My Husband Rocks!

Hello Sweet Readers!
Look at my beautiful new cupcake ornaments! My sweet husband surprised me with these last week. He made sure to let me know that even though it was a gift, and even though my birthday is on the 16th, these were NOT a birthday gift (with my bday being in December, I tend to get a lot of Christmas-themed items for my birthday...and I have lotsssss of Christmas stuff :) So he did it just because, which is something he does from time to time. So sweet, huh?
So I love them. They are pretty, they are pink, and he purchased enough to combine with the other ones I have graciously received from friends to make a nice display.

For those of you who have already asked based on my Facebook comment yesterday, he got them mail order. They came individually wrapped in their own box. A dear friend of ours that my husband works with showed him a catalog with these beauties in them, thinking that I might like them (thanks, Arnie!). I do! He got them from Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, MI. www.bronners.com
I put them on one of my cupcake trees because I didn't want them to get lost in our Christmas tree. In this photo, you can see some of the other fun ones I have received in years past (thanks to Debbie and Debbie, to name a couple of the wonderful donors!)
Just wanted to share these with you and wish you a happy week.

Kickin' It...NOT!

Hello Sweet Readers~
I know everyone is so busy this time of year, and I am not exempt! There is so much going on, so much to do and so much to see. I love this time of year, though. Relishing in the joy that the season brings because Christ was born and lives still does make me smile amidst all the craziness that the season can also bring. I am so blessed, and I need to take even more time to reflect on that rather than what needs to be done.
So, though I am not "kickin' it" this time of year, I thought I would show you a cake I made. Well, I actually made two of these. One for each of my son's end of the year soccer parties. I was very happy with the way they turned out and many people actually thought that the cake on top was a real soccer ball! It's not. It's a layered cake covered in buttercream and then fondant. I cut out the hexagons and pentagons by hand. It took some time, but I really like the result. I hope you do, too!

Have a sweet rest of your week. Enjoy your blessings, friends :)

Ducky Cake and Cupcakes

Hello Sweet Readers! I have been out of town for over a week and am a bit overwhelmed with all that is on my plate right now, but I wanted to send out some photos of a dear friend's son's bday goodies. I made these awhile back, but never posted them. So here they are. She wanted a ducky/bathtub theme for the sweet boy's 1st bday and here is what I came up with.

The cake was fun and whimsical. I loved making it.
I made her some pops for the heck of it because I just couldn't resist!
I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and blessed. I hope to share more with you soon, sweet readers.

Kylee's Cupcakes

Hi Sweet Readers!

I wanted to share with you some desserts I did for a fundraiser a couple weeks ago. It was for the Kylee Lillich Giving Tree Wine Tasting and Silent Auction. The event was a huge success and was very well attended. I donated these desserts to support what is a very wonderful charity and organization. Please take a look at their site and check them out. The have helped thousands of children in need and it is so worth your time! http://www.kyleesgivingtree.org/
I did a major mix of mini cupcakes and cupcake truffle pops. I believe there were four different flavors of cake, 4 different frostings and some fillings. They were well received, which is always nice.
I had to sort of cram them into a smaller space than what they needed, but I think the display looked pretty anyway.




I hope you have a wonderful weekend and a very blessed Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for...including you, sweet readers :)

Martha Stewart Cupcake Club #4 -Candied Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Good Morning Sweet Readers!

I hope your week is off to a great start! It's a very chilly morning here in Sacramento, but it's still beautiful, crisp and clear. I love it!

Here is the fourth installment from Martha's wonderful cupcake book. Yes, you read correctly, they are candied sweet potato cupcakes! Sound a bit strange, I admit, but these were so, so delicious. Every single person that tried them adored them (and many, many people did...more details to come later). Many gave me a curious look when they were told what they were. One even told me that sounded disgusting! But they were all won over! Many put it second on their lists of favorites.

The cupcake was rich, dense and very sweet, but in a deep way, if you can call it that. It was supposed to be topped with marshmallows and candied pecans, but I needed the presentation factor and that wasn't going to cut it this time. Next time, I may try a few that way. Like I said, the texture is much denser than a normal cupcake, but it lends to the experience. You just have to try them! I topped them with a fabulous apple cider reduction spiced buttercream, the recipe for which I found on Carrie's website last year (Fields of Cake - YUM!). It was a great pairing!


Here's a shot of the oh-so-yummy sweet pototates. They were oozing and hot and carmelized. It took all I had to resist eating one right then and there!Hope you have a sweet week!

Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake Cake!

Hi Sweet Readers!
Are you drooling yet?
Because I was when I went on Judy's blog the other night at 11:30 PM and found this recipe that I just HAD to make! If I had had all the ingredients at that time, I might have stayed up to make it, but fortunately I didn't and I got some rest. But the next day, I got the ingredients and went for it. I have had this cake at Cheesecake Factory and loved it, and since it's so good for you, I decided I had to make my own!

I brought it to a church brunch today and it received great reviews. It was relatively easy to make, except for getting the frosting smooth..which is why I opted for a handy dandy icing triangle to make my fun design. Someday I will achieve smooth icing, but not with cream cheese buttercream, that's for sure!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!


Here is the link Judy's blog and the recipe if you now also need to make it!
http://domesticgoddessadventures.blogspot.com/2009/10/red-velvet-white-chocolate-cheesecake.html

Butterflies and Flowers

Hi Sweet Readers!
I hope your week is going well so far! Here are some cuppies I made playing around some time ago. I realized I never posted them. The butterflies are homemade candies and I made the flowers out of fondant. As you can see, there are some red velvet cuppies and some vanilla ones. The lovely blue buttercream is IMBC and the chocolate is rich and decadent.

I hope the rest of your week goes well! I am in the process of a huge charity order along with some other standing orders that I can't wait to show you!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, sweet readers!

I hope you are having a great day so far! Here are some treats I made for family, friends and neighbors for the holiday. The sugar cookies were the result of meeting with one of my wonderful new friends from Flickr! Glory lives relatively close and we have so much in common in addition to baking. She is such a blessing.

She came over the other day to bake with me. She showed me some of her wonderful techniques for sugar cookies and icing them beautifully. She is a master at it. As you can see above, I need more practice, but the patience required might take some time for me :)

Here are some really decadent chocolate cuppies filled with fudged frosting and topped with the same. I made these little fondant cutouts for them and detailed them with royal icing.

Have a safe and fun day!

So Cute!

Is this not the most darling sight! I have no clue who this kid is, but he was at my son's soccer game last Saturday and neither myself or the rest of the parents there could resist getting some photos of him! No worries..the dog stayed mellow and all was well! :)

Witch's Brooms and Cemeteries

Hello Sweet Readers!

Well, it's Harvest Time and time for parties at school for the boys. I made these little witch's broom cookies for my youngest son's class. It was funny to see the kids' reactions. Some immediately knew it was a broom; others said, "It's not a broom, it's a lollipop." And they were unwavering in their insistence of it, let me tell you. First graders know what they know and they will let you know it, too!
I found the recipe in on e of the little Betty Crocker Fall mini cookbooks in the dollar section at Target. There are a few really cute recipes in there! Check it out if you go. It's definitely worth a buck!
On a completely different note, here are a couple photos of my sweet hubby and me on my other son's field trip (to a really cool old cemetery!). I have been playing with Picnik a bit and trying out their collaging and antiquing elements. Not sure if I've got it down yet. I'm sure you'll see more of my experiments, so feel free to give me any tips if you so desire!

Have a great weekend!

Goblin Gardens Pumpkin Patch

Hi Sweet Readers!

I had the opportunity to go on a field trip with my younger son to the pumpkin patch today. It was very fun, though a bit chilly at the beginning. With the strange weather we've been having, they lost their corn maze and it was too muddy for the hay ride, but the kiddos had fun picking out pumpkins, sliding and teeter-tottering. Here are some shots of the main attractions.

Now, I am off to bake!

Cupcake Truffles in a Cupcake Candy Mold

Hello Sweet Readers!

I hope you had an awesome weekend! I wanted to share with you these cute little cupcake truffles I made some time ago. They are my truffles stowed in a cute little cupcake candy shell. I just love this candy mold. It makes for some bite-sized fun!

I hope your week is off to a great start!

Martha Stewart Cupcake Club #3 : Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

Hello Sweet Readers!

So here we are with the 3rd official installment for the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club! They are Pumpkin Patch cupcakes. This month's choice came from Kim over at What the Whisk.
Here are mine! I just love the little adorable pumpkins. They are made out of marzipan..which I also love. I discovered that I could only make three since the other bar of marzipan I had was covered in chocolate. Oh, the horror! I had to eat several bites just to soothe myself. When I bought it, I thought it was plain, but, alas, it wasn't. I guess it was meant to be that I got to enjoy a yummy chocolate treat. Oh the tough life I lead, I tell ya.

So how was the pumpkin cupcake? It was outstanding! I really liked this cupcake. I was a bit wary of it being too dense, like a pumpkin bread, but it wasn't. It was light and moist and had the perfect crumb. I think the cake flour in the recipe really made it more "cupcakey" than "bready". The spices were just right. I was actually wondering if it would be too spicy since it called for a tablespoon of ginger, among all the other spices. I nearly cut it down, but I didn't. And it was perfect. The pumpkin flavor was not lost among the spices and it left a lovely lingering pumpkin taste in my mouth.

The recipe said that it would make 32. I got 36 regular cupcakes and 28 minis. I don't overfill, obviously, but, as you could see from the photos, they are full enough, right!? Just a little crown on top. Gotta leave room for max frosting, in my opinion.

By the way, my hubby L-O-V-E-D these. He is actually quite picky about his cupcakes, and although he prefers creme brulee and chocolate chip cookies to any cupcake out there, he was mightily impressed with these. Read "mightily" as 3! Just thought I'd bring in another opionion here. :)


So if you are in the mood for your house to smell like fall and get all cozy eating one (or more) of these scrumptious treats, I highly recommend this recipe. It's in the book, and I'm not allowed to post it, but if you like cupcakes, YOU HAVE GOT TO BUY THIS BOOK! It really has tons of yummy recipes and great photos.

Be sure to go to http://mscclub.blogspot.com/ and check out all the links to the other bakers taking on this fun challenge! And get your pumpkin ready!

12 Layers of Yummy!

Hello Sweet Readers! Sorry it has been awhile since my last post. I have been busy doing large projects and traveling some. Hope you all are well, though!

Here is a delicious cake I made to bring to a dinner party a few weeks ago. It was 12 layers of pure yumminess :) I got the recipe from epicurious.com. It was actually the cake that came in 1st at a bake-off I participated in at the end of summer (Congrats to Annika!). I had to make it.
Here are the cupcakes I brought for the hosts :) Since I was embellishing the tops of the cake, I thought I will carry the grapevine theme over to the cuppies.
Oh, yeah. This cake took some time. I spread it over 3 days or so. There are alternating layers of vanilla sponge cake, chocolate souffle cake, coffee Italian meringue buttercream, mocha IMBC, and hazelnut crispy meringue. I handpiped the grapevines separately and them placed them on the cake.
It is a very delicious and complex tasting cake. I highly recommend it. Just give yourself some time and have a little patience :)

Tiered and Fanciful

Hi Sweet Readers!

Here is another mini tiered cake I made. This was actually my first one. The layers are orange cake and chocolate butter cake, with varying layers of lemon and vanilla buttercream. Hope you like it!

Next week I will be very busy making my nephew's 1st bday cake and cuppies and a few cookie orders. I hope to share them with you soon!

Have a great weekend!