Buttercream Swirl

I love simple wedding cakes! I don't know how many times I've said it before.

This cake was made for a small family gathering celebrating a marriage of a seasoned husband and wife joining their two families together. It was a simple vanilla on vanilla cake. 

I frosted the cake with a crumb coat and let it set up in the fridge.  Once the outer layer was covering the cake I began using a small round tipped spatula starting at the base of the cake and lightly started swirling the lines slowly up the sides of the cake, constantly turning the cake stand. I then piped a bead layer around the base of each cake and placed the fondant/gumpaste mixed flower on the top. 

Pink & White Polkadot Cake

I met a wonderful lady through some unfortunate circumstances. I am so glad that we happened to run into each other. Her first granddaughter is almost here. She asked me to make a pink & white cake for her daughters baby shower. 

The cake is red velvet with cream cheese filling, covered in vanilla buttercream and decorated with vanilla fondant. The flower is silk.

Piggy Mud Bath

Bottoms up!

A friend of mine, who has moved to the west like me, had a good old Virginia BBQ birthday party for her dirty thirtieth. The invites had pigs, the tables had pigs and of course we ate some real BBQ pig sandwiches. The tables were covered in red checkered cloth with piggy banks and jars of Virginia peanuts. Good company, good food. The whole party was a blast!

The cake is traditional yellow cake with chocolate frosting ( a Ukrop's fav).

The pigs are made of sculpted pink vanilla fondant. The outer "fence" is Kit-Kat bars stuck on the frosting. The gingham ribbon keeps the "fence" from falling off the cake. 

Classy Black Tie Birthday Cake

This was a classy delicious marbled cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. 

They wanted traditional scroll piping on the sides. They had a red flower to put on the top to match their decorations.

Mint Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies

 I made these with my son for St. Patrick's Day. 

They would also be perfect for Christmas and Halloween!

Mint Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies

2 C sugar

1 C shortening

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 C sour cream

3 1/2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 package Guittard milk chocolate chips

Cream sugar and shortening together. Add egg. Then sour cream. Mix in vanilla & peppermint. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Then add in chocolate chips. I use a 1 1/2" cookie scoop to place even amounts of dough on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake @ 375* for about 7 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE! They will not look done when they are done. Take them out when they look dry. Golden around the edges means they are overdone. Let them cool completely. You will have chewy, moist, delicious cookies!

Mint Brownie Cookie Pizza

 Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix

3/4 C shortening

2 eggs

1 package mint chocolate chips 

1 package andes mint pieces (or just chop some bars up)

2 Tbls coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix brownie mix, shortening and eggs until it forms a soft dough. It will be very dry at first, keep mixing! Now, I baked mine on a pizza stone because I wanted a crispy crust. A regular cookie sheet will do just fine. Roll dough into one big ball. Cover stone/cookie sheet with parchment. Shape dough into a flat round circle on parchment about 1/2-2/3 of the size you want it to be. It will spread while baking. Bake for about 15 minutes, give or take due to size of cookie. You want the top to look dry and barely begin to crack, then it's done!

While your brownie pizza is baking, melt your mint chips with the coconut oil over double boiler until melted, then set aside. When pizza is done and mostly cooled spread your melted chips all over like pizza sauce. Sprinkle with Andes bits. Let cool until set. Slice & Serve! This is a very easy, fun, rich dessert for St. Patricks Day or even Christmas.

Soft Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Valentine's day cookies!

 Chocolate covered chocolate sugar cookies you say?!?

 Pucker up baby!

Soft Batch Chocolate Sugar Cookies

2 C sugar

1 C shortening

2 eggs

1 C sour cream

2 tsp mexican vanilla 

4 C flour

1/2 C cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cream of tarter

1/2 tsp salt

Cream sugar, shortening and eggs. Then add sour cream and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients and mix well. I like to chill the dough for a few hours or overnight so I do not have to add as much flour when it's time to roll, cut and bake. You will need an additional 1/2 -3/4 cup flour for rolling out, about 1/4" thick.
Don't forget to lightly flour your cookie cutters before cutting! 

Bake @ 350* for 8-10 minutes. 

These will spread a little, to decrease spreading use 2 tsp baking powder and omit the baking soda.

Icing: I used chocolate!

I melted 1 bag Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips with 2 T coconut oil in a glass bowl over simmering water. The oil doesn't ruin the flavor of the chocolate but solidifies after its cooled and is still soft enough that it doesn't crack. Gently place the cookies face down in the melted chocolate mix until just the face of the cookie is covered. Let the extra chocolate drip off, because it is runny, then place on parchment covered cookie sheet to cool. 

Then decorate however you like...frosting, sprinkles, chocolate, etc.
 (I used royal icing on the chocolate)

Enjoy!