Happy Birthday To Me!

I'd like to introduce you to my birthday cake! It's pretty fun don't you think? Definitely one of the most colorful and sprinkled cakes I have ever baked or indulged in. Oh and yes it was absolutely delicious too! I have been DYING to make my own version of this Pastel Swirl Cake ever since I saw it on Sweetapolita's blog a while back. If you have never visited Sweetapolita's blog, you sure have been missing out. Rosie makes the most decadent, delicious, unique, and most beautiful cakes that look like pure pieces of art! She is one talented lady and I am in awe every time I look at her latest cake creations! I wish I could spend a day in her kitchen and learn some of her techniques and be her taste tester!
 I have baked several of her cake recipes and they never disappoint! I have been anxiously awaiting the perfect time to try her Pastel Swirl Cake and figured I would give it a go for my birthday cake this year! I loved the three colors Rosie picked when she did her swirl cake, but I wanted to create a cake that was completely different so I decided to go with pink (since my birthday is the day after Valentine's day), purple because it's one of my favorites and then a teal green...well because as you can see from my blog I kinda have a thing for teal! And as far as I'm concerned every cake tastes better with sprinkles, so I loaded up the top with some Valentine jimmies, pink nonpareils and some pale pink sugar pearls!

Lucky for me and you, Rosie made a video tutorial (and yes I have watched it several times) of this very cake on her blog so you can learn just how to blend the colors to make the perfect pastel swirl cake! I decided to use the same Chocolate Cake Recipe and Whipped Vanilla Frosting recipe that Rosie used but just made a 6" cake instead of 8". This is seriously one of the best cakes I have ever tasted in my life and I've already had 2 slices today!

And then I got out my camera and snapped about a million pictures of my colorful cake because it just made me so happy!

Happy Birthday to me and thank you Sweetapolita for making my birthday so sweet with this beautiful cake idea! You truly are an inspiration!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Halloween Candy Bark

Halloween is quickly approaching, so you know what that means...it's time to stock up on candy! There are a few Halloween candy staples that I must keep in my stash the entire month of October, which include Reese Pieces, Reese Cups, Peanut M&Ms and Butterfinger! YUM! As you can see the common theme with all these candies seems to be peanuts & peanut butter! So I had the idea to create a fabulous Halloween Candy bark to use a decoration on top of some chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes! This recipe was definitely created for all you chocolate and peanut butter lovers out there!

I love the pops or orange and yellow in the Halloween bark! I'm sharing the recipe for the cupcakes, candy bark and even a super cute way to individually package up these cupcakes for all your trick-or-treaters over at Half Baked!  So head on over and check it out! Definitely look around a bit while you are there too and drool over her fabulous Fresh Apple Donuts!

I've got a few more candy themed recipe ideas up my sleeve, so check back soon! What's your favorite Halloween Candy!

Happy Friday!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

For all you cookie dough lovers out there, this recipe is for you! Jam packed with lots of cookie dough inside and out these cupcakes won't disappoint. Moist chocolate cupcakes with a ball of chocolate chip cookie dough hidden inside. Definitely a nice surprise once you take a bite through the first layer of cookie dough in the frosting!

The recipe is over at Half Baked so be sure to check it out.

So go grab a bag of chocolate chips and put this on your baking to do list for the weekend!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Oreo Cupcakes

One of my all time favorite cookies are Oreos! Who doesn't love these chocolate sandwich cream-filled cookies? The variety of flavors sure have come a long way since I was a little kid! One of my new favorite flavors is the Cool Mint. So here's to enjoying one amazing cookie inside of a delicious cupcake jam-packed with chocolate and mint! Head on over to Half Baked to check out the recipe for these Chocolate Mint Oreo Cupcakes!

Did you know this month Oreo celebrates it's 100th birthday! What is your favorite Oreo cookie flavor?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Whew! It was a busy weekend full of lots of baking and Christmas parties! But I must admit I loved every minute of it! Baking is one of my absolute favorite things to do this time of year. So many great recipes to share with friends and family. This weekend was packed with parties so I wanted to prepare sweets that wouldn't require a lot of time in the kitchen. One of my favorite go to recipes that doesn't require any baking and that everyone always loves is Cookie Dough Truffles.

I discovered this recipe a few years ago from Paula Deen and have loved it ever since. I mean who doesn't love an excuse to eat cookie dough right? And this recipe doesn't have raw eggs in them like chocolate chip cookie batter does, so that means you can keep popping truffle after truffle into your mouth!

Right after I finished preparing these truffles for a Christmas party on Friday night, I sat down for a few minutes to watch some Food Network and who else was on but Paula Deen...and what was she making...these exact same Cookie Dough Truffles. The timing couldn't have been any more perfect! Any what's even funnier is that one of the girls who came to the party had just watched the very same episode and had said "I sure do wish I had some of those cookie dough truffles". Well little did she know a few hours later I would be bringing them to the party for her to enjoy!

So if you are looking for a super simple, no bake dessert that is sure to be a crowd favorite this holiday then you must give these Cookie Dough Truffles a try! I followed Paula's recipe and just swapped out the pecans for a 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips! I loved the combination of the semi-sweet and white chips! YUM!

Hope you enjoy these! Up next is one of my favorite cookie recipes!

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream

It's the most wonderful time of the year! This is my absolute favorite month to bake! Cookies, candies, pies and cakes are all on my baking to do list this holiday season! To start things off I've creates a new recipe for Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream! This quite possibly is one of my all time favorite cupcakes!

Chocolate and Peppermint are an amazing flavor combination. Topped off with some homemade peppermint bark, these cupcakes are sure to be one festive treat at your holiday party this year! I will certainly be making them again to share with family and friends in the coming weeks.

Head on over to Half Baked for the cupcake and peppermint bark recipes! Wishing you all a wonderful holiday filled will all sorts of yummy sweets!

Chocolate Cheesecake Turtle Cupcakes

Hey CIS readers...it's been forever since I've posted and I am so so very sorry! Things have been a little hectic lately leaving little to no time for blog updates! I promise I am trying to get back on a regular posting routine so hang tight! I've been baking and decorating some cute sweets lately and can't wait to share them with you soon! In case you didn't see these when they were posted earlier this week on Half Baked...here's my latest creation, Chocolate Cheesecake Turtle Cupcakes! They are super delicious and a nice change from your typical cupcake loaded with buttercream frosting! You are going to love the cheesecake center inside of these chocolate cakes with drizzled chocolate and caramel on top! So head on over to Half Baked for the recipe!

I'm super excited for the first day of fall this week! This is one of my favorite times of year to bake and I'm ready to start making recipes with pumpkin, apples and cinnamon so check back soon!

What are some of your favorite fall recipes?

S'mores Cupcakes

Graham crackers, marshmallows & chocolate = one fabulous ooey gooey sandwich cookie! After spending a recent camping trip next to the fire roasting marshmallows and assembling S'mores I was inspired to turn one of my favorite cookies into a cupcake! Head on over to Half Baked for my S'mores Cupcake recipe and more photos of these camping inspired treats!

Purple Polka Dots

This weekend my neighbor Olivia turned the big "3". For her birthday she wanted a chocolate cake with purple icing and polka dots! I must say this is one easy to please 3 year old! At first I was playing around with the idea of adding various shades of purple polka dots using fondant. In the end I decided to stick with good ole' buttercream frosting for decorating the cake. I am loving how the cake turned out and so glad I decided to stick with the same shade of purple, its clean and simple!

To add a touch of contrast I decided to personalize the cake using a deeper shade of purple and cut out some fondant letters using this alphabet cutter set.

I delivered the cake to Olivia and what do you know she was wearing an outfit in the exact same shade of purple, it was too cute! Wish I would have gotten her picture!

Here's a picture of sweet Olivia taken about a month ago enjoying one of my cake pops! She sure was holding on to this pop super tight, as only minutes sooner our black lab Tillman had snatched another pop right out of her hand! Olivia is a huge fan of my baked goods! Almost every time I see her she asks "do you have any cupcakes?"...too cute! Or if she isn't asking for sweets she is asking "is my boyfriend home?"...let's just say she is trying to steal my husband. She thinks Randolph is her boyfriend and it is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Anytime she sees him she gets this huge smile on her face and gets all shy! She has a crush!

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Chocolate, Caramel, Peanut Butter Heaven

I saw this cake a month or so ago on Sprinkle Bakes, one of my favorite blogs and my jaw dropped in awe of the complexity, the beauty, the ingredients and just the overall WOW factor of this cake. I mean the cake is absolutely gorgeous on the outside garnished with the chocolate curls, but then you cut into the cake and a whole new world is waiting for you...there's chocolate cake, peanut butter cups, caramel, nuts and cheesecake. Holy Cow this is my kind of dessert!

These are all of my favorite flavor combinations wrapped into one sweet package! I mean look at the caramel oozing out in between the chocolate cake and cheesecake layers...oh and those little brown specs peaking out of the cheesecake, those are peanut butter cups! They are a nice little surprise hidden inside only to be revealed when you take a bite!

Thank you Sprinkle Bakes for creating this AMAZING cake! The moment I laid eyes on your fabulous dessert I just knew I had to try and recreate it. I will flat out admit my cake doesn't even come close to being as perfect as yours was, but I can tell you this it tasted absolutely delicious!

My biggest struggle with the cake was the chocolate curls, they gave me fits! I think my very first piece of chocolate curled and then all the rest just ended up as chocolate shavings. Your video makes it look way too easy! I am definitely going to have to have another go at making chocolate curls one day but the heat and humidity hear in Mobile this time of year is tricky with chocolate.

I made this cake for a very special occasion and for a couple who loves all things chocolate and peanut butter! My good friend Katie is getting married soon and some of our friends recently threw them a crawfish boil couples shower! Of course I volunteered to bring the dessert and I knew this cake would be the perfect treat and something that no one had ever tried before.

Katie & Derek. Aren't they the cutest couple!

How sweet, feeding each other the cake for practice on their wedding day!

There is just one word to describe this cake....HEAVEN! Ooey gooey, caramely, chocolatey, peanutty, heaven!

I must admit this cake did require a lot of time, patience, ingredients and dirty dishes but it was absolutely worth it once you sink your teeth into a slice! It received rave reviews and there were literally only crumbs remaining after everyone kept going back for 2nds and 3rds.

If you want to be so adventurous to make this Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake Cheesecake you can find out all the details here. This pretty much walks you through everything step-by-step with the recipes for each layer of the cake, photos for each step of assembling the cake and even a how to video on making the chocolate curls (which I WILL master one of these days!) So what are you waiting for hop on over to Sprinkle Bakes and check out the most divine, decadent and delicious cake I have ever tasted in my entire life! And while you are over there, stick around and check out some of her other fabulous recipes. She creates desserts unlike anything I have ever seen before and her photos are absolutely gorgeous! If only I could spend a day in her kitchen learning some of her baking secrets!

Hope you decide to give this cake a try, you won't be disappointed!

Cupcakes + Cookies = Flower Pots

Although Spring does not officially start until this Sunday, here in Mobile we are already enjoying sunny days, temps in the 70s and flowers in bloom all over town! So to welcome this amazing Spring weather, how about some flower pot cupcakes and cookies!

I will be the first to admit that I don't quite have a green thumb when it comes to keeping a beautiful garden full of vibrant flowers ever year. I am the person that goes and spends a ton of money on flowers, plant them in my flower box, and then forget to water them and they shrivel and die. No water + extreme heat of Mobile = Sad Flowers! So this year, I thought I would take a different approach with flowers, you know the kind that are edible and don't requiring watering. The kind of flower that sprouts out of a chocolate cookie crumbled cupcake!

These flower pot cupcakes just scream spring! They make the perfect addition to any dessert table, would be an adorable party favor at a baby or wedding shower, are the perfect gift for a teacher, or would be the perfect project to assemble with your kids on a sunny day.

Flower Pot Essentials:
Clay Pots + Chocolate Cupcakes + Chocolate Ganache + Oreo cookie crumbs

You can pick up the flower pots at your local craft store. I got these at Michaels for 69 cents each!

Dip the top of the cupcake in the chocolate ganache.

Then dip the chocolate glazed cake into the Oreo crumbs.

Your cupcake now looks like potting soil! Place the cupcake in the flower pot.

Cookie Essentials:
Flower Sugar Cookies + Royal Icing & Sprinkles + Cookie Sticks

Now I bet you are wondering how the flowers are going to sprout out of the cupcakes. This is where the cookie stick comes into play. The same cookie stick that I forgot to place behind all of my cookies prior to baking...ooops! I was a little too excited to see how this idea would come together, that I completely overlooked probably the most important detail on how the cupcake and cookie would interact with each other. So please please please when you make these, be sure to add the cookie stick to the cookie prior to baking. You can find the sticks at your local craft store.

As you can see from the picture I did manage a sneaky trick to get these cookies to attach to the sticks! You can use some royal icing left over from cookie decorating to secure the stick in place. Just allow the icing to dry overnight before you try and place the cookie upright in the pot, or else it will fall right off. But my best advice is to just bake the stick in the cookie to start with, you will save yourself lots of trouble and added stress!

Don't these little flower pots just bring a smile to your face? They have brightened up my dining room this week and I love having them as a centerpiece on my table. They are also an amazing mid afternoon snack!

For these cookies I modified my current sugar cookie recipe and added a little more sugar and used vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla & almond extracts. Oh my goodness, I absolutely love the results those changes made to the recipe! The little flecks of black vanilla beans in the cookies just make them appear special and more elegant. The texture of these cookies was slightly softer and the sweeter taste just made the cookies melt in your mouth. Randolph highly approved of this recipe too, having already devoured 3 cookies at lunch!

Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies (makes about 3 dozen)

Ingredients:
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
-1 egg
-1 tsp vanilla bean paste

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in bowl and set aside.
• In the bowl of a mixer cream the sugar and butter well.
• Add the egg and vanilla bean paste to the butter mixture and mix well.
• Gradually add the flour mixture, scraping down the bowl as necessary as mixing.
• Grab a ball of dough and knead it together.
• Roll dough out onto floured surface and cut into desired shapes.
• Place cookies on prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. This will prevent the cookies from spreading when baking.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets then transfer to wire racks to completely cool.

Decorate with Royal Icing.

Here are the other recipes I used for the cupcakes.
Chocolate Cupcakes (cake recipe from I am Baker, one of the most talented cake decorators who always sneaks a little surprise into the middle of her cakes)
Chocolate Ganache Glaze (recipe from Martha Stewart)
15 crushed Oreos for garnish

Hope your Spring is full of lots of beautiful flowers, edible ones of course!