Another (semi) cake fail...

Book club oops!

I borrowed an Ice Cream Cone cake pan from my sister-in-law a few weeks ago.  (Have you checked out her blog?  You should.  She rocks.) It looked so cute, and I couldn't resist.  I figured I'd make them for book club tonight.  Well, in theory...they are cute.  The problem?  They cannot stand on their own!  Right now they look okay, but I guarantee that they will not survive the drive over to Jen & Mandy's house.  The good thing is, they taste amazing!  It is yellow cake recipe with Martha Stewart's Swiss Meringue Butter Cream frosting.  Delish!  

Looks cute, right?  Not so much when I couldn't figure out how to transport them...

See?  Awful.  Hopefully the girls won't mind.

Holly's Party.

Here's a video of Holly enjoying her cake...isn't she hilarious?  Jack didn't want any...

(Thanks, Karen, for sending the video...so sad I couldn't be there.)

This was Holly's cake before...

This was it during...

And this was it after...

I think she liked it...

Happy 2nd Birthday, Holly!

Holly and her ducks...

Two years ago today, my cousins, Karl and Claudine, gave birth to the adorable Holly.  Five weeks early, she was a little bit of a surprise, but she was strong and alert since day one.  She has grown into a curious and lovable toddler.  I enjoy my Holly-days and am hoping to have more of them this summer.  Even though I'm going to have to miss her birthday party, I wanted to make sure I made her cupcakes for the party tomorrow.  Holly loves her ducks; therefore, it is the theme of the party. 

I made basic yellow cake and fudge chocolate cake recipes, and Martha Stewart's fluffy vanilla icing. 

I used blue spray food coloring to lightly tint the icing then topped the icing with white sugar pearls to look like water and bubbles.  Then I made chocolate ducks out of a mold I found at a local candy and bake shop. 

I had some left over chocolate batter, so I decided to make a small cake for Holly to blow out her 2 candles and devour.  I used a 6 inch square cake pan then carved a duck shape out of it.  It sort of looks more like a chick, but it'll have to do.  I hope she likes it! 

Tiffany's Shower

A Tiffany's Shower for Tiffany

A few months ago, my friend, Maureen, asked me if I could make a few cakes and cupcakes for her friend Tiffany's wedding shower.  Seeing as though her name is Tiffany, the shower is Tiffany & Co. themed.  The idea was that the cakes would be the center pieces of the tables and would look like Tiffany & Co. gift boxes.  The cupcakes were to add some extra decorations to the table, and I had a little fun with those.  I used the Magnolia's Bakery Vanilla cupcake recipe for all of the cakes.  It is simply the best vanilla recipe I've ever used.  This time, I added vanilla bean to the batter to give it an extra touch.  Delicious!  I made so many batches of this batter yesterday, that I now have it memorized!  I made a vanilla buttercream icing and tinted it Tiffany Blue.  The bows are made from my homemade fondant recipe and dusted with some luster dust to give it some sheen.  Maureen, her friend Michelle, and Maureen's adorable daughter, Everly, came for the afternoon to help.  Everly was an angel and slept through most of the afternoon.  It was a nice afternoon of gabbing and baking!

First up...the cupcakes

Even Everly drooled over the cupcakes when she finally awoke!

And now for the cakes...

Maureen and Michelle promised to take pictures when the cakes are at the tables and set up for the shower, so I'll add those pictures when they send them!

Hoppy Easter!

Homemade Easter Candy

Growing up, my mom was amazing at making holidays extra special.  Her handmade treats, beautiful decorations and holiday traditions always made me feel festive and loved.  Easter always included dying Easter eggs, making homemade Easter candy, and a competitive Easter morning egg hunt that sometimes resulted in injuries.  Now that we are all adults (the youngest in the family is about to turn 30...EEK!), my mom continues the traditions on Easter.  We still dye eggs, and we still have a hunt.  However, the prizes now include alcohol intead of candy....who doesn't want to search for eggs in the hope of winning a bottle of wine?  This year, I have been pretty bummed because we are not going to be able to make the treck to see my parents in Raleigh with everyone for Easter.  So... I decided to cheer myself up by making the Easter Candy my mom made every year.  I emailed her for the recipe, and as it turns out, it is simply a variation on the Irish Potato Candies I made a month ago.  The flavors include buttercream, coconut cream, and peanut butter (the peanut butter always went VERY fast in our house).

Peanut Butter with Milk Chocolate

Coconut Cream with Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Isn't the dish adorable?  It was in our Easter "Basket"  from my mom and dad.