Put a Bird on It

Okay, I had to reference the show Portlandia, because it is so incredibly hilarious...but all joking aside these cakes online with birds on them, are crazy cute!

I think this next one is my favorite of the bunch...

I need this stand....

Cupcake Beauty

Want to smell like a cupcake and not have to bake?

Here are some options to do so...

Cupcake lotions!

more lotion and a magic towel

soaps..

and if you want your house to smell like a bakery...



Spring is Here!

Sorry for the lack of posts the past few days! Life has been crazy!

But hey, it's Spring! And when I think of Spring, I think of flowers, rain, and butterflies (even though I think they are actually around more in the summer).

I thought I would share some amazing butterfly cakes I found online with you all.

Now, all the cakes above do not use edible butterflies, and while absolutely stunning, there is something about having a nonedible element on a cake that just doesn't sit well.

So here are some with edible butterflies...

Love them.

Espresso Chocolate Chip

Espresso is one of my new found loves. I used to hate anything that had the slightest hint of any coffee flavor, now I love it...though I still don't like it plain :)

Here are some fabulous chocolate chip cookies for all you fellow espresso lovers.

The recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips but I thought it would be great with a little white chocolate. So I substituted half the semi-sweet for the white. Kinda like a white chocolate mocha, right?

gooey goodness

Here is the recipe for you:

7oz sugar

7.5 oz brown sugar

8oz butter

1oz ground espresso

2 eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla

15.5oz flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in small bowl, set aside.

2. Cream sugars, espresso, and butter until light and fluffy.

3. Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl well after each addition.

4. Beat in vanilla.

5. Add flour mixture and mix until incorporated.

6. Mix in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 12-14 min, rotating halfway through.

Let cool, eat, and enjoy! 



Sugar Cookies

Here are some photos of sugar cookies I made this weekend. They are frosted with royal icing which is easy to use, but takes a while to dry. Enjoy !

Poodle!

All packaged up and ready to go

A family of ducks in honor of Spring...

Then I did some basic rounds to try out some stenciling. Here they are frosted and sitting out to dry.

Fun with stencils!

I also tried out some stamps using food coloring as ink

I can't wait to try out more!

Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is a must-have of any pastry chef. It is something that is soooo simple (hence the name) and comes in handy so often. I use simple syrup with a little flavoring mainly to brush layers of cake before frosting to keep the cake moist and delicious. I also love to flavor my morning latte with some vanilla syrup, yum!

Simple syrup only takes two ingredients...sugar and water. Scale out equal amounts by weight.

First add the sugar to a small pan, then pour in the water.

Gently stir until all the sugar is mixed well with the water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for one minute.

Voila! You're done! So easy right?

For the Vanilla Syrup, simply add a few teaspoons of vanilla extract to taste.

Yummy syrupy goodness :)