Seedlings is an introduction  and directions on how to get started in something you may not have tried before. Seedlings may include unusual sports, needle and wood crafts, foreign languages as well as music and investing interests. There is always something new to learn.

Lets make a decorated cake!

You will need one of the following; a precooked cake (like an angel food or a pound cake)  OR  a cake mix  OR you can do something daring and make a cake from scratch.

Yellow Cake Recipe

1-1/4 c. cake flour
1-1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. shortening
1 and a 1/2 eggs
1/2 c. milk

1.  Set the oven to 350. Grease one 9" round cake pan and line only the bottom of it with waxed paper. Set aside a small bowl for creaming and a larger bowl for finishing the cake batter.

2.  Sift the cake flour before measuring it then combine and sift again with the salt and the baking powder. Now set this apart for latter.

3.  Measure the sugar into the small creaming bowl and add the vanilla and shortening and set apart .

4.  Beat the eggs with a hand mixer until well blended and then add them to the sugar mixture in the small creaming bowl. Now cream with an electric mixer on the highest speed for about five minutes until very fluffy.

5.  Measure the milk for later use

6.  Transfer the creamed mixture into the larger bowl for finishing. Add about 1/2 cup of the flour mixture and about 3 T. of the milk. Mix on low for about 1 minute. Continue to add the flour mixture and milk in these amounts and at this speed waiting for about 1 minute between each addition until complete.

7.  Pour your batter into the pan and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

8.  Cool about 5 to 10 minutes in the pan and carefully remove the cake onto a cooling rack.

Congratulations you made a cake from scratch!

Now Lets Decorate!

You can be as simple or as fancy as you dare to be. You will need some kind of icing. You can use pre made frosting or a mix or you can make your own. You can use decorating tips to write with or make flowers and leaves or you can  try some fancy swirls and twirls with a spoon or spatula.

Begin with a nice thick layer of icing to cover you cake. Drop spoons full all over the top and then smooth them out with a spatula.

Option 1: Take a clean spoon and using the tip of your spoon press it into the frosting to make an impression like a C on it's side. you can do rows or make a circular pattern or an random look ,what ever you like.

Option 2: Use your spoon in a different way this time. take the bowl of the spoon and press it into the frosting and then lift it out to make a spiked effect . Continue on until you cover the whole cake with spikes . I call this a bad hair day cake!

Option 3:  Experiment with decorating tips. There are 4 basic types, a writing tip, petal tip, star tip and leaf tip. You use a petal tip to make roses and you will need a flower nail to create your rose on. These should come together in any decorating kit. Your icing needs to be thick enough to hold it's shape so you may have to add some powdered sugar to thicken it.

To make a rose hold the narrow opening of the tip up and while turning the flower nail slowly, press out the frosting in a small circle to form a center for the rose. To form petals make three standing half circles next to each other and then follow with over lapping petals. Finally cut almost through the base of the rose and lift it off the nail placing it one the cake by cutting completely through the rose and easing it off the scissors.

I would like to see an introductory lesson on..........