the sides.  While the cake cools, make the frosting.

Cooked Milk Frosting (this was a recipe my mom made when we had run out of Confectioners' (icing) sugar)

1/4 cup King Arthur all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

In a small sauce pan, whisk together the flour, milk and vanilla.  Whisk constantly until mixture comes together, the consistency of thick pudding.  Transfer to a glass bowl, pressing a piece of plastic wrap against the surface.  Place in the refrigerator to cool completely--30 minutes.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together, scrapping down the sides as needed.  Add the cooled milk/flour mixture and continue to beat until it resembles whipped cream--about 2 minutes.  Frost the cake and add Sprinkles (Jimmies).

 I will certainly make these Sprinkles (Jimmies) again because it was fun to customize my own colors.  I hope you all had a lovely Easter and Spring is showing it's colors-mine have come to an end, but here are some of the beauties that appeared early with our warm temperatures.  Enjoy!

Celebration Cake & May's Apron Give-Away

My Mother Kept a Garden

My Mother kept a garden,

a garden of the heart,

She planted all the good things

that gave my life it's start.

She turned me to the sunshine

and encouraged me to dream,

Fostering and nuturing

the seeds of self-esteem...

And when the winds and rain came,

she protected me enough-

But not too much because she knew

I'd need to stand up strong and tough.

Her constant good example

always taught me right from wrong-

Markers for my pathway

that will last a lifetime long.

I am my Mother's garden.

I am her legacy-

And hope today she feels the love

reflected back from me.

                                                                                                    ~Author unknown

I made a quick cake today; tomorrow, I probably won't bake since I plan to go paint our new dining room!  

I'm really hooked on "Birthday Cake" flavor, especially the truffles at Godiva Chocolates.

I discovered I could actually buy the flavor that I crave...

and an idea for this Celebration Cake was created.  My mother always gave me inspiration to try anything without the fear of failing and I will always be grateful for that.  This poem reflects our relationship so beautifully and I hopefully passed that same inspiration on to my daughters.

Celebration Cake

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

8 large eggs

1 T vanilla extract

1 T Birthday Cake flavoring

2 T heavy cream

1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (or your favorite combination)

3 cups Queen Guinevere Cake Flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray your favorite 12-cup Bundt or 10-cup + Mini Bundt pans with a baking spray.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter.  Add the sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed.

Add the flavorings, sprinkles and heavy cream and mix on medium speed. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low just to combine.

Spoon the cake batter into the Bundt pan (if using the 10-cup, you will need to measure half-way up the pan and place the remaining batter into mini Bundt pans)

 I baked the minis for 23-25 minutes, then lowered the oven to 325F-degrees and baked the 10-cup Bundt for 45 minutes.

I decided to add a Fondant glaze over the cakes.

And, what's a Mother's Day cake without "pearls!"  Enjoy!

Now, it's time for May's Apron...just comment on any of the posts this month and this beautiful apron could be yours.

Seems like "pink" is this month's color:-D  Actually, it was one of my mother's favorite colors and I can remember painting her bedroom pink for her--which by the way, my Dad didn't mind since he was head-over-heels in love with her!

How do you spend Mother's Day?