Today the world celebrates to 108th birthday of Dr. Seuss. For over 60 years, the books written by Theodor (“Ted”) Seuss Geisel have and continue to thrilled young readers. In his lifetime, Seuss wrote over 40 entertaining, whimsical books for children which are not only fun but open the doors of a child's imagination.
As part of the celebration, the movie based to Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax open today around the Denver metro area. The movie tells the tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope. The animated adventure follows the journey of a boy as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world. Click here for movie/theater times and locations.
There is a wonderful online playground designed for children who love Dr. Seuss called Seussville. It’s perfect for young children (preschool to early elementary) who want to play games based on popular Dr. Seuss books. Also, you might want to consider making a fun day of it baking a fun ‘Cat in the Hat’ cake! Here’s the official recipe from Seussville:
White Cake Ingredients:
* 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1-1/3 cups buttermilk
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 4 egg whites
Equipment needed:
1 medium-sized mixing bowl, 1 mixing spoon, electric mixer, 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan
Cooking Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350ƒF. (Remember: always get an adult's permission before using the oven.)
2. In a bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add buttermilk, butter, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Then beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add egg whites and beat for 2 more minutes.
3. Pour batter into the greased and lightly floured baking pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
4. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool thoroughly.
While the cake is cooling, you can prepare the frosting.
Frosting Ingredients:
* 1/3 cup butter
* 4-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
* red food coloring
Equipment needed:
1 medium-sized mixing bowl, 1 small-sized mixing bowl, electric mixer
Cooking Directions:
1. In a medium-sized bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the milk and the vanilla. Once these ingredients are well-mixed, slowly beat in the remaining sugar. (If the frosting seems to be getting too thick to spread, try adding a few more drops of milk.)
2. Remove half the frosting from the medium-sized bowl and put it in the small bowl. Add a few drops of red coloring until the frosting in one bowl is the shade of red you want. Leave the frosting in the other bowl white.
When the cake is cool and you've finished the frosting, it's time to decorate the cake. First, you'll cut the cake into the shape of the Cat's hat. Then, using the two different colors of frosting you just made, you can decorate the cake so it looks just like the Cat's hat.
Decorating the cake:
1. Place the cake on a table with the shorter side facing you. Starting at the top, cut a strip of cake that is 11 inches long and 1 inch wide off of each of the two longer sides. The 2 inches you have left at the bottom form the hat's brim. (If your cake shrank during baking, you may need to cut a shorter strip of cake off of each side, to insure a 2-inch wide brim.)
2. Starting at the end of the cake closest to you, apply a 2-inch-wide stripe of white frosting across the cake. Don't forget to frost the sides of the cake, too. Then spread a 2-inch-wide stripe of red frosting above the white stripe. Continue alternating between white and red stripes until you've frosted the entire cake.
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