Sports Themed Cake Pops

Basketballs, Baseballs, and Soccer balls! I got an order recently to make cake pops for a little boys class on his birthday and I wanted to share them with you. I think they turned out really well for never having made any sort of sports accessories before in the past. I used vanilla cake with white chocolate for the soccer and baseballs and orange for the basketballs. The trickiest part for me was the lines on the basketballs. When planning I thought I would just pipe them on with chocolate but that was nearly impossible. Then I thought I would draw them on with the edible markers but no one tells you that edible markers do not write on candy coating AT ALL! So my last idea was to use black food coloring watered down to make the stripes. I used a very small paintbrush and lightly painted the lines on. For the soccer balls I first cut out small stars in black marshmallow fondant using a star cookie cutter. I then used a sharp knife and cut off each point of the star which left me with little octagons just like a soccer ball has, I put a little melted white chocolate on the back of each one to act as glue. For the baseballs (my favorite) I just used a red frosting pen and piped out the red lines.

I will warn you - the black food coloring on the basketballs will get all over your mouth when you eat them but that is part of the fun! I went to the craft store and just got a simple white metal tin and put floral foam inside to hold up the cake pops with ease. Since I am crazy I also got some long grass from the floral section and cut it down to stick into the foam to simulate sports grass. It was the perfect stiffness to stick into the foam easily, and thanks to help from my friend Taryn we finished in no time. I really like to make the packaging fun when I am baking for a theme. I hope you enjoy the photos and try making them on your own at home...

Dirt Cake

At my friends BBQ - I used gerber daisies, my favorite.

Sorry for the bad picture quality - this was taken with my phone on my kitchen table

Mini dirt cakes from my friends baby shower

This is one of my most fun desserts. When I was little my mom used to make this in the summertime when company would come over. We would eat dinner out on the back porch a lot in the summer so she would put this out as the centerpiece - not telling anyone it was actually dessert. She got a kick out of everyone faces when she would start spooning out the dirt from the pot into bowls for people to eat. To add to the fun she would use a hand trowel to scoop out the mixture. Recently I made this for my friends monkey baby shower, only I spread the mixture out into mini flower pots I purchased at ikea. I put 1-3 small daisies in each pot - really fun. I also made this for a friends BBQ and people loved it! It would make a great hostess gift if you purchased a fun flower pot and then left the pot and trowel with the hostess. Kids also love this and I can't wait to make it for my own one day. However you do it, its fun to not let anyone know that it's dessert until you are ready to serve. Keep in mind this should be eaten with a spoon in a bowl - it's not the most beautiful dessert once scooped but it tastes amazing! I apologize for not having a photo of the cake scooped out. Both times I made this in the past few weeks I was at a party and didn't have my camera ready when people dug in :-(

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cup milk
• 2 pkg vanilla instant pudding
• 12 oz cool whip
• 1/4 cup butter
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 1/4 packages of Oreo cookies
• Terra cotta pot
• Hand garden trowel
• Bouquet of flowers

Directions:

1. In a large bowl cream together milk and vanilla pudding. Add in cool whip and mix together until just blended. Don't over mix.
2. In another bowl cream together butter, cream cheese, and confectioners sugar.
3. Blend both mixtures together and set aside.
4. Using a food processor crush 1 1/4 bag of Oreo Cookies. The cream in the center will dissolve into the cookie crumb.
5. Take your new clean terra cotta flower pot and make sure the hole on the bottom is plugged either with tinfoil or a plastic plug from a garden shop.
6. Layer cookies with cream mixture starting with a cookie layer and ending with a cookie layer (for the dirt on top)
7. Take your bunch of flowers cut the stems evenly and wrap the base of them in tinfoil. Place the flowers with the tinfoiled stems and put them right into the center of the pot up to the edge of the tinfoil so you can't see it. You can place more cookie mixture around the base of the flowers so not to see any foil. The mixture is thick enough to hold the flowers up.

* Refrigerate leftovers or if you make in advance refrigerate until you are ready to put it out on the table. It can be left out for about 2 hours otherwise it won't taste as good warm.

* you can also put gummy worms throughout the layers and on top for a kids party.

Baby Monkey Dessert Table

Whew! Finally doing another blog post with yet another baby shower dessert table. I realized it was time to sit down and post these images since the baby was born this weekend that this shower was held for. So exciting, and baby Avery is a beautiful healthy baby boy with two great parents.

Tracy (mommy) wanted a blue and brown monkey theme which I thought was great. Not only are monkeys cute they provide some great inspiration for banana themed desserts. I included the labels I made to show the full menu as well as to show the simple design. Just like the last dessert table I posted I hope to post some of the individual recipes but for now here are some images...

Color palate

labels - click to enlarge

Peanut butter chocolate layer cake

Mini Dirt Cakes

Chocolate and vanilla cake balls

Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies

Mini banana nut cupcakes

mini monkey breads

Supply sources:

Brown and white striped cups and blue and white polka dot cups, and blue and white striped straws: http://www.shopsweetlulu.com/

Blue and white polka dot platter: www.ikea.com

Ruffled edge platter: www.sweetandsaucysupply.com/

My first dessert table...

I have more images and recipes coming soon but I wanted to share this first batch with everyone. This was for my friends baby shower. They are having a little boy and they wanted green brown and white. No theme - just elegant baby...

the color palate

Caramel stuffed sugar cookies and Coconut cream whoopie pies

S'more marshmallows and white chocolate lemon truffles

Popcorn and Lemon Coconut 4 layer cake

I ordered these adorable green and white straws online to go

with Skinny Girl Margaritas to carry out the green theme

Red velvet cake balls

Lemon blueberry poppy seed bread with lemon glaze

Yellow cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting

Here are some more amazing photo's from the Dad - they turned out

great and you can really see the little labels I made... thanks Aaron!

I used a little green food coloring to get a green gradient in the cake, everyone loved this

Chocolate Chambord Ganache

I have never made a frosting this easy and that tastes this good. If you like chocolate you will like this recipe, and if you like booze you will love this recipe. I have always been afraid of making a ganache icing out of fear that it would just be a runny mess when the time comes to frost the cake or cupcakes. That is not the case. After a few hours of setting up this frosting is as smooth and thick as any traditional frosting and honestly a lot easier to make. I used it on a traditional chocolate cupcake for my friend Jills birthday party but this would be equally good on a classic yellow or white cake. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 18 ounces of good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons of Chambord

Directions:

1. Place chocolate in a large heat safe bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat cream over medium heat until it just begins to boil. I don't recommend walking away from the stove during this process. Boiled cream can be a mess.
3. Immediately pour hot cream over chocolate and let it sit for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Begin to stir the cream with a wooden spoon or whisk starting in the center of the bowl and working your way out. As you stir, you will see the cream and chocolate come together.
5. Let the chocolate mixture cool for about 15 min before stirring in the Chambord.
6. Allow the ganache to cool completely and set up. On the counter it takes about 2 hours, or you can put it in the fridge for a little bit to speed up the process but watch it to make sure it doesn't get too hard.

original recipe from Bakers Royale

Graham Cracker Whoopie Pies with Key Lime Buttercream

It was one of the worlds best people birthday on Monday and I was so excited to bake something yummy for her. Jill is another Art Director at The Richards Group with me and along with being an amazing art director she also helps keep me sane in what can be a crazy business, and is always there when I need a friend.

I asked Jill what she wanted me to make this weekend and she had asked for a key lime pie. I was ready to oblige until the weather took a crazy turn for February in May and we were facing 45 degree temps. Key lime pie to me is a summer treat so I had to warm it up a bit. I came up with a graham cracker whoopie with key lime buttercream filling. Of course me being me, I couldn't stop there so I dipped them in chocolate once they were all assembled... its a birthday might as well go all out. These got great reviews, the birthday girl herself even said they are one of the best things I have ever baked! If you like tart + sweet combined this is your dessert. Happy Birthday Jill!

You might remember the graham cracker whoopie recipe from the S'more whoopie pies I made last year, also I have used this same glaze on the Whoopie Pies for Elvis post so check them out for some extra photos and fun recipes.

Graham Cracker Whoopie

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c graham flour - if you can't find this then use wheat flour
• 3/4 c all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter and room temperature
• 4 tbsp vegetable shortening
• 1 c packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place rack in the center of the oven and prehead to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together both flours, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a stand mixer (if you have one) fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter, shortening, and brown sugar until light and cream, about 3 min. Add eggs and buttermilk and beat until combined.
4. In a measuring cup, combine milk, baking soda, and vinegar. Add this mixture slowly to the batter along with the flour mixture and beat on low speed until completely combined.
5. Using a spoon or put your batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip or even a ziplock with the tip cut off would work, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto your baking sheet, repeat spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for about 10 min until the cakes begin to brown.
7. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for 3-5 min before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Otherwise they are likely to break if you try and move them when they are too warm.
8. Spread with marshmallow cream and chocolate ganache, but if you are in a hurry a dollop of marshmallow fluff and a square of chocolate would work fine also.

Makes about 40 two-inch cakes, about 20 assembled whoopie pies.

Key Lime Buttercream:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Key lime zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 (16 oz) package powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons key lime juice
• 1 - 2 tsp heavy whipping cream or milk

1. Beat the first 4 ingredients at a medium speed in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with key lime juice. 1 tbsp at a time. and 1 tbsp of milk, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition. beat in up to 1 tbsp of additional milk for desired consistency.

Makes about 2 3/4 cups of buttercream. I would recommend doubling if you are using this for a cake.

Chocolate glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat just until it bubbles. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate in the bowl and stir until smooth. add the butter and stir to blend.