Back in a Big Way!!

I have been gone for far too long!!! I do apologize... but I am back with my summer kick-off staple!  BLUEBERRY PIE!!!!

I know its already July... does it count as a summer kick-off? Well it does for me... I was busy getting married and travelling Ireland on honeymoon!!

So I have been pinning amazing recipes on Pinterest, and have vowed to make something once a week... I know this will inevitably turn out to be once every other week, or something like that, but we can try!!!

It was 4th of July, and it wouldn't be 4th of July without my Blueberry Pie... so I ran out, got the BEST ripe blueberries I could find, and I turned out a pie in just an hour! GO ME!

Here is it pre-bake...

I have FINALLY learned from previous disasters, not to overfill the pie... I always have overflow, and it kills my oven (though I was smart this time and put foil down, just in case), but it also makes for a sloppy looking pie...

Not this time!!!

So pretty... the crust browned perfectly, the smell was divine, and pie was just lovely!! I packed it up in my Grandma Bonnie's two pie basket, and headed to the BBQ...

Needless to say everyone enjoyed the pie...

I do love baking!!!

Its been awhile... here are a couple cakes!

SO its been awhile, and maybe i just havent been baking as much, but the past few weeks have been busy!! So here they are!!

First up... Katie's Baby Shower Cake... It was a dense chocolate cake with Peanut Butter buttercream... Topped with fondant, and hand-sculpted fondant creatures.  The creatures were accented with edible marker.  The sides were done with fondant seaweed and starfish... and some bubbles!

Next was Nicole's Bridal Shower... Her colors are Orange and White for her awesome Fall wedding that is just around the corner!!!

The cake was another dense chocolate one, but filled with canolli cream and iced with vanilla buttercream, then topped with fondant.  All decorations are fondant as well!

Third was Gracie's First Birthday... she got a special cupcake, but here is her cake for the adults.  The cake was peanut butter cake, with peanut butter filling, and iced with marshmallow buttercream (my favorite!).  The cupcakes on the cake were cut from sugar sheets, and written on with edible marker.

Its been busy... but this happens... I also did a fondant baby and another 1st cupcake... didnt have my camera, so I am waiting on those pictures, and will share when I get one!!

CHECK IT OUT!!!!

I MADE IT ON Cupcakes Take the Cake

SOOO EXCITED!

Thank you ladies!!!!

Bridal Shower Cake and Cupcakes

It's been awhile, I do apologize.

Let me share with you today's Bridal Shower cake and the cupcakes to go with it.  Here's the cake to start.  It was a 9 in. Red Velvet cake with cream cheese icing.  Topped with white fondant and adorned with purple gum paste ribbon and a purple gum paste flower.  Its kind of a cross between a daisy and a lotus... we just wanted to make it full with layers of petals...

The lighting was a little off, but you get the idea... and you can see the layers of petals! 

The cupcakes were half vanilla and half chocolate, all with vanilla buttercream.  Each cupcake got a flower of their own.  Some small and flat, others larger and curled.

The sister of the bride was very pleased... the flower matches the favors that were being given at the shower.

All in all, another great success! Thank you to my future Mother in law, Betty who helped in the flower assembly line!! :-)

Shenanigan's Opening Day - Cinco de Mayo

I play coed softball for a work team called Shenanigan's.  Our colors are Black and Green and our logo is a shamrock!

Last Thursday, on Cinco de Mayo... it was the Shenanigan's opening day... To commemorate the day, and the festivities of Cinco de Mayo, I made Corona and Lime cupcakes. The shamrock on top is not for Cinco de Mayo, but for my Irish Shenanigans!

These were super easy to make, and way yummy.  I cheated and took a box of vanilla cake mix... I added 12 ounces of Corona beer to the mix and stirred.  Let them bake as usual... For the Lime Cream Cheese Frosting I took an 8oz container of whipped cream cheese, about 4 cups of confectioners sugar and a Yoplait Key Lime Yogurt and mixed until smooth and creamy!!!

I topped with some green sugar crystals and the fondant shamrock, and viola... Corona and Lime cupcakes... a little Irish/Mexican mix never hurt anyone! ;-)

They were sticky, but they went over well at the bar after the game.  We sadly lost, but there were a lot of laughs and a that's all that counts!!!

Nicole's 30th Birthday Almond Joy Cupcakes

My best friend turned 30 in April... I will turn 30 in June... we are inseparable... I was her maid of honor, she will be my matron of honor next year... whatever Nicole wants, I try to give her cause I love her and I couldn't imagine life without her!!!

For her big birthday bash she told me that she wanted Almond Joy cupcakes, so I went to work...

Vanilla cake (i know what you are thinking, but wait for it) strewn with toasted coconut in the cake.  Filled with a rich chocolate ganache... topped with a coconut buttercream and dipped in shaved almonds and more toasted coconut.  It sounds like a lot of coconut, but it was subtle enough that it wasn't over powering... People that didn't even like coconut ate them, and even went back for more!! ;-)

So moist, and so yum!!

Happy birthday bestie!! I love your guts!

Easter Daisy Cupcakes

Happy belated Easter and Passover everyone!  I made spring daisy cupcakes for our Easter celebration this year... Light and delicate, just like spring! ;-)

Vanilla cake, vanilla buttercream, and little daisies made out of gum paste by my own two little hands! :-)

Enjoy!