Last week was my husband Sir Wes’ birthday or Birfday as he calls it.  It also happened to be my niece and nephews spring break, who were more than happy to come all the way from South Carolina to celebrate WEStival with us.   What kid wouldn’t want to go to a birthday party at Walt Disney World.  Forget the bowling alley/Putt Putt/Chucky Cheese parties, WEStival was where it was at. 

 

Sir Wes had only made two requests for his birthday, first was to spend time with the family and the other was that he wanted Coca-Cola Cake for his birthday dessert; a child hood favorite of his.  Both of these requests were easy and fun to fulfill. 

 We spent the few days hopping between the parks and the pools, kids and adults having a blast.  A little of this-

 And a little of that-

 Coca-Cola Float Cupcakes- recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson’s How To Be A Domestic Goddess

Coca-Cola Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 cup Coca-Cola

 Coca-Cola Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioner sugar
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. cocoa
• 3 Tbsp. Coca-Cola
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

 Marshmallow Buttercream:

• 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• ¾ cup confectioner sugar, sifted
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup mini marshmallows

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk and vanilla. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter, cocoa, marshmallows and Coca-Cola, heating it gently. Pour the warm butter mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring well, and then add the liquid ingredients mixing until the batter is well blended.

Pour into a muffin tin that has been greased or lined with papers filling each well ¾ quarters and bake for 20-25 minutes until a tester comes out clean.

For the glaze:

Sift the confectioner sugar into a bowl and set aside. In a heavy-based saucepan, combine the butter, Coca-Cola and cocoa and stir over a low heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla, and spoon in the sieved icing sugar, whisking well, until you’ve got a smooth, spreadable, but still runny, icing.

Either dip the cupcake tops into the pot of glaze, or carefully pour a tablespoon of glaze over the cupcakes while they are still warm, and leave to cool

For the marshmallow buttercream:

Mix together the softened butter, confectioner sugar, vanilla and milk until the buttercream frosting is a smooth consistency.

Gently melt the marshmallows in a glass bowl in the microwave for 45 seconds on 50% power until they have slightly melted and started to rise up.   Add the melted marshmallows to the buttercream frosting, and whip until completely combined; the frosting should be thick and light.  Spoon the frosting into a piping bag with your favorite style tip and pipe over the cooled, glazed cupcakes.  Garnish with cherries, sprinkles, nuts or your favorite float topping.

The Coca-Cola Cupcakes came out extrmely moist, and very suitable for travel.  Even a few days later the treats are still delectable.

Needless to say, we had a great spring break, and a fabulous WEStival!  Hopefully Sir Sully and Lady Corree are not going to be disappointed in the next birthday party they attend.