All American Flag Cake

This cake recipe is super LIGHT, EASY and REFRESHING.  I love it because it is so SIMPLE to make and you can totally let your kids get involved with the decorating.  Sorry my picture shows only half of the cake!  My friend's birthday is actually on the 4th, and since our family is so small, I decided to make two square cakes, one for her and one for us, instead of one 9X13.

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix

1 (8oz) container of  frozen whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed

Blueberries

Strawberries, cut in half

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the cake mix according to package directions.

Pour in greased 9x13 pan.

Bake for 27-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before decorating.

Decorate by spreading with whipped topping and making the stars portion with the blueberries and the stripes with the strawberries.... Have a HAPPY 4th!!!!

Lemon Zucchini Cupcakes

I have been on a lemon kick lately and last weekend I decided to make these FABULOUS cupcakes!  I found the recipe on Grouprecipes.com and absolutely love it.  These are super SIMPLE and QUICK to make.  Don't let the zucchini scare you at all!  It actually takes the place of the oil and water you would typically add to any cake mix recipe and provides ALL of the moisture and even a bit of color.  

Now this is actually a cake recipe, but since I have a smaller family, I prefer to make cupcakes so I can freeze any leftovers.  First, I place the leftover frosted cupcakes on a cookie sheet. Then I put them in the freezer for the next couple of hours.  Once frozen, I place them all in a container or Ziploc bag.  That way when we feel like something sweet, we just pull out a cupcake and allow it to sit out for about 15 minutes.  It tastes just as FRESH and MOIST as it did the day you made it!  

Lemon Zucchini Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box lemon cake mix

1 (4oz) pkg instant lemon pudding

4 eggs, slightly beaten

2 C zucchini, peeled and grated

1-2 t grated lemon zest (depending on your taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all cake ingredients for about 3 minutes.

Pour into muffin cups.

Bake for 25-30 minutes (depending on oven), or until tops are light brown.

Remove cupcakes and allow to completely cool.

Once cooled, frost with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

4 T butter, room temperature

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 C powdered sugar (more or less)

1-2 t grated lemon zest (depending on taste)

1-2 t fresh lemon juice (depending on taste)

*A little milk

Directions:

Cream together butter and cream cheese.

Add powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice and mix well.

*Depending on your preference when it comes to the consistency of the frosting, you may want to add about 1-2 T of milk to the frosting.