I love a great children’s birthday party, and my friend Loralee of My Cake Kitchen is a true party pro. She has an uncanny talent for choosing fun themes for her three children and for creating clever decorations, food, cakes and party favors that fit each theme perfectly.
Earlier this year I drove up to Hawera to “help” with her daughter’s seventh birthday flamingo party. Watching her unpack box after box of themed supplies made me as excited as if it were my own celebration.
A couple of weeks later I went back for her son’s fifth birthday. I admit I wondered if she could top the flamingo party without it seeming like she favored her daughter more. She absolutely did — with a Mischief Minion party that matched the earlier party’s creativity and charm.
Not satisfied with a standard Despicable Me/Minion theme, Loralee created a Mischief Minion concept. I’m sharing a selection of photos here — partly to embarrass her a little, because that’s what friends do.
The party story revolved around these cakes that Loralee made: one mischievous Minion has locked his friend in a glass box and is threatening to swallow the key.
We even played with gelatin to make the “glass” for the box — I say “we” loosely, since my job mostly involved ferrying sheets to the cupboard to dry. I felt like her little minion for the afternoon.
Loralee’s playful trick foods amused me — I usually dislike foods that masquerade as something else, but her fake-out treats were hilarious and delicious.
The menu included “Nacho Problem” chocolate cupcakes and “Thatsa Notta Spaghetti” vanilla cupcakes.
“Cheese spread sandwiches” — lemon loaf cake filled with vanilla buttercream.
“Blue cordial” — jelly served with a straw, which is outrageously entertaining to watch kids attempt to sip.
…and my favorite: sweet sushi.
I cringe admitting that the sweet sushi was my favorite because I don’t generally like real sushi — the seaweed flavor bothers me. But these rice bubble “sushi” treats were so good I kept snacking on them all afternoon.
The “rice” is puffed rice cereal (rice bubbles or Rice Krispies) mixed into a slice with white chocolate and a touch of honey for flavor.
After the party Loralee suggested we recreate the treats so I could photograph them for my blog. I was exhausted by the crowd — I’m not great with lots of people — but of course we did it anyway. The next morning we used leftover cupcakes and supplies to remake the nacho and spaghetti cupcakes and the sushi. My flight home almost closed without me — but it was worth it to bring you the method for the fake-out food.
The rice bubble slice needs rice bubbles, butter, honey, sugar and white chocolate. We used good-quality white chocolate for the best flavor.
To finish the sushi look you’ll also need white candy melts for the top, black or dark green modeling chocolate to mimic seaweed, and gummy candies for the fillings. A little vegetable oil or shortening will thin the candy melts if needed. Modeling chocolate works better to wrap the rice rounds than fondant and is nicer to eat.
Make the base by melting butter and honey, adding sugar and boiling briefly, then stirring in white chocolate. Combine this with the rice bubbles, press into a lined tray until about 2cm thick, cool slightly and compress the edges so the mixture holds together, then chill for about 20 minutes.
Melt candy melts in short bursts in a microwave, add a teaspoon or two of oil if they are too thick, and spread over the cooled rice slice with your fingers so the rice texture shows through. Let the coating set, then use a 4cm cutter to punch out rounds.
Roll modeling chocolate to about 2mm thickness and cut strips slightly wider than the height of your rice rounds. Attach one end to a rice round and roll the strip around, pressing any excess underneath. Rolling the finished pieces in your palms brings out the rice texture through the modeling chocolate and mimics nori.
Cut small pieces of gummy candy and arrange them on top of each sushi round as the “filling.” They should stick, but a dab of melted candy melts will help if necessary.
Sweet Sushi (Rice Bubble Sushi)
10
5
15
18 pieces of ‘sushi’
Ingredients
- 125 g butter
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 100 g sugar
- 50 g white chocolate
- 3 cups rice bubbles (about 85 g)
- 100 g white candy melts
- 1 teaspoon Crisco or plain oil
- Black or dark green modeling chocolate
- Gummy lollies (e.g. gummy bears or snakes)
Instructions
- Melt butter and honey together in a small saucepan. Add sugar and stir until mostly dissolved. Boil for 2–3 minutes. Add white chocolate and stir until melted. Pour into rice bubbles and mix.
- Spread mixture on baking paper to about 2 cm thickness. When cool enough to touch, compress the edges so it holds together. Slide the paper onto a tray and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
- Melt candy melts in a microwave in 30-second bursts until smooth. If too thick, add a teaspoon or two of oil to thin. Spread over the rice slice with your fingers to leave texture showing. Allow to set.
- Use a 4 cm round cutter to cut circles from the rice bubble slice.
- Roll modeling chocolate to about 2 mm thickness. Cut strips slightly wider than the height of the rounds. Attach a strip to a round and roll it around, pressing excess underneath. Roll in your palms to mimic the nori texture.
- Cut small pieces of gummy lollies and arrange them in the center of each sushi piece. They should stick; if not, secure with a little melted candy melts.
PS: The meanie Minion did get his comeuppance in the end.
…and love from Natalie and Loralee
xx