Time to Mow

Today was the Birthday of a very dear friend. Naturally, I wanted to bake him a cake. There is a joke among us about Tom always mowing the lawn. "He's always out there on his tractor!" his wife says. So, I thought it would be fun to make him a cake with a tractor on it. I made an 8" round yellow layer cake from a mix. The frosting was Martha Stewart's basic buttercream. (recipe below). The top surface of the cake was green, like the lawn he is always mowing, and I piped blades of grass. Halfway through, I said to myself "what! are you crazy?" and kept piping. I piped grass around the sides and placed a few yellow flowers there as well. The "icing on the cake" was the tractor I put on the top.

Buttercream Recipe:
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened ( used salted butter, wonder how much difference it made?)
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
beat Butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (after every 2 additions, increase speed to high and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce to medium- high) ( I did not do that part, not on purpose). Add vanilla and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to three days.