Mothers Day Treat: Make Something Sweet for Your Mom This Year

These Purple Ombre Mini Cakes are adorable and are actually fairly easy to make! Check out the recipe and instructions below to surprise your mom with something a little sweet this Mothers Day!
How to make Purple Ombre Mini Cakes

Find your favorite icing and vanila cake recipe or purchase a cake box mix and icing at the store and use them with these instructions.

1.  Prepare vanilla cake batter, using a box mix or a scratch recipe.

2.  Divide the batter into 4 bowls and color as desired.

3.  Pour batter into prepared baking pans

4. Bake as directed by recipe.  Cool cakes on cooling rack.

5.  Use a round cookie cutter to cut circles of cake from each layer. Cut off cake as necessary to make each circle flat.

6.  Layer cakes as desired, piping a swirl of frosting between each layer.  Frost the tops of the cakes as desired.

Chocolate Butterfly Decorations For Cakes

How to make chocolate butterfly cake decorations is the question. The answer is here, and is very simple, all you need to do is to follow a few steps. I found this recipe on cookpad.com, but the instructions is in Japanese. I learned a little Japanese when I practiced kung fu, but wasn’t helpful to translate this recipe.

You will need: 

• Chocolate chips (the less tasty, more waxy melting chocolate from the bulk bin is best) in your choice of colour. A ziploc freezer bag. Parchment paper. 8 1/2″ x 11″ (or thereabouts) card stock.

Prep: 

• Fold your card stock lengthwise down the centre. 
• Open it up to about a ninety degree angle. 
• Cut sheets of parchment paper about the same size as your card stock, and crease them down the middle. 
• Make lots of room in your freezer. 
• Making the butterflies:

Heat a bowl of water in the microwave for about two minutes – long enough to get the water hot but not boiling. Meanwhile, fill your ziploc bag with a big handful of chocolate chips. Spread the chocolate out in a single layer in the bottom of the bag and set the bag in the hot water. Turn the bag over a few times and smush the chocolate around until it is all melted – no lumps!

Squeeze all the chocolate into one corner of the bag, and, holding it like a pastry bag, snip off the corner. You only want to snip a tiny bit off – you want a hole that is small enough to be precise, but large enough that the chocolate can flow easily through it. You will be drawing your butterfly on the parchment paper, using the crease as a guide for the centre of the butterfly’s body. Start by drawing a stick in that crease, then add wings on either side. Try for symmetry, but don’t worry too much. You want to keep your hand moving in a steady, flowing motion so you don’t get any lumps or thin spots.

You can probably get about three 2 1/2″ butterflies on one page of parchment paper. Let your butterflies sit for just a moment, so the chocolate can cool a little bit. Gently lift your parchment and set it into your folded card stock, lining up the crease in the paper with the fold in the card stock. This folding lifts the wings of the butterflies. Put your butterflies in the freezer to harden (using various items from your freezer to prop the card stock up if necessary). Leave them at least three minutes – or longer if you have time. You will know your butterflies are ready when their wings peel easily away from the parchment paper.