Original Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate Cake

We made German Chocolate cake, gluten free. It was delicious!

We used the recipe from the Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate bar, but subbed in our gluten free flours*.

We did "cheat" and used Betty Crocker's Coconut Pecan frosting.

Gluten Free flour substitution
*2 cups flour =
1 1/4 c Rice Flour
6 Tbs + 2 tsp Potato Starch
3 Tbs + 1 tsp Tapioca Starch
2 tsp Xanthum Gum

Original Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate Cake

1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup  Water

4 Eggs, separated

***2 cups  Flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp.  Salt

1 cup Butter, softened

2 cups  Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 cup  Buttermilk

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

 

HEAT oven to 350°F.
COVER bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round pans with waxed paper; spray sides with cooking spray. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
BEAT egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
ADD egg whites; stir gently until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.
BAKE 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small spatula around cakes in pans. Cool cakes in pans 15 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting between cake layers and onto top of cake.

Bounce

Lex is now at the age where he can actually "do" things. This is a quick clip of him on his bouncy chair. He was hanging out while we were getting breakfast ready, when we heard giggles along with a bit of rattling.


Sadly, my camera doesn't have sound when it makes a video.

First Day of School

Alayna started 1st grade! She is still in the Dual Language program and is very excited to learn more this year. There was much excitement for her new backpack. It is pink and has 8 pockets!


Alayna wanted to start the school year with straight hair. We also added a few shimmers for her first day. She asked me to write a note to her new teacher so that she can recognize her without her curls.

Alayna's Creation

This is a hair-do that Alayna created* by herself.

She says they are "golden roses" around her head "like a crown."

Can you see it?

She also said the curls needed to hang down from each rose, to be the stems.

*creation - Alayna thought of it and explained what she wanted. I actually did the hair.

Everything's Coming Up Annie!

I was able to take Alayna to her first play. Annie!

GNO!

The theatre

Tickets in hand.

Waiting for the show to start.

Intermission

Alayna would not clap for Miss Hannigan, Rooster or Lily because they are mean. But, she did say that the people playing them did a good job. She was so excited watching the show that she kept creeping to the edge of her seat, until she was almost standing and taping her feet. I tried to watch her as much as the show, and there was always a smile on her face. A couple of times I even caught her mouthing along to the songs.

Alayna got to meet Annie after the show, and she gave her a hug. She was very excited about that. Sadly, no picture. Of course, Annie never curled her hair and had changed into regular clothes before she came out, so most would have wondered who this girl was that Alayna was hugging if I had taken a picture.

Project

The children did an art project this week.

Peeling the wrappers off of ALL the broken crayons.

Sorting out the different colours.

The black, dark blues and purples where hard to tell apart.

Look at all those crayons!

Taking them out.

A new set of crayons.

Using the new crayons.

They don't work very well this way. We are going to break them in half to make "corners" that should colour better.

Prince Lex

Alayna made a crown for Lex.

(it even matched his outfit)

She is the Princess, Lex is the Prince and Cavell is the dragon.

Paddington

Lex was quite upset last night. Alayna suggested turning on his Paddington mobile. It worked.

Ah, the mad skills of focus and amusement at work.

The Fashion Show

When Grandma Onines came to visit she brought many things. Gifts include: toys, dress ups, projects and clothes. Some of those clothes were projects for Grandma to finish while she was here. It turned out to be a good thing. She was able to measure and try the dresses on Alayna. While she has always been petite, we discovered she has been growing taller.

Following is the fashion show of Alayna in the dresses that Grandma Onines made for her.

This is an absolute princess dress. It's pink with butterflies AND sparkles.

This dress is Tutti Fruiti. The necklace was one of the projects brought to do with the kids. Alayna made hers before she saw the dress, but it matches as if made for it.

This is the dress made at Great Grandma Onines' house. She (Great Grandma) had decided to make dresses to send to the girls in Haiti through the Hearts Out to Haiti Mission. She asked the ladies in her Relief Society if they would make them with her. The other ward in her building wanted to help as well. Then the other wards in her stake joined in. In all, "189 handmade dresses and 150 T-shirts for girls and 30 pairs of vibrant-colored shorts for boys" were made and delivered. After helping with all of these dresses, my mom (Grandma Onines) made one more for Alayna out of some scrap fabric - that has sparkles. There were also shorts made for Cavell and Alayna.

The final dress is also from Great Grandma Onines' stash of fabric. Do note the pose. It was difficult to get any plain pics of Alayna in her new dresses. Something about putting on a fashion show means little girls must strike many poses.

Book Report

Alayna, at 6 years of age, completed reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this evening.  This is her very first "BIG" book with multiple characters, main and secondary story lines, and a moral to be told.  She devoured the book over the last couple of weeks, reading whenever possible.  I remember asking her to put her book away while eating breakfast one morning because she wasn't eating, or she was dripping milk from her spoon onto the pages.

At the end of the book, Alayna gave us an impromptu oral book report.  She described all of the characters including their satirical demise in the Chocolate Factory as they succumbed to their individual vices.  She commented on the humor of a glass elevator transporting a bed full of grandparents through the roof.  She even through out some random trivia that Grandpa had been in bed for the last 20 years.  She summed up the general plot and shared her favorite parts.

What an amazing girl.  I think we as parents have just had it made incredibly clear that our job is not necessarily to teach Alayna, who taught herself to read, but to make sure that she has every opportunity to learn available, and to make sure that she is never told that she is too young to do the work of learning.