We had a long winter in Iowa, and with the hopeful arrival of spring, I decided to bake a special
Birthday/Easter Cake.
I made this cake one year for my sister-in-law, Esther's, birthday.
She really liked it.
I also made one of these for my mom to take to her Bible study and share with her "Peeps."
This cake seemed appropriate to make this for a friend of mine who turned
94 years young this March.
It was a hit!
Prepare a chocolate cake mix according to package directions.
Any flavor will do, but I particularly like chocolate for this.
It goes so well with Peeps.
What are Peeps?
Peeps are produced by Just Born, a candy manufacturer founded in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, by Russian immigrant Sam Born (1891-1959). In 1953 Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company and its marshmallow chick line, and replaced the painstaking process of hand-forming the chicks with mass production. When founder Sam Born would display a sign for his freshly-made candy, he would title it "Just Born," playing off of his last name and the fact that he made his candy fresh daily. According to Mary Bellis, the newly purchased company, Just Born, was soon the "largest marshmallow candy manufacturer in the world." New shapes other than the chicks were produced following a theme according to the season starting in the 1960s. Twenty years later, the Marshmallow Peeps Bunny was released as a popular year round shape of the candy. The yellow chicks were the original form of the candy — hence their name — but then the company introduced other colors and, eventually, the myriad shapes in which they are now produced. Peeps were manufactured in different colors such as lavender and blue starting in 1995. Prior to that they were only being produced in the traditional colors: pink, white, and yellow. New flavors such as vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate were introduced between the years of 1999 and 2002.
Bake cake in 2 , 9-inch layer cake pans.
Let the cake cool, then frost.
To make the sunflower, score a circle in the center of the cake.
Place chocolate chips until the circle is filled.
These will resemble the seeds of the sunflower.
For petals, arrange Peeps around edge of cake with tails facing out,
curving slightly.
I used toothpicks randomly to hold the chicks in place.
This recipe is on the Peeps web sight.
Things you didn't know about marshmallow Peeps
1. Peeps were once made by hand and took nearly 30 hours to create.
2. Original Peeps had wings.
3. There are bunny Peeps. Yes, bunnies.
For more on Peeps go to:
Peeps
Marshmallow candies in the shape of rabbits and baby chickens.
Usually served around Easter.
Also short for "people".
From the Urban Dictionary
Beautiful for birthdays or Easter
or to share with your peeps!
