Free Soda and Snacks

"Your cubicle is in the basement; the Mountain Dew dispenser is on the right."




When Gabriel first showed me this video a couple weeks ago, my belly ached and I couldn't see for the tears in my eyes from laughing so much. It's funny because it's true - sooooooooo very true.

Playing video games is not the same as making them, though a lot of playing is involved. So is a lot of hard work; hard work until your eyes bleed and your fingers are numb, and working until midnight is an understatement. Ah, but the perks! 

Mountain Dew is the uncontested gamer's liquid beverage of choice, and it flows freely at Gabriel's game studio. Game companies even advertise having unlimited free soda and snacks in their job postings; it's a part of the culture. And it's pretty cool, who wants to grow up anyway?

Every year for Gabriel's birthday I make him Mountain Dew cake. This year was no exception, despite having unlimited access to the beverage 24/7.

Lemon-Lime Mt. Dew Gamer Cupcakes

Happy Birthday Gabriel! I only hope when you are 35, you still care about dark elves and space marines.

Cake:

1 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
Zest from two limes and one lemon
Cream together until smooth and integrated
Add
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whisk together until batter lightens in texture and color

Add
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
½-1 cup of Mt. Dew Soda Pop
Stir to combine
Transfer to cupcake tins, lined with paper baking cups
Bake at F350°, 15-25, until cake springs back to the touch
Remove from pan, and transfer to wire rack, let cool

Frosting:

Juice from zested lemons and limes
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons crisco
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat until smooth, frost cupcakes and top with crumbled cookies