Rubber Ducky You're The One Cake

I made this cake (below) for my new friend, Laurie's, baby shower. She is having a baby boy! It was going to be a small gathering, very low-key. I wanted to make a cake that was fun and easy-going to match the occasion. This cake was inspired by a design I found on the internet. Of course, while making it, I immediately started singing Ernie's "tubby time" song (provided above).

From Hey, Ducky

I love rubber duckies, even now. I think I like them better than the real thing. I mean they always have a goofy smile. They seem happy that your are around, splashing in a tub with sudsy bubbles, not running away from you with their stubby little webbed feet and half flying back into the man-made pond they swim around in all day doing nothing but frolicking and feeding on hand-tossed bread crumbs!

Anyway, I digress. I also made cupcakes to match the cake. I usually try to have extra cupcakes on hand for those who did not RSVP or for the tiny tots.

From Hey, Ducky

This is how I did it:



For this cake, I made a yellow cake with pineapple-apricot filling. I used Duncan Hines Yellow Cake mix (the best store-bought brand to use for optimum cake results). The marmalade was a simple store brand product. I used a Wilton 9-inch round cake pan, about three inches tall. The cake was layered and then filled with marmalade. I then crumb coated the cake and let it sit for a while in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. I usually let crumb-coated cakes stand out for thirty minutes at room temperature, but I was in pressed for time, so I let the icing cool and set in the crumbs. I applied the final coating of stabilized whipped cream icing and sprayed it with several coats of Wilton's blue decorating spray. After a few minutes, I positioned the ducks and dotted the cake with reserved white whipped cream icing for bubbles. I wish I had added more bubbles to this cake. Next time, I will.

From Hey, Ducky

For the cupcakes, I let the cupcakes completely cool. Then, I used a serrated knife to cut tops out of the cupcake. I then filled the holes with marmalade. The cupcakes tops were gently pushed back in. Finally, I topped them with jumbo marshmallows and allow them to slowly melt in the 350F oven, checking on them every so often to make sure they did not fall a part. When the marshmallow appeared soft and slightly gooey, I took them out, pressed them down with my fingers and spatula (for a particular "capped" look) and sprayed them blue. I noticed a little ring from the toasted marshmallow caps, but I was not worried as I knew the yellow sprinkles would blend them in. The melted marshmallows have a similar taste to fondant, but lightly sweetened. The kids loved them!

I highly recommend this cake for an easy-breezy, low-keyed celebration. It was fun and took less than 2.5 hours, beginning to end!

Now, it is time for my daughter's "tubby time" and playtime with her rubber duckies, which she shares for now.