Baby Block Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan, using water, oil and egg whites. Cool. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Crumble cake into large bowl. Add frosting; mix well. Shape into 1-inch squares; place on cookie sheet. Freeze until firm; keep refrigerated.
• In 3 separate bowls, stir each color melted candy and 2 teaspoons shortening until smooth. Dip tip of 14 of the lollipop sticks about 1/2 inch into melted pink candy and insert stick into 1 cake square no more than halfway. Repeat, dipping 14 sticks in yellow candy and 14 in blue. Return to cookie sheet. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Remove from refrigerator a few at a time. Dip each cake square into melted candy to cover (using same color to match stick); tap off excess. Poke opposite end of stick into foam block. Let stand until set.
• On 1 side of each square, pipe white icing to look like a block. Pipe letter A, B or C within each outline. Let stand until set.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8-inch) square pans with shortening or cooking spray.
• Make cake batter as directed on box, adding almond extract with the water. Divide batter in half. Stir 2 drops blue food color into one half; stir 2 drops red food color into other half. Pour into pans. Bake as directed on box for 8-inch pans. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup white frosting. Top with second cake layer, bottom side down. Spread frosting evenly on side and top of cake. Decorate cake as desired to look like baby block, using decorating icing and decors. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add flour; beat just until blended. Stir in extracts. Pour into two greased and floured 9x5-in. loaf pans. Bake at 325° for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 15 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in 4 cups confectioners' sugar. Slowly add milk and vanilla. Beat in remaining confectioners' sugar. Add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting reaches spreading consistency; set aside., To make building blocks, cut each cake in half, then cut each half into four blocks for a total of 16 blocks. Gently trim crusts of each; blocks should measure 1-3/4x1-3/4 in. Frost sides and top of blocks. Smooth frosting using a warm spatula. Using tinted icing, decorate with letters and numbers (see photo). Carefully stack blocks on a serving platter.

Steps:

• Make or buy a minimum of 2 pound cakes (quantity depends on how big of a name you are spelling).
• Slice in half width-wise and shave sides and top accordingly to make a cube.
• Color appropriate amount of white frosting with food coloring to make pink, blue or whatever colors "blocks" you want.
• Frost all sides but the bottom of the blocks with the colored frosting.
• Using a frosting gun or a ziploc (with tip cut) filled with remaining white frosting - write the first letter on all sides, including the top of the block.
• Repeat with the additional "blocks" by finishing out the name you are using.
• Arrange blocks to spell out the name on a beautiful platter and getting ready for the compliments!
• NOTE: You could also bake 2 13x9 cakes and cut into cubes and make the "blocks" 2-layers stacked.
• You could get even fancier and pipe the contrasting color of frosting onto the edges/trim of the blocks to define them more.
• Or you could decorate the blocks with the white frosting and spell the baby's name out with the color-tinted frosting.
• The possibilities are endless!

Steps:

• For the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl add the baking soda, salt, baking powder and flour. Mix thoroughly with a fork and set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the eggs, honey, both sugars and butter. Mix until smooth using a hand mixer. Add the cinnamon and baby food. Mix until smooth. Using a rubber spatula fold in the pecans. Slowly add the flour mixture using a sifter and fold in until ingredients are evenly mixed.
• Place 24 mini baking cups (2-inch, nonfoil) into each hole of the mini muffin pan. Place a 1-gallon resealable freezer bag into a bowl (for support) and pour the cupcake batter into the bag. Seal the bag and cut the tip off 1 of the bottom corners of the bag. Squeeze the batter into each baking cup, filling them only 3/4 of the way full. Place the mini muffin pan in the oven on the center rack. Bake for 12 minutes.
• For the Frosting: In a small mixing bowl add the extracts, milk, cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy using a hand mixer. When the cupcakes are done baking remove each cupcake from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Place the cooling rack in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Once the cupcakes are cooled remove them from the refrigerator. Frost each cupcake by putting a generous dollop of frosting on the top with a spoon. Garnish top with ground pecans and they are ready to serve.