Sweet Summer Snippets

I just realized that I've been sharing all these fun little ideas and discoveries on my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram but I haven't posted them on my blog. Oops! Hehehe 

So here's a quick round-up of what I've been up to this summer.  

The Teal Pumpkin Project

Halloween is just a week away and my kids are super excited to go trick-or-treating with their friends.  We've got our costumes picked out and our treat bags ready.  And we got our pumpkins!  But this year, we've done something special to them.  We've painted them teal :-)  

A Fun Comparison between Two Chocolate Cakes

I just wanted to share a fun photo I put together.  I was playing around with an app called Pic Stitch last night and this is what I came up with.  The cake on the left is my Chocolate Truffle Cake and the cake on the right is my Chocolate Wasted Cake.  Both are decadent and delicious.  Both have a rich chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream inside, but outside it's a whole different story.  My chocolate truffle cake is beautifully decorated with swirly scroll work climbing up the sides and a delicate border on the top and bottom.  The chocolate wasted cake, on the other hand, is haphazardly put together, covered in chocolate chips and chocolate candies with melted chocolate dripping down the sides.  It's like beauty and the beast.  It's kinda cool.  I really can't decide which one I like best.  It's like asking me which of my two kids is my favorite.  I love them both!

Call for Submissions: Cookie Exchange 2011

Gingerbread Man

The holiday season has finally arrived!  I know all of you are gonna be busy baking up a storm and making wonderful desserts for all your friends and family.  One of the things I always wished I could do but haven't had the chance to is have a cookie exchange.  So I thought why not host a virtual cookie exchange and feature all of your favorite cookie recipes.

Threadcakes Baking Competition

When it comes to decorating cakes, anything could be your source of inspiration. How about turning your favorite t-shirt design into an edible work of art? Well, the creative folks at Threadless.com have done exactly that. They started this fantastic online baking competition called Threadcakes and it's going on right now. Here are some of the winners from last year (photos courtesy of Threadless.com and Threadcakes.com)

Macarons from My Valentine

Last week, I saw a video on Desserts Magazine about how to make French macarons and it left me wanting to make a batch of those addictive little cookies soooo badly.  But after my first and second attempt at making them, I just knew I didn't have the patience to make them from scratch.  So I just watched the video to learn the proper technique and admired the French dialogue.  Maybe I'll make them again when I'm not in such a hurry to devour them. Quick confession: I understand very little French and speak even less. Oh but I"m trying.  I do have the best intentions to learn more; I have a stack of books and cds to prove that. Je parle francais..someday.

Have your cake and eat it too: the making of a fake wedding cake

In these tough economic times, more and more couples are trying to find creative ways to have the wedding of their dreams without spending a fortune. But when in comes to the wedding cake, there really isn't a lot of options out there. You can have a cupcake tower or serve individual desserts instead, but if you have your heart set on a wedding cake, even a small plainly-decorated cake can cost a few hundred dollars. So what can a budget-conscious couple do? Consider using a fake wedding cake.