The coolest baked good I've ever made

So back to my recaps on Emmy's Tangled birthday party.  We've already talked about the decorations so now we're on the good stuff...the cake.

I love to bake.  I'd rather bake than cook.  For some reason, baking makes me feel creative and artistic. I don't get that feeling from cooking. Last year was all about being creative for my children's birthdays.  Noah got Lego cookies for school and a Lego cake for home.  When I started planning (or pinning) Emmy's party, I knew exactly what I was going to make.  I found this pin and knew this was perfect for my baby girl's party.

via

How perfect are these Rapunzel towers?!?!?!  A great twist on the classic cupcake.  I headed to Michaels and got my supplies.  They were quite easy to make too.  I used a boxed cake mix (I'm not above that) and prepared it per the directions. I put ice cream cones in a muffin tin to help stabilize them and filled them 1/2 way to 2/3's of the way up.  I baked them according to the box and they baked perfectly inside the cone.  I baked them all the night before because I knew I had 40 of them to decorate the next day.  If I could do it over, I would make sure the only task I had on the day of the party was the cupcakes because the cones got a little stale.  I'm not sure if being in the oven caused the staleness or because they were made the day before.  Either way, they were a huge hit.

My brother's girlfriend was a lifesaver and came over early to help me finish them.  I can't thank her enough because I'd still be decorating them months later if it wasn't for her.  I just love that girl so much!!!

Here's our Rapunzel Towers.  I think they turned out perfectly!

Our creations

That's a lot of cupcakes

My birthday girl

Make a Wish

And I have to share this picture because it captures Em's pure joy at her party.  She had the best time with her friends from school, her cousins, and our family. We're so blessed to have so many people who love our children.

You saved our lives. We are eternally grateful

I just love the little green aliens from Toy Story. 

Noah has been obsessed with the Toy Story movies since we took him to see Toy Story 3 when it was in the theater.  We have anything and everything Toy Story.  So it was only fitting that his 4th birthday party be a Toy Story themed one.  I'm also on a big cupcake kick so I decided to take on the task of baking cupcakes instead of our usual Publix cake.  But the question is, how do I top the monkey cupcakes????

Answer.....green alien cupcakes!!! 

Thanks to my favorite research tool (google) I found the best recipe.  Easy to make and oh so fun to look at!!!!

I'm also obsessed with buttercream frosting from Publix.  I've been using this amazingly delicious frosting ever since I laid eyes on the container of it at the bakery. Who would have thought that you could buy the same frosting they ice their cakes with?!?!  So task number 1, the perfect shade of alien green.

Note to self...don't take a pic of green icing in a green bowl with bad lighting :(

I'm not good at icing yet.  Don't hold that against me!

Sour Patch Straw antennas, Mentos eyes, and sour candy ears

I'm in love!!!!  They came out so great (if I do say so myself!!!)

My Toy Story table. Noah's toys came in handy!

I'm loving the way everything came out!  I've gotten so many compliments on my aliens that I think I'll end up making a batch for work soon.  All in all, our party was a success and so were my cupcakes!!!

Next up....our Disney celebration for Noah's birthday!!!

~JRC~