Fabulousest Party Punch Recipe

Is it rude to drink directly from the punch bowl?  I promise I will use a straw!

1 cup frozen concentrated lemonade (thawed)

6 oz  frozen concentrated orange juice (thawed)

2 cups cranberry juice

3 cups water

1/4 cup super fine sugar

2 liters lemon-lime soda, chilled

Freshly sliced lemons and oranges

Ice

Add the lemonade, orange juice, cranberry juice, water and sugar to a container that has a lid. Stir until all of the sugar is dissolved. Cover and chill the mixture for 1-2 hours. When you are ready to serve the punch, add the mixture to a drink server along with the soda, ice, lemons and oranges. Stir and enjoy!

Orange Dreamsicle Cake Recipe

I adapted this recipe from my BELOVED cookbook, The Cake Mix Doctor. It is full of awesome recipes that dress up cake mixes into fabulous homemade-ish desserts! For the shower, I doubled the recipe for four 9″ round cake layers and plenty of icing!

CAKE RECIPE

1 pkg yellow cake mix w/pudding

1 cup fresh OJ (5ish oranges)

Orange zest to taste

1/2-cup veg oil

1/4-cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

4 large eggs

Grease and flour 2 x 9″round cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients with mixer for 1 minute on low. Scrape sides with spatula. Mix for 2 minutes on medium and pour batter into pans.  Bake about 35 minutes, depending on oven.

ICING RECIPE

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temp

1 stick butter, room temp

3 cups xxx sugar, sifted

2 T fresh OJ

1 T orange zest (1 med orange)

Mix cream cheese and butter w mixer on low til combined. Add sugar, a bit at a time, blending w mixer on low til well combined, 1 minute. Add OJ and zest. Beat on medium for 1 minute til fluffy.  Frost at once.

Now, to get dressed for the party…  I bought 1 lb of whipped icing ftom Kroger’s bakery. It is lighter than butter cream and ices beautifully.  I added some red food color and iced the chilled orange cake with a thin layer for decorating and color.

Then, I took 2 strips of band of gold bling and went around the outside base of cake.

I accidentally, on purpose, bought them at A.C.Moore, but didn’t know how I would use them!

I found a girl online who custom made the Swavorski covered paci. I have a collection of demitasse cups and saucers and I picked a favorite to keep the paci out of the icing. I used the remaining white icing to make the flower borders.

Mama came to the rescue with the gold doilies to hide the gaps between the gold bling strips.

I think the cake was a hit. Hope you enjoy the recipe.