Bruiser’s Birthday Cake(s)!
This past Saturday my little man, aka Bruiser (NO, that’s not really his name but YES it’s his nickname) turned 3 years old! That’s him with his piercing blue eyes, sweet smile & chubby cheeks. Ah, he just melts my heart! I know, I know just can’t help it! I Lurve him & I think he’s just fab (as are his big brother, aka Middle Man, & his big sister, Ms. Priss… who in case they’re looking at this post, will naturally be making their blog debuts shortly. Patience my pretties. Mwah!)
We celebrated with a small family party. We grilled hotdogs & celebrated with this totally delicious FAUX Hamburger Cake & Faux Fries! It was a ton of fun & everyone loved them. Especially Bruiser! I even had cute red checkered baskets for the table scape & a little mini grill for the condiment holders. Too cute! I put the faux fries in a bowl lined with parchment paper.
I have seen Hamburger Cupcakes and Cakes over the internet before and I’m sure you have too & I just couldn’t resist trying it out for myself. Other versions had fondant rolled all around the layers. Much too complicated for a novice baker like myself. The individual hamburger cupcakes were precious too but I imagine they had to take forevah! So I dreamed up my own version.
This will take a little while, and YES, don’t throw anything at me, I totally took the shortcut route & went with the box cake mixes. If you’re feeling spry go ahead and make them from scratch. I have NEVER worked with Fondant before so I obviously took the pre-made box route on that as well. I found a great little box of pre-tinted fondant. Score! If you’re feeling jiggy and want to make a yellow slice of fondant for Cheese. Go ahead! I had planned on it but well, we all know what happens to the best laid plans.
You’ll want to watch the cake after you’ve assembled it, if it’s too hot or humid your hamburger might SLIDE so be careful. How do I know this you ask? WELL mine did slide right off, luckily I was able to put it back together again b4 the guests arrived. Whew…
Happy Birthday Bruiser! Mommy <3’s you! Mwah!
What you’ll need:
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 box of poundcake mix
1 box of fudge brownie mix
1 large container of whipped
red food coloring
red fondant
green fondant
sesame seeds
Cinnamon Sugar
Eggs - Enough to make cakes/brownies with (check box directions)
Vegetable Oil - Enough to make cakes/brownies with (check box directions)
What to do:
Cook your yellow cake mix in 2 10″ round cake pans according to box directions. These will be your faux Hamburger buns. Cool completely. Cook your brownie mix - according to package directions for cake like brownies in a 10″ round cake pan. This will be your faux Hamburger Patty. Cool completely. Cook your Poundcake according to box directions. This will be for your faux fries. Cool completely.
To assemble: First tint your icing with enough red food coloring so that it looks like faux ketchup. Stir well & set aside. Place one of the yellow cake layers onto your cake stand or serving plate. Spread your red icing ontop. Place your Brownie layer on top of that. Spread more faux ketchup on top of brownie layer. Roll out your green Fondant for the faux lettuce. It should be large enough to drape over the edges of the brownie layer. Carefully transfer green fondant & place on top of brownie layer. Roll out your red fondant and with a large round cookie cutter (or large glass) cut out 3-4 faux tomatoes. Arrange them on top of faux lettuce so that they drape over edges peeking out from faux buns. Add a final layer of faux ketchup on top of the fondants. Carefully place the remaining yellow cake layer on top. Garnish with sesame seeds.
For the faux fries. Preheat oven to 350. Cut your cooled poundcake into 1/2″ slices and then again into 1/2″ slices so they resemble steak fries. Arrange cut faux fries onto a cookie sheet. Sprinkle cinammon sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden.
Buon Appetito!
If you liked this post, I know Bruiser would appreciate a Stumble! Come on, just look at that adorable face! The buttons are right below, what are you waiting for? Mwah!
What adorable pictures of your son! I am glad you found me on food buzz. Can’t wait for more recipes
Thanks so much Stacy!
OMG his eyes are GORGEOUS!!! His gonna be a heartbreaker;)! and I love the cake idea!
wonderful wonderful wonderful cake!!!!!!
who cares if it’s tasty (though i’m sure it is), it’s the heart to create it that wins everything!!!!
such a perfect mom u r!
I’m sure your son loved his cake, and will remember the special birthday celebration you created….even if he is only 3.
He sure is a cutie!
What a cute cake! And what a cute kid!
Nice blog post!
oh i love this and what a handsome boy!
Your cake looks awesome!
So creative girlfriend!!! I love the burger cake. Your son looks happy –You’re such a great mom..keep it up!
VERY cute! Don’t tell anyone, but I always use box mixes too. I HATE the baking part, but love the decorating part, so this is my solution to that little dilemma.
Happy belated birthday to Bruiser!! Love that cake
Oh my how awesome is that burger, um I mean cake! And the fries, well you outdid yourself with those. Geez Paula, I wish you were my relative.
Super fun cake. My kids would love it. : )
Hi Paula,
Love your site. It reminds me of a family heirloom. You’re taking simplicity and beauty all the way…from food to photos to family. So glad we met on foodbuzz.
Silvia
Thanks so much Marta! Of course I think he’s gaw-geous too (but I’m a little partial LOL) Mwah!
Ciao LuLu! Ah, thank you *hugs*. I was a little worried it was going to be dry from the lack of icing, etc. but it was surprisingly moist and the brownie layer sandwiched between the cake layers was dee-lish!
Thanks Debi! He was too cute, kept staring at it with a perplexed look. Like that’s one giant Hamburger Mommy, where is my cake? But he ate a ginormous slice & was a happy camper (so naturally I was too)
Thanks Elaine! I was very happy that it turned out as cute as it did!
Thanks a bunch KrisLu! It was fun to write about my little man’s special day.
Thanks so much Rebecca! Mwah!
Graazie Jodi! It was a fun one to make. I’m already thinking about Miss Priss’ cake, her bday is in Nov.
Ah, that’s so sweet! Mwah! He’s a big chicken nugget fan too but I didn’t think that would turn out so cute LOL Thought the hamburger would be the better choice
Thanks Sara! Your secret is safe with me. I’m no where near as comfortable with the baking part so the boxes are my friend too LOL Baking requires me to be way to strict on measurements tee hee!
Ah, thank so much VeggieGirl! Mwah!
Thanks Kathy! I know, now little man thinks all hamburgers are cakes LOL
Thanks Michelle! It was really fairly easy peasy once you get all the baking done. I made the poundcake & brownie layer the night before and made the “buns” the morning which helped out. Just had to keep those two from being eaten b4 it was time to assemble LOL
Ah, thanks so much Silvia. So sweet of you. I do love my family & FOOD & taking fotos has become a new passion. It’s great to be able to combine them all.
I think you made sensible choices while making a dessert you’ve never tried before via the pre-made options. I hope your son was as impressed with his cake as we all are.
Cheers!
Thanks a bunch Rachel! He ate a girnormous piece (it was his bday after all LOL) & was a happy camper (which made me a happy camper) & then in typical 3 year old fashion asked for more presents! What are you gonna do? LOL
Your little one is sooo adorable! Love that cake too, very cool
Thanks Rochelle! I think we’ll keep him
He keeps us quite entertained. I do lurve him.
So very very cute…both the boy and the cake. Happy Birthday!
This looks awesome! What an amazing cake! Now, however, you’ll have to top this achievement for next birthday!
Thanks Kayte! He had a great day.
Thanks Alta! No pressure, eh? LOL I know Miss Priss has already said her cake must be fab (it’s in Nov) aiya!
Cute cake and what a beautiful boy! Happy Birthday!
Thanks Alyssa! I really appreciate your sweet comments!
Thanks so much for “deconstructing” the totally-fondant-covered, impossible to even imagine making, “hamburger” cakes. This is something I think even I could manage (thank you boxed cake mix companies!)…and I had no idea fondant was available in a box mix! Oh, and most importantly, how can you stand those incredible blue eyes???
Thanks Connie! Yes, I don’t consider myself a baker. I’m a cook but I love desserts so the easier the better for me. Yes, you can find the Pre-Made Fondant in the Cake section of the store. It comes in small boxes for minimal use or large tubs that you can tint yourself. So it made it much more approachable for me at least. I’m in awe of anyone who can make those incredibly beautiful fondant cakes. Thank you, I could look at them all day! Both our boys have my blue eyes & their big sis has Daddy’s brown eyes.
That is so fun! Of course he had a great bday.
Thanks guys! Give him some hotwheels & a cake & he’s a happy little guy
He’s a cutie for sure! And that’s TOTALLY ok to take the packet cake mix route every once in a while especially when you are making something so stunning!
Thank you, mwah! We think he’s pretty cute but then again, we’re biased.
Love your blog layout! And that burger cake with faux fries is too much!! Love it!
Thanks a bunch Ginny! I really appreciate that. It was a fun cake to make (& of course eat LOL)
This cake is just too much fun!!
Ah, thanks a bunch! Mwah!
What a sweet baby!
Thanks so much Tina! He is pretty sweet (for the most part LOL)
This is so cute! What a fun idea!
Thanks so much Kim! I was pretty pleased with it. Who knows maybe I’ll tackle some pastries next tee hee!
what a darling cake.
happy birthday to bruiser!
what a lucky boy he is to have such a thoughtful and wonderful mama who made him the CUTEST faux hamburger cake ever!!
Your Bruiser has the most beautiful blue eyes that I ever saw! Happy birthday and congratulations for the Mum - the cake is so funny and gorgeous!
Paula, you know Bruiser and all our children are the inspiration for so much of our creative baking!!. Little Bruiser must be quite a guy to inspire such a unique birthday cake (Fantastic!) BTW Happy Birthday Bruiser and many many more!!!
Thanks Danielle! It was quite delicious too! The brownie layer really added to the cake!
Ah thanks bunches Giao! Mwah! So sweet of you!
Grazie Laura! That’s so nice of you to say. Boy my boys have those beautiful electric blue eyes & my daughter, Ms. Priss has the most amazing Cocoa Latte brown eyes!
Thank you Debbie! My little man is a quite a character and keeps me laughing constantly. I do lurve him (& all of my little ones)
Looks fantastic.
Very creative and looks so real! I have never used fondant before. Must be a happy chappy!
Thanks a bunch Chris! I really appreciate it.
Ah, thanks Penny! I had never worked with Fondant either. I found that rolling it out on Parchment Paper did help it lift off the surface after rolling much easier *wink wink*!
How adorable is he!?!?!
Thanks bunches Jessica! I think he’s super adorable (but I’m a little partial
1) He is gorgeous…. I mean handsome. Happy Birthday, Bruiser! (his eyes remind me of my son’s)
2) LOVE the hamburger cake idea. Perfect for a cookout or something even. Very cute!
3) MWAH!!
Donna
Thank you Donna! Mwah Mwah Mwah! So sweet of you!
Wow - what a great cake! Sounds like a fun birthday!
Grazie Jen! It was a fun day & everyone loved the cakes!
One of the most awesome birthday cakes I’ve ever seen!!
Ah Rachael I’m so happy you liked it
Baci!
That’s one cute looking cake!!!
What a great cake! And made for such a cutie! Hope your Bruiser had a wonderful day. It sure looks it from the photos.
Adorable blue-eyed son you have there (I have one too!). Great idea for the cake though I don’t like working with fondant…tried it along with my son for a cake contest. Maybe wrong brand of fondant. The fries idea looks delicious anyway. Your kids will always have great memories of the cakes mom makes. Wish I had pictures of the tractor/sand piles one I made for my son’s 2nd birthday. Happy Friday.
Happy belated birthday to cutie Bruiser. Nice. Thank you for sharing. Cheers !