# Birthday B-fast | ideas needed



## Janet H (Oct 14, 2014)

In a couple of weeks I am responsible for baking a birthday cake for a friends  Birthday bash.  It's one of the "big" numbers and the bash will be held over a camping weekend. It needs to be special.  I need some ideas...

Here are the constraints: 
1. Her favorite cake is Carrot cake but she does not like raisins....
2. Cake will have to be baked in advance and probably frozen and then decorated the day of...
3. B-day cake will be served at Breakfast! So... I will also need a menu to go with  this cake that can be prepared fairly easily in camper kitchen. (stove, fridge and oven are all available but simple is good)
3. The 'event" will be 8 adults.​
Anyone have any cake ideas?  Or cake and fruit ideas?

How would you incorporate a cake into a breakfast menu?


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## ShellyCooks (Oct 14, 2014)

Maybe you should consider carrot/pineapple muffins or cupcakes.  You can buy a cupcake/muffin holder that stacks the cakes on layers ending with one on top.  OR ... you could do what my sister does.  She makes the cupcakes and frosts them.  She uses a large platter and puts a layer of cupcakes on it and then stacks another layer on top and continues, each layer a little smaller than the last. The frosting  acts like a glue to keep the cupcakes from falling.  She ends up with one cupcake on top.  Then you can decorate the whole thing with sprinkles or anything else. Don't forget candles --- on each cupcake!!!

You should probably serve some kind of meat with the cake for breakfast -- bacon sausage, ham, etc.  A fruit plate or salad would be a good addition, too.  Scrambled eggs are easy to prepare when camping. If this is a big birthday, how about champagne or mimosas (orange juice and champagne)!  

Have a good time.  Let us know how the celebration turns out!


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## GotGarlic (Oct 14, 2014)

I like the cupcake idea. For another menu item, a breakfast casserole is easy to make and is best prepared in advance and baked the day of the event. There are tons of options; here's one that sounds interesting: Brie-and-Veggie Breakfast Strata Recipe | MyRecipes.com

Definitely a fruit plate. Another option for a cocktail is peach nectar with champagne to make a Bellini. I like it because it's less acidic than orange juice. You could offer both.


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## Janet H (Oct 14, 2014)

The ideas for mimosas or Bellini are awesome - taking notes...

I am going to stick to a single cake I think instead of cupcakes. The reasons are that it looks more impressive with 60 candles on it and takes up less freezer space in camper (camper freezer is VERY tiny).

I LOVE stratas! 

How do you think a carrot cake would freeze?


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## GotGarlic (Oct 14, 2014)

I think it would freeze fine and would thaw on the counter overnight. I'm not sure about the frosting, though. Did you mean you would frost it the day of? Cream cheese frosting seems to hold up well, so you could make it at home and bring it along.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Oct 14, 2014)

I know professional cake bakers who freeze their cakes, frost and decorate them, and let them thaw on the way to the customer's house.


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## Janet H (Oct 14, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> I think it would freeze fine and would thaw on the counter overnight. I'm not sure about the frosting, though. Did you mean you would frost it the day of? Cream cheese frosting seems to hold up well, so you could make it at home and bring it along.




Yes - I would bake at home (with a trusted oven) and freeze cake rounds, unfrosted. Then frost cake the morning of the bash with icing also made at home and stored in the fridge.


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## GotGarlic (Oct 14, 2014)

It's sounding like a plan! What else do you need?


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## Janet H (Oct 14, 2014)

A great carrot cake recipe that has no raisins... anyone?


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## Kathleen (Oct 14, 2014)

I've never made it, but this is on my "to-do" list.  

As for the menu, I'd probably go with something like a savory strata or egg casserole with some kind of sauteed greens.  (I loved the greens they served with breakfast in Jamaica.)  Fresh slices of melon, berries, and perhaps some sliced cheeses.  Then the carrot cake.  I'd likely do cupcakes since it is on a camping trip.  

The fruits and cheese could be made in advance.  The strata or casserole could as well and be baked, heated easily prior to serving.  Cupcakes could be frozen and would thaw quickly.  All you would really need to do is saute the greens the morning of the breakfast and ice cupcakes.

~Kathleen


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## Dawgluver (Oct 14, 2014)

Janet H said:


> A great carrot cake recipe that has no raisins... anyone?




Have never heard of such a thing.  Maybe sub pineapple tidbits?  Or dried pineapple?


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## Alix (Oct 14, 2014)

Are nuts ok? I have a great carrot cake recipe with no raisins (I loathe cooked raisins) but mom always subbed in nuts for me. I'll go find it and post for you.


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## Oldvine (Oct 15, 2014)

What cooking equipment is available in the camping situation?  Will you be cooking over a camp fire?  On a camp stove?  In a plush RV?   As far as the cake goes, I would go with the cupcakes and not worry that the cup cakes are incorporated in the breakfast.  Just serve them after breakfast with coffee.  Let people frost their own cupcakes the same way as they would butter a biscuit.  Some will leave it off, some will lightly coat and some will pile it on. 
If you have the equipment boil in a bag omelets work with lots of people, with many tastes while camping.  
All you have to do is leave out the raisins.  In fact, pour a few cupcakes with no raisins for the celebrant and add raisins to the rest before baking.


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## Janet H (Oct 16, 2014)

Alix said:


> Are nuts ok? I have a great carrot cake recipe with no raisins (I loathe cooked raisins) but mom always subbed in nuts for me. I'll go find it and post for you.



Yes - nut are Ok, in fact she is partial to black walnuts and so I'd like to include those....  If you have a great recipe, please share. I've never actually made a carrot cake 



Oldvine said:


> What cooking equipment is available in the camping situation?  Will you be cooking over a camp fire?  On a camp stove?  In a plush RV?



Cooking options are an outdoor camp stove or in my camper which is a 50 year old Airstream. It's not posh - sort of rugged actually but has an oven, stove (with under-powered burners), a small fridge (think dorm size) and running water.



> As far as the cake goes, I would go with the cupcakes and not worry that the cup cakes are incorporated in the breakfast.  Just serve them after breakfast with coffee.  Let people frost their own cupcakes the same way as they would butter a biscuit.  Some will leave it off, some will lightly coat and some will pile it on.



Several folks have suggested cupcakes, but this is a special b-day and deserves a full cake with her deserved three score compliment of candles.


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## ShellyCooks (Oct 16, 2014)

If you want a cake then you could bake the layers ahead of time  and freeze them.  You could frost the cake when you arrive at the camp site.  Carrot cakes usually have cream cheese frosting so after the cake is frosted, it should probably be refrigerated.  You could make a flat cake -- 9"X13".  That would probably be easier to transport and would have more room for the candles.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Oct 16, 2014)

Many members of our family do not care for raisins, I've tried this recipe from America's Test Kitchen and it's wonderful, just leave the dried currants out.
April Takes The Cake: Carrot Layer Cake from America's Test Kitchen
To serve as your breakfast entree, I recently found this on Pinterest.
Impossibly Easy Breakfast Bake (Crowd Size) recipe from Betty Crocker
Does anyone remember Bisquick Impossible Pies? 
I'm going make this recipe for our crowd on Thanksgiving morning.


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## CWS4322 (Oct 17, 2014)

I had a whole  bunch of ideas for you until I discovered a yearling black bear on my front lawn. That sort of distracted me. 

This is my favourite carrot cake recipe:

Recipe Details

The Saints stole this off the table more than once. 

But, if that one doesn't appeal to you, here are some more that are most likely very good:

Recipe Search Results=

And I like these:

Recipe Search Results=

Recipe Details

Recipe Details

Recipe Details

I have made all of these many times.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 17, 2014)

She loves carrot cake, so make her carrot cake, sort of.  Here's a recipe that's the same as I use, sans coconut, and I cut the cooking oil amount in half.  It's still very good, and the icing is sound - Carrot Pineapple Cake I Recipe - Allrecipes.com

I'm not home and so don't have the recipe I use available.  But this one looks very close.

Here's where I make it a breakfast idea.  Rather than baking the cake, freezing it, and then frosting it.  Take the batter, and cook it on a griddle, as pancakes, though you might want to par-boil the shredded carrot for a couple minutes, then chill before adding to the batter.  Add a little milk to the frosting to make it flow more easily.  Top the pancakes with the frosting.  Serve with bacon, sausage, or both.

If you're unsure of this whole thing, when no one is around, make a mini batch of the batter and do test pancakes at home.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## CWS4322 (Oct 18, 2014)

I have to say, as a "non-sweet" eater, I absolutely love carrot cake but asbolutely HATE it when it has pineapple added.


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