Make Your Wedding Cake - A Post for the Etsy Wedding Blog!

I'm so excited to be sharing a special cake recipe on the brand new Etsy Wedding Blog!  Ever thought about attempting your own wedding cake?  Whether you're DIY-ing it for yourself,  a friend or family member, this post gives you a complete comprehensive guide to a delicious butter cake that serves 75.

Get all the details- including a whole slew of step-by-step photos HERE!

Seven Sins Chocolate Cake

Not long ago I sampled a cake from a bakery that boasted seven forms of chocolate. "Seven Deadly Sins" they called it.  It had two types of dark chocolate frosting, milk and white chocolate pastry cream, white chocolate curls... you get the idea. All those chocolates sound interesting when used in one cake, but I thought those "seven sins" could be more... sinful.  The gears began to turn.

Since then I've been scribbling in my recipe journal and testing decadent flavor combinations; a bit of espresso here, a bit of whiskey there...

Last week I finally pieced together what I consider the best of the best, and here you have it. A truly sinful Seven Sins Chocolate Cake. 

Shall we meet the players?

Continued, click to read more...

Kentucky Bourbon Puddings with Candied Pecans

Let's face it. Sometimes baking is tied to emotion. Oftentimes, for me. The weather has been strangely muggy and overcast, which has kept me hermit-like and sleepy. And the cake I've been dreaming of can only seem to materialize as a sketch in my recipe journal. Those frosting ruffles I penned are too effervescent for days like this.

Conversely, these cozy bourbon puddings appeared in front of me in the span of about 20 minutes. After pouring a few jars-full, I ate the remainder directly from the saucepan (it was still warm - swoon!).  To make this comforting treat even more sweetly southern, I candied pecans for a topping.

I'm sure some of you are wondering what bourbon pudding tastes like. It's not overly boozy or tongue-tingling - it's more like the best butterscotch pudding you'll ever make.  In fact, if you swapped out the Kentucky bourbon whiskey (made of 51% corn/grain mix)  for Scotch whisky (made of malted barley), you'd have authentic butterscotch pudding.

Continued, click to read more...

Peanut-Honey Pupcakes

It's Churro's birthday!

Well, sort of.

We don't really know when his birthday is.  And we don't know exactly how old he is either, but we still like to celebrate the day we welcomed him into our family. Churro is a rescue -yes, a pound puppy.  His history is somewhat of a mystery to us, but we were told that he came from a pretty bad situation. You'd never know that from his demeanor. He's the sweetest real-life teddy bear you'll ever meet! And he instantly fit right in with Biscuit-the-pug and our three kitty-cats. Words cannot express how gentle and loving he is.  It breaks my heart that there are so many animals of similar docility that get taken to the shelter.  I don't like to think about that too much, but I felt that I must mention it.

Maybe someone out there looking for a furbaby will remember Churro's happy ending and decide to rescue.

Both pups went absolutely NUTS over these Peanut-Honey Pupcakes.   I've never seen them so excited!  And I have to admit- they smelled pretty darn good fresh from the oven.  I used natural peanut butter (no sugar, low sodium) and some good quality local honey.  To make absolutely sure no one mistook these for people food, I added a peanut butter dog biscuit to the tops before baking.

Continued, click to read more...

Deep Dish Berry Pie Tart

Is it a pie,  is it a tart?  Yes.  And yes!

I first saw this odd pie-tart hybrid while browsing a pastry table at a local market.  I was intrigued for a fleeting moment, then able to pass by with a "eh..."

Mr. Baird was intrigued for longer. His silent reaction was to sneak it into the shopping cart while I browsed the tea aisle. I gave him a sideways glance as the cashier scanned it and put it in a bag. He maintained his poker face.

I'll admit, I was a little irritated.  I like trying new things, but we had a surplus of sweets at home.When I reluctantly decided to try a bite I recognized the cream cheese tart crust immediately- though it lacked the loving touch of a little salt. Like most grocery-bought bakery items, it was just okay.

A while later, something happened. It was a daydream I think, or the deepest thought this dessertophile could muster. In my mind's eye I saw tart dough, baked into tall fortress walls,which held a kingdom of every type of berry. There was a lattice top, too.

Continued, click to read more...

It's Here! The SprinkleBakes Book and a KitchenAid Giveaway!

Today's the day! 

It's the official publication day for the SprinkleBakes book! I'm so excited and more than a little nervous! Every other post on my blog will feature a recipe, but today I wanted to tell you a little bit about what I've been pouring so much love and work into over the past year.  I really hope it lives up to everything you'd expect - your encouragement from the very start of this blog has meant so much to me and has made this day possible.

Hopefully this will answer your burning questions: inside you'll find 77 recipes. Of those, 36 are basics that every baker and dessert enthusiast will want in their recipe arsenal.This section is called "Blank Canvases" because these recipes can be endlessly varied with flavor, color and shape. I return to these simple and approachable basics again and again. Use them to create a confectionery work of art, or just to satisfy a craving!

Continued, click to read more...