Ladybug Cake Food

LADYBUG CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 2-quart round heatproof bowl with shortening; lightly flour. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs or egg whites. Pour batter into bowl.
• Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around side of bowl to loosen cake; remove from bowl to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• On serving plate, place cake, rounded side up, trimming bottom if needed. In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the frosting and the black food color until blended. Mix remaining frosting and red food color until blended. Spread red frosting on two-thirds of cake; sprinkle with red sugar.
• Spread black frosting on remaining one-third of cake for head. Place remaining black frosting in decorating bag fitted with small round tip. Pipe wings and dots on sugared portion of cake.
• Add marshmallow pieces for eyes; pipe pupils with black frosting. Pipe red frosting for mouth. Insert licorice pieces into cake for antennae. Store loosely covered.

LADYBUG CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Generously grease bottom only of 1-1/2 round casserole or heatproof bowl and bottom of loaf pan, 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" x 2-1/2".
• Beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds; beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl constantly.
• Pour half the batter into casserole; pour remaining batter into loaf pan.
• Bake about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool 10 minutes.
• Run knife around side of casserole and loaf pan to loosen cakes; remove from casserole and pan to wire rack.
• Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Wrap and freeze loaf cake for another use.
• Place cake, rounded side up, on serving plate.
• Frost cake with frosting.
• Make face on side of cake, ussing cookies for eyes, red gumdrop slice for nose, red shoestring licorice for mouth and black shoestring licorice for eyebrows and antennae.
• Sprinkle red sugar over cake to within 2 inches from curved side of face.
• Place black gumdrop slices on cake for spots.
• Serve when ready.

LADYBUG CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the sifted flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Cream the butter in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft, then add the sugar and mix. Add the eggs, and vanilla and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer running at low speed, add a third of the flour mixture and mix. Then add half of the sour cream and mix. Add another third of the flour and mix. Add the remaining sour cream and mix, then the remaining flour. Give it one last mix to make sure everything is blended in. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full. Bake until firm to the touch in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool. Meanwhile, make the frosting: Put the milk in a saucepan and whisk in the flour. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes, whisking often. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and very fluffy. Add the cooled thickened milk and mix until smooth. Add yellow and red food coloring to make a light orange frosting. When the cupcakes have cooled, make the ladybugs. Cut off the top rounded "cap" (like the cap of a mushroom or a muffin) of each cupcake. Spread the rounded tops of each cupcake with frosting. Cut the tops in half. Spread frosting on the cut face of the cup cake. Place two "wings" on top of each cupcake, spreading them apart slightly. Use two pieces of black licorice to make the antennae. Pipe a black section for the head and dot it with white to make eyes. Use black to make the dots on the wings. Place a tiny ladybug on the wings of the big ones. To make the tiny lady bug, pipe red candy coated chocolates with black frosting making a head section, a line down the back to define the wings and polka-dots on the wings

LADYBUG CAKE

Steps:

• Place the first cake on 1 of the cardboard rounds on a rack over a sheetpan. While the ganache is still warm, pour over the cake. Using a palette knife sparingly, gently swipe 1 or 2 times to spread the ganache evenly over the top and so that it runs down the sides and covers them. Let the cake sit until the ganache sets up, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• While the ganache is setting up begin making the wings. Cut the remaining cake in half, lengthwise. Cut the remaining cardboard round in half as well and place each cake half on one of the cardboard halves. Using the red buttercream and a palette knife, frost both halves completely. Try to make the frosting appear to be as smooth as possible. Place the black licorice rounds on the wings to make ladybug spots.
• Once the ganache is set up, assemble the ladybug. Allow 2 inches in the front of the ganache cake for the ladybug's face. Place the 2 halves behind the 2-inch face with 2 corners touching right behind the head and at an angle to each other. The wings should be in position for the ladybug to fly away. Place the candy wafers on the ganache cake to create eyes. Using a small dab of leftover frosting, secure the candy coated chocolates to the wafers to make pupils. Cut the licorice whip to the desired length and lightly press into the ganache to create a mouth. Use the remainder of the licorice whip to create antennae. ***To cut this cake for serving, remove the wings and cut separately.

LADY BUG CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and coffee, beating well after each addition. , Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For lady bug wings, microwave chocolate wafers for a few seconds to slightly soften. Use a serrated knife to cut each in half. Cut off the tips to allow room for the lady bug face; save remaining wafer pieces to prop up wings. Frost both wings, and dip in red jimmies. Cut black jelly beans in half; add as spots to the wings. Set aside., For antennae, cut licorice into 1-in. pieces. Dip one end into frosting and roll in black nonpareils; set aside to dry., To assemble cupcake, frost with chocolate icing. Position decorated wings on cupcakes; if desired, add reserved wafer piece under wing tip to prop up. Add antennae and white hard candy eyes. Pipe a small frosting dot for eyeballs. Add a large curved red jimmie and two small ones for the mouth.

LADYBUG

Steps:

• Blend ingredients with crushed ice.
• Serve in a wine glass.

LADYBUG CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Cupcakes:Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Line two standard muffin tins with 18 paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in vanilla seeds. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until combined after each addition.
• Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed and a tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• Buttercream:Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a mixer set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved, and mixture is warm to the touch and feels completely smooth when rubbed between fingertips.
• Transfer bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue whisking until meringue is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), 6 to 8 minutes.
• Reduce speed to medium-low and add butter a few tablespoons at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Switch to paddle attachment and beat on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula; continue beating until frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using same day. If not, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.
• Reserve 1/2 cup buttercream. Tint remaining buttercream green, adding food color a drop at a time until desired color is reached. If necessary, use reserved buttercream to lighten color.
• Transfer buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a small multi-opening tip (such as Wilton #233). Starting at the center and moving outward, pipe grass on top of cupcake: With tip on surface of cupcake, squeeze bag, then release while quickly pulling up to form 1/2-inch-long blades. Pipe some slightly longer for a realistic look.
• Marzipan Ladybugs:Tint marzipan red, adding a small amount of food color and kneading until thoroughly incorporated, until you reach desired color.
• Pinch off eighteen 1 teaspoon-sized pieces of marzipan and shape into ovals for ladybug bodies. Using the back of a paring knife, score a line lengthwise along surface of each body to form wings. Place a chocolate chip at one end of each body, point-side out, to form heads. Insert chocolate pearls into wings to form spots. Place a ladybug on top of each frosted cupcake.

LADYBUG CAKE POPS

Steps:

• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan, using water, oil and eggs. Cool. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Crumble cake into large bowl. Add frosting; mix well. Shape into 1 1/4-inch balls; place on cookie sheet. Freeze until firm; keep refrigerated.
• In microwavable bowl, microwave red candy melts and shortening uncovered on Medium (50%) 1 minute, then in 15-second intervals, until melted; stir until smooth. Dip each lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into melted candy and insert into cake ball no more than halfway. Return to cookie sheet. Refrigerate 5 minutes. Remove from refrigerator a few at a time. Dip each cake ball into melted red candy; tap off excess. Poke opposite end of stick into foam block. Immediately attach mint for ladybug face. Let stand until set. Use melted black candy to attach candy eyes and licorice for antennae. Pipe melted black candy on cake pops for wings and dots. Let stand until set.

APPLE LADYBUG TREATS

Steps:

• Slice apples in half from top to bottom and scoop out the cores using a knife or melon baller. If you have an apple corer, core them first, then slice. Place each apple half flat side down on a small plate.
• Dab peanut butter on to the back of the 'lady bug', then stick raisins onto the dabs for spots. Use this method to make eyes too. Stick one end of each pretzel stick into a raisin, then press the other end into the apples to make antennae.

LADYBUG CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, water, oil, eggs and mayonnaise on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased and floured 2-qt. ovenproof bowl., Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from bowl to a wire rack to cool completely. Place on a serving plate., In a small bowl, combine frosting and food coloring. Spread over cake. For eyes, flatten white gumdrops and shape into ovals; place on ladybug. Cut black gumdrops horizontally into three slices; discard tops. Slightly flatten slices; place two on white gumdrops for pupils, securing with a toothpick if necessary. Arrange remaining slices on body for spots, pressing down gently., Cut rope licorice into six pieces; insert into cake for legs. Cut a small piece from the shoestring licorice; add for mouth.