Puppy Party Cupcake Tower

Super awesome weekend! I hope everyone else had a great one too! This week's project: a Puppy Party themed Cake/Cupcake tower! This super cute little colored cake matched the colors outlined in the Puppy Party pack; the cake was for a teacher friend's youngster!

So, what's on the inside? This Vanilla-Spice cake featured an Orange icing with Cookies n' Cream center. The Cuppies are also Vanilla-Spice and are topped with a whipped orange cream icing.

I love playing with new ideas but this cake was so simple, it looked so elegant, I guess I just forgot that simplicity can sometimes be the best bet!

Coming up next, a demo of Fondant Cookies: Super simple to make and delicious to eat!

Easy Lizard Cookies

I have to admit, sometimes the pressure is high to create something special. Let's face it, no one has all the time in the world! I'm lucky to have time now, but in a few months, kiss that all goodbye. Hubbie and I are building a house on the lake :)

Anyway, this idea is one I've been wanting to try for a while, and it is super easy. Painted, Royal Icing cookies take a long time. Each layer dries, and you start again.... not good for the rushed-treat thing. These Marshmallow Fondant lizards are the perfect compromise: easy to make, and quick to do, delicious too!

If you've not already tried out this MMF recipe, then you are going to love it! IT is really made of two ingredients (plus color). Microwave marshmallows and water, add powdered sugar and mix. VOILA!

I used the same cutter to cut out the cookies as I did to cut the fondant (just wash in between). It is super easy to make a base coat for the cookie, then decorate with other shapes and colours to make that cookie pop! Best of all, it's easy! Anyone can do it! No more fuss with drippy icing or piping bags. It's a perfect idea for any family.

These lizards went to a great bunch of kids at my school. Super awesome treat for a super awesome bunch! Try it out. I'm going to! Let's see what kinds of toppings and colors I can make!

HEY! Looking for great ideas? Try TidyMom! I know I'm lovin' it!

Book Club Cuppies

When it comes to teens reading, I always say, whatever gets the job done! Be it the Twilight series or the Harry Potter series, or a bunch of cupcakes, getting children interested in reading is awesome! Each year, our school participates in the Forest of Reading's White Pine Book Club, where students get a sample of 10 books written for teens, and vote on which is the best! I love the club. This year the books have been flying off the shelf; we have a 5 copies of each of the books, and most of the time there are none on the shelf. That means all 50 books are taken out and enjoyed! YAY!
This past week, the school hosted a meeting to discuss the book, and to get the kids out, I made "White Pine Book Club Cuppies."

Each of the books and trees are made of MMF, rolled out, shaped, cut, and custom painted to look like the books which make up this year's selection; I also made trees to symbolize the club itself!

I thought the books looked pretty snappy! I've finally had a chance to read all 10 books. YAY! I have to say, they always have a great selection. I'd say my favorite is "Some Girls Are," it elicited so much emotion from me... SO MUCH ANGER AND FRUSTRATION (which of course was Courtney Summer's intention)! It was a great read!

Book clubs are awesome! I hope everyone at the meeting enjoyed the cuppies! Do you book club? If so, where do you find your books, and what do you read?!

Until next time!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

My Valentine to you all!

Hope you all spend it with the ones you love!

Valentine Icicle Candy

This idea has been on my list of to-bake for a while now. I love swizzle sticks, or icicle candy. I think it is so elegant to add to any table. I've never tried to make my own candy, and learned a lot from it! It is not as hard as one might think either. This icicle candy is perfect for valentine's day. A nice raspberry hard candy that you can make in under 1/2 an hour.

Wanna make some for your own table?

Icicle Candy
Recipe courtesy of Sprinkle Bakes
Makes 12-15 pieces

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 dram flavoring oil (Rasberry, cherry, blueberry) USE THE WHOLE DRAM!
Any Colour food coloring
White food coloring *optional (I would recommend)
Disco dust *optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 185 degrees.

Spray a cookie sheet and large knife or pizza cutter with cooking spray.

In a large, 4 cup measuring class, mix sugar and corn syrup until it forms a thick paste. Cover with plastic wrap (top only) and microwave on high for 3 min 15 seconds.

Quickly stir mixture and cover with new plastic wrap. Microwave for another 3 min and 15 seconds.

Remove from microwave and with a clean spoon, stir mix.

When the mix stops boiling, add the colour and the flavor.

Spread onto baking sheet and spread by tilting the sheet. As the sugar starts to set, (very quickly) cut candy into strips (1/2 inch).Take cut strips and twist gently. Cool on a wire rack or clean paper towel.

I worked out of my oven, cutting on the wire tray while the oven kept the candy warm. If you take it out, it could harden quick.

*This recipe is meant to be prepared in a standard household microwave (600-700 watts). Mini microwaves and commercial microwaves are not recommended.

*Please use caution when making this recipe. Candy mixture is extremely hot when in liquid state.


Not a bad first try. I'm going to do this again once I get my white food gel. White food gel will stop the clear look and give it a nicer look I think. The kids loved these... tasted like cotton-candy! YUM!

Valentine Oreos

We're getting closer to the day! Valentine's day is so wonderful, for baking at least. The most cute desserts come out now. One of my favorite is the Valentine Oreo! Here's how you can make them!

Make one batch of Chocolate cut-out cookies (no espresso powder):

Cream 1 cup sugar, and 1 c butter together. Add in the egg.

Next, add in 1/2 c cocoa and 1 tsp vanilla.

Incorporate the 2 c flour so that it sticks together in a thick dough.

Knead in the other 1/2 cup flour on a kneading surface. I love my glass cutting board. It will be a thick dough.

Take 1/3 of the dough to roll out and place the other 2/3 in the fridge. Since this is a sandwich cookie, make sure you roll your dough to 1/2 and inch thick (not very thick at all). Make sure the surface is well dusted with flour.


Use a round cutter to cut out the circles.

Next, using a small heart-shaped cutter, (one smaller than your circle) dent, not all the way though, the heart onto the round. You should get about half-way through the cookie, but not all the way!

Put the cookies in the freezer for 5 min or so while your oven is heated to 350 degrees.

While they are baking, prepare the icing. I like to use cream-cheese buttercream, but if you follow Bridget from Bake at 350's idea, you can make them more like Oreos.

Once they are baked and cooled, turn over the cookie and add in your filling. I am piping in mine, a thin layer of the cream-cheese icing :: dies ::

Be careful when putting them together not to crack the cookie. Movie it side to side to squish them together.

ENJOY! They are so lovely!

I'll be back with one more Valentine's day craft this week! Until then!

Small Sewing Cake

Two cakes this week. I try to space things out as best I can, but when the cake is for a very special friend, you want to make sure it is perfect. Enter my Small Sewing Cake, inspired by the lovely lady's hobbies. Her hubby approached me to ask for something special. I hope this is it!

This cake featured the creative talent that my friend possesses. She is an amazing person with a wonderful talent for sewing. She made me a lovely apron which I love, so I made her something using my talent.

Her favorite colour is purple, so not only is the 'fabric' purple, but the inside of the cake is also purple. Little details like the sewing pattern on the top and the needles and thread make this cake special. It took forever to hand-paint the detail on the fabric. I can imagine exactly the kind of thing she'd make with the hearts! Darling!

We love you Wendy!

Backyardigans Birthday Cake

It has been one heck of a week with this surprise cake! The surprise was in the timing - I wasn't given much notice :) But that was okay! I am super super excited by it, and how it turned out.

When first approached about this cake, my friend said she wanted something from the Backyardigans series. Her suggestion was something 3-d, and something with a soccer ball (from the Soccer Monster episode). I was like... you mean Paco, the penguin (no, it is Pablo). Shows what I know!


I think the real challenge was in the little figures, I mean, getting them to look right was hard! Especially the pink... lizard? Don't know what that thing is. I won't show a close-up because the head was way too narrow, but I think the others are fine.

Of course, putting it all together is the real surprise, even for me. After having each individual piece on my table drying, thinking, HOW IS THIS GOING TO WORK?! it was amazing to see it come together. I think I freaked out the most when I put the moose on... I mean, COME ON! Look how cute he is?! Totally my favourite part of the cake!

So Penny, what do you think! I hope you had a great party, and I hope your little Soccer Monster ended up cheering up a little.

Until next time, I've got a special project lined up!


Hey, Why Not SHOW OFF your DIY own projects?

Cookie Theater: ilomilo

Once Upon a time, there were two friends, one red and one blue, who lived on each side of the park.

The red friend’s name was ilo…

… and the blue friend’s name was milo.

Every morning they would meet by the tree in the middle of the park to drink apple tea and munch on maple leaf flavored biscuits.

At nights they would head back to their homes, to meet the next day.

But meeting in the morning was harder than one might think. Because every day, it seemed that someone rearranged the park and all its roads and trees.

Or maybe it was just ilo and milo’s memory that weren’t all that great. Anyway, as one can understand, this made ilo and milo’s friendship somewhat complicated…

(Story Script based (C) ilomilo game on xblg)

This game is so cute - PLAY IT! totally kid friendly!