Owl Cake Pops

Today I'm excited to share with you my latest adventures in cake pops! How cute are these little Owls? Ever since I ordered my copy of Bakerella's Cake Pops book when it first came out I have been dying for an excuse to make these adorable little creatures! Well lucky for me I finally got the chance this past weekend.

My college roommate, Laurie gave birth to a sweet baby boy Max two weeks ago and I sent her these along with some cute little baby outfits! She had shown me some owl fabric they picked out for Max's bedding and immediately I knew these owl pops would be the perfect treat once he was born!

I couldn't help myself and made some blue and brown cake balls to send too!

After wrapping them in about 10 pounds of bubble wrap I shipped them off and hopped for the best! I heard from Laurie today and she received the owls and they were still recognizable...thank you Mr./Mrs. Postman for the safe delivery!

Congratulations Laurie on your new little bundle of joy! Can't wait to meet him soon!

M&M Birthday

Welcome to what I'm going to officially call "Baby Week" here on the blog! This week is going to be filled with fun sweets that I have recently made or will be making later this week to celebrate: twin babies 1st birthday, a baby's birth, and a gender reveal party!

First up we have an "M&M" themed 1st birthday party for two of the cutest twin boys ever...Mack & Miles! How fitting is the M&M theme? If you're a long time follower of CIS then you probably remember I have made quite a few cakes and pops for these boys in the past....here, here and here. I was so excited when their mom and my great friend Kelly asked me to make the goodies for their 1st bday!

There were M&M cookie favors, M&M cake pops, and a chocolate birthday cake decorated with M&Ms. I love how everything came together to create a vibrant and cheery party! When I walked into Kelly's house it seriously looked like an M&M factory! She had an M&M table cloth, a huge apothecary jar filled with M&Ms, mini glass jars filled with M&Ms for favors, rainbow streamers everywhere, wooden signs with M&Ms, even M&M rainbow colored plates and cups...and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I am kicking myself for not having my camera with me, but hoping she will share some pics from the party! Oh and the cutest part of all, she had bought M&M onesies for the boys to wear. One would be a red M&M and the other a yellow M&M! Oh I bet they looked so stinkin cute!

Happy 1st Birthday Mack & Miles! Thanks Kelly for asking me to be part of your boys special day!

Up next...some super sweet cake pops for my friend who had a little boy, Max a little over a week ago. I'm loving all these "M" little boy names!

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!

Tutorial: How to make Fondant Owl Cupcake Toppers

Owls seem to be popping up everywhere these days in party decor for baby showers and kids birthday parties. One of my friend's has even chosen an owl print for her soon to be baby boy's crib bedding. There are so many fun interpretations I have seen around the web for owl cookies, cakes, cake pops and invitations in an array of colors from pinks/greens, blue/browns, and even shades of purple. I just love how cute these little creatures are when recreated with sugar! So this weekend I finally got a chance to put my own spin on the owl theme when asked to make some baby shower cupcakes. Using the baby shower invite as inspiration I decided to make some fondant owl cupcake toppers that I think turned out absolutely adorable!

You too can make these fondant owls in a matter of minutes with a few shades of colored fondant and some different shaped cutters. Let me show you how with this step-by-step photo tutorial!

First you will need to tint fondant to your desired colors. This shower was for a baby girl so pink was my dominant color. Feel free to switch things up with blues, greens, purples, etc.

Here's the breakdown on the colors for my owls:

Dark Pink = owl body
Light Pink = wings
Orange = feet & nose
White = eyes & circular base for fondant topper
Black = eyes

You will need to following tools:
-2 5/8" round cutter (mine is from this set)
-set of 3 round cutters: small, medium, large
-leaf cutter
-Wilton round tip #12
-Wilton curved tip #81
-rolling pin
-offset spatula
-small cup of water
-paint brush

A few notes:
-Once you have rolled out the fondant and cut out the shapes I find it is easiest to use an offset spatula to slide underneath the shapes and lift them up when moving to create the owl shape.
-If you are making a large quantity of owls it is easier to set up an assembly line and make all of the same shapes first then move on to the next shape, rather than making each owl individually. Once you have all your shapes made then go back and assemble all the pieces.
-As you start to assemble you may notice that your fondant has started to harden and dry some, if this happens then use a small paint brush and dip in a cup of water and gently apply water on the pieces you need to assemble. Using a dab of water will help all pieces of the owl stick together and harden together.

Roll out some white fondant and cut a circle using the 2 5/8" cutter.

This circle will be the base of your fondant topper that you will place the owl on top of.

Roll out some Dark Pink fondant and cut with the large circle cutter.

This shape is the base of your owl body.

Take the medium circle cutter and cut out a small notch from the top of the circle.

This creates a curved shape for the head of the owl and the pointy ears.

Place the body of the owl on top of the white fondant circle.

Roll out some light pink fondant and use the leaf cutter to make the wings.

Place the wings on the sides of the owl body. It's starting to take shape!

Roll out some white fondant and using the small round cutter make the owl eyes.

Roll out some black fondant and using tip #12 make the inside of the owl eyes.

Your owl can now see! Only a few more steps...

Roll out some orange fondant and use the small round cutter to make a circle. Cut the circle in half with the offset spatula to create the feet.

Place the feet underneath the owl's body with the curved side touching the belly. Cut a small triangle nose from the orange fondant using the offset spatula.

One more step...feathers! Grab tip #81.

Place the curve side of the tip down into the belly of the owl so it make a "U" shape. Gently press the tip into the fondant and make some feathers. I did a row of 2, a row of 3 and another row of 2.

HOORAY! The owl is now complete!

So what do you think...pretty close replica to the invite?

Allow the fondant toppers to harden overnight and then place on top of your iced cupcakes! These owls can be made days in advance of your party as well if you don't want to be overwhelmed making decorations and baking all at the same time. If you do decide to make them in advance be sure NOT to put them in a tupperware container as the fondant will tend to soften and melt and all your hard work will be ruined.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful! If you decide to make your own fondant owls I'd love to see them so email me pictures or post on the CIS Facebook page.

Have a great week!

Neapolitan Brownie Ice Cream Cake

Happy August! I can't believe summer is flying right on by and Fall will be here before we know it! This summer has been extremely hot and humid in Mobile, so I've found myself not wanting to turn on the oven and bake quite as often. Being able to open the freezer and find a sweet treat is what I'm all about these days.

Remember the Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe I shared with you a few days ago? Well sometimes when I eat ice cream I crave chocolate too, and cake and icing...so I decided to create a Neapolitan Brownie Ice Cream Cake just to cover all my cravings in one delicious bite!

The ice cream layer sandwiched in between two layers of chocolate is absolutely perfect. And the thin layer of strawberry buttercream adds a little extra sweetness to each bite of cake.

I cut a slice for me and a slice for you...but then I had to eat your slice because, well, it was melting and I'm addicted and it was just too darn good!

Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry not your favorite flavor combination...well the possibilities are truly endless when making an ice cream cake. You can swap out the brownie layers for your favorite cake instead.

Don't have an ice cream maker and don't want to make your own from scratch...go buy a half gallon of your favorite flavor and keeps things simple! Heck add a second layer of ice cream and feature two of your favorite flavors!

Don't want to dirty up your mixer to make the buttercream...why not ice the cake with a chocolate ganache or some whipped cream.

See what I mean, you can go a million ways with this idea! So play around with what works best for you and go create a fabulous ice cream cake masterpiece! I sure did have fun with this one, but I'm envisioning one with chocolate chips or Oreos next time around. Or maybe even a Snickers Ice cream bar cake...YUM!

Neapolitan Brownie Ice Cream Cake
(makes one 3-layer 8" cake)

-box of brownie mix
-Homeade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
-Strawberry Buttercream (recipe below)


1.Prepare brownie mix per package directions. Bake in two 8" cake pans. Allow brownie layers to completely cool before assembling cake.
2.Line an 8" cake pan with aluminum foil. Scoop ice cream into prepared pan. I used 8 scoops and spread flat with a spatula. Place a layer of foil on top of the ice cream and place pan in freezer to firm up for 2-3 hours prior to assembling cake.
3.Place one layer of brownie on cake plate for bottom layer. Remove ice cream layer from freezer and place on top of brownie layer. Add the second brownie layer on top of the ice cream layer. Tightly wrap cake in foil and place back in the freezer for 2 hours to firm up.
4.Remove frozen cake from freezer and frost with Strawberry Buttercream. You will need to work quickly when icing the cake as it tends to harden fast since the cake is frozen. Once the cake is completely frosted place back in the freezer until ready to serve.


Strawberry Buttercream
-2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
-5 cups confectioner's sugar
-1 tsp strawberry extract
-3 Tbsp milk

-Beat butter with stand mixer until creamy.
-Gradually add in confectioner's sugar, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.
-Add in strawberry extract and milk and mix until desired consistency.

So what flavors would make up your perfect Ice Cream Cake?

Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I couldn't let summer fly by, much less the month of July (National Ice Cream Month!) without posting at least one homemade ice cream recipe! Afterall, I am an ice cream junkie and most nights during June, July and August I can be seen with a bowl of ice cream lathered in chocolate and caramel sauce stuffing my face! Typically my favorite ice cream flavors include chocolate in some form...chocolate chip or cookies n' cream, but today it's all about good ole vanilla! Let me tell you, this Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe is pretty much the most delicious batch of ice cream I have ever tried. Good bye store bought ice cream, hello homemade for the rest of the summer!

I was first inspired to make homemade ice cream while on a 5:00AM trip to Walmart a few weeks ago when I spotted these fun little gems...mini wafer bites with white chocolate and rainbow jimmies. Why you ask was I at Walmart so stinking early? Well it was to get some surprise birthday goodies for a running friend before our 6:00AM run that morning. These wafers caught my eye while I was in the bakery section looking for some store bought cupcakes (I am ashamed to admit this giving my love for homemade cupcakes...but time just ran out for me to whip up a batch from scratch). Please forgive me for buying store bought cupcakes...but hey something good did come of it right...the idea for this homemade ice cream!

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (adapted from David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop)

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients:
-1 cup whole milk
-pinch of salt
-3/4 cup sugar
-1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
-1 cup heavy cream
-1 cup half and half
-7 large egg yolks
-1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1.Heat milk, salt and sugar in saucepan. Add the vanilla bean paste into the milk. Cover, remove from heat and infuse for one hour.
2.To make the ice cream, create an ice bath by placing a 2-quart bowl inside of a large bowl that has been filled with ice and water. Place a strainer over top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream into the bowl.
3.In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk and gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour to temper the mixture so the eggs don't scramble. Pour the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.
4.Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.
5.Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice bath until cool. Add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. I kept refrigerated overnight.
6.Remove the custard from the refrigerator and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. I have this Cuisinart ice cream maker and mixed the custard for 25 minutes.
7.Ice cream will be soft and should be eaten immediately or placed in an airtight container in the freezer to firm up for a few hours or even overnight.

If you desire add some of your favorite toppings to your ice cream. I added some fresh pureed strawberries on top and it was delish!

Promise me you will make this vanilla bean ice cream before summer is over! It is rich, creamy and I love the little black specs of vanilla bean throughout! It was soooo good, I actually made 2 batches! Check back soon because I have a great way to take this ice cream recipe one step further and turn it into a fabulous ice cream cake you are gonna love!

White Wedding Dessert Table

This past weekend two of my great friends Katie & Derek got married! I was honored when Katie asked me to create a dessert table for her special day. Her vision was to have a small cake, cupcakes and sugar cookies. She wanted to keep things clean and simple, with white being the focal color and a hint of green to accent. I love the Save the Date invites they sent out with the bicycle built for two! Katie and Derek first met a few years ago while training for a triathlon, so this announcement was so fitting for their special occasion.

Keeping with the white theme, I decorated sugar cookies using 3 types of white sprinkles: nonpareils, sugar crystals and pearls.

To add a touch of green I made some "mr. & mrs." cookies especially for the bride and groom.

Of course I had to create a few bicycle cookies to match their Save the Date!

Here are a few other special cookies I made only for the bride and groom so they could enjoy while honeymooning.

Katie's wanted to have a small cake for them to cut, inspired by i am baker's rose cake. I had so much fine trying this decorating technique using tip 1M.

The inside of the cake was yellow with chocolate icing in between the layers...the bride's favorite!

To match the cake, all the cupcakes were decorated with a rose on top. The cupcakes were all carrot cake.

Here's how everything came together on the dessert table. The bride's grandmother also made her signature almond pound cakes with a family recipe. And hiding under the dessert table are all the extra cupcakes and cookies to be refilled throughout the reception!

I just loved Katie's expression when she first saw the dessert table! I am thrilled that she was so happy with how everything turned out!

The look we were going for was similar to Amy Atlas' signature white dessert table.

Time to cut the cake...

Congratulations Katie & Derek! I wish you a lifetime of happiness! Thanks for asking me to be part of your special day!