Grandma Ellie's Peaches and Cream Layer Cake

I've been feeling very nostalgic lately.  I guess with all the family birthdays going on this month, it's kinda hard not to look back and wonder where did all the time go?  Last week, my grandma turned 87 years old.  Wow.  87.  Really?  For some reason, in my mind, she just stayed this 60 year old lady in a cool sports car.

Egg-Free Vanilla Cupcakes with Salted Caramel

I've been asked many many times for an egg-free vanilla cupcake recipe...and so finally here it is!  I've actually had this recipe for a while but since I was trying to "veganize" all my egg-free recipes for my little guy, I forgot about posting this one.  I did mention it on my vegan vanilla cupcake post, but never bothered to share the recipe until now.  I know, I know.  I'm a dork.  But I think I might be able to redeem myself with these amazing cupcakes.

Ruth's Bridal Shower

Here's another treasure from the past that I didn't get a chance to post.  As you might have read from a previous post, my sister Ruth got married last year and as the matron-of-honor, I did host a bridal shower for her.  It was a Parisian-themed party, with lots of pink and black decorations, cafe music playing in the background and all the Frenchy food you could think of, including dessert of course.  And before you start thinking that this sounds a lot like the movie, "Bridesmaids," no I didn't give away any free puppies.  My cousin Kristen was not too happy about that.  Oh well.  C'est la vie, I guess...

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes with Kahlua Cream Cheese Frosting

My cousin Kristen is getting married in a couple of weeks and the funny thing is we just sat down to do a cake tasting this weekend.  How crazy is that?  I mean, we had almost an entire year to do this but somehow we never got around to it.  We've talked about cake designs, colors and possible flavors but we waited till the very last minute to do the most fun part of all - the cake tasting. 

Pink Scrolls and Flowers Cake

How adorable is this?!?  I just love the idea of having a small cake and cupcakes for birthdays, especially for kids parties.  Not only is it more economical (especially if you make it yourself), I personally think that for a kid, it feels much more special to have your very own little cake, all to yourself.  Don't you?

Ruth and Daniel's Wedding Cake

Photo by Sweet Day Studio

My little sister got married!!! Woohoo!!! It's been craziness planning for this wedding but now that it's all done and the kids started summer break, I can finally sit down and tell you all about this gorgeous cake :-)

Tutorial: Baby Elmo Birthday Cake and Cupcakes

Photo Credit: Kristen Somera

Guess what? My little boy turned two this summer and I still haven't written about his FIRST birthday cake.  How lame is that?  So what's my excuse?  Well, for one thing, I didn't get a chance to take any pictures during his party.  I was running around like a crazy mom while Hubby was busy keeping the kids entertained.  Pretty much the same thing happened this summer but we made sure we took pictures this time.  And of course, I'll be writing about it next year...when he turns 3!  Anyway, I gathered up all the pictures I could find (with the help of friends and family) so I can finally sit down and write about his adorable little cake.

Egg-free and Dairy-free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

I have a confession to make: I don't like pumpkin pie.  If I had to choose between pumpkin pie or apple pie, I'd choose apple pie.  I'm sorry but there's just something about pumpkin pie that I never quite liked.  Maybe it's the mushy texture of the filling that I find unappealing.  I know the pumpkin isn't to blame. I've tried other desserts that have pumpkin in them and I actually liked them.  So the question I pose is this: Can I create a pumpkin dessert that my family and I can enjoy for Thanksgiving? The answer is yes.

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

These cupcakes actually started out as egg-free vanilla cupcakes for my oldest son.  But when my youngest son developed a dairy allergy (as well as an egg allergy), I decided to make these vegan vanilla cupcakes so both of them could enjoy them :-)

Chocolate Wasted Mini Cupcakes

Still looking for more ways to get chocolate wasted?

Here's a bite-sized version of the Chocolate Wasted Cake I made for my brother.  Mini cupcakes!  They're so cute and so perfect to serve at parties.  I'm pretty sure these will be a hit this holiday season or any season for that matter :-)

Chocolate Wasted Cake

Ever since my brother started using the phrase "I wanna get chocolate wasted" from the movie Grown Ups I've been wanting to make this cake for his birthday.  Being a chocoholic myself, I had no trouble coming up with ways to fill this cake with layer upon layer of chocolatey goodness.  Just looking at this cake, I think you'll agree that it definitely deserves its name.

Celebrating Three Years of Blogging with Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

 
Vegan chocolate cupcake topped with my son's number 3 birthday candle

Wow! Has it really been three years since I started this blog?  I can't believe it.  What started out as a creative outlet for silly ol' me (sidelined by motherhood and having to face the challenge of raising two kids with multiple food allergies) has turned into something so fulfilling and so rewarding.

Egg-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes

The wait is over! It's finally here! I figured out how to make egg-free red velvet cupcakes just in time for Valentine's Day.  And they taste just like my regular red velvet cupcakes. Woohoo!

Tutorial: Cielo's Birthday Cake

I remember the first time I ever tried to cover a cake in rolled fondant.  It was for a wedding cakes class back in pastry school.  I was actually not looking forward to using rolled fondant because I heard it was a nightmare to use.  I thought you had to work really fast or else it would crack or tear and repairing any mistakes was next to impossible.

Egg-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Happy National Chocolate Cupcake Day! What a great way to start off the week.  Of course, I couldn't pass up a day without eating chocolate and the same goes for my son, the chocoholic in training. So on this extra special day, I'm sharing his favorite egg-free chocolate cupcakes. These cupcakes are studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips and topped with a creamy chocolate buttercream frosting. They're so rich and decadent, you wouldn't even believe they're egg-free once you sink your teeth into them. 

Tutorial: Monogrammed Birthday Cake

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make an elegant yet simple monogrammed cake. I made this one for my friend Ket.  I used her favorite colors red, pink and gold to match her ultra-feminine style :-)

Tutorial: The Twilight Cake

With The Twilight Saga: Eclipse out in theaters this week, I thought it was about time that I finally write about the cake I made last month. It was for my dearest friend, Juls. She's the biggest Twilight fan I know and so when her birthday came around this year, I just knew I had to make her this cake.

Tutorial: My Birthday Cake

Ahhhhh...it's good to be back. Yes, I've returned from my hiatus. Soooo...what have I been up to?  Well, I recently moved and I still have quite a lot of unpacking and organizing to do. I've also been busy making cakes (and cupcakes and all kinds of desserts) for friends and family. Yeah, it's been a little hectic but now that things have settled down a bit, I can finally get back to my blog. Whew!

Egg-Free Fresh Fruit Cake

For this Valentine's Day, I decided to draw inspiration from another one of my favorites from Hans and Harry Bakery. On a previous post, I shared my homemade version of their famous fresh fruit strudel. This time around, I've created an egg-free version of their equally popular fresh fruit cake.  It's a rich vanilla butter cake layered with Bavarian cream and topped with fresh fruit.

Quick and Easy Crema de Fruta

My dad asked me if I could come up with a quick and easy recipe for Crema de Fruta so he could try his hand at making it. He's gotten the baking bug recently and wanted to start out with some simple recipes first then work his way up to more challenging ones. So I experimented with a few ingredients and came up with an incredibly effortless version.