Fall Cake Pops

Fall Cake Pops

One fun and unique option that you and your family can do during the holidays are Cake Pops! With such machines such as BabyCakes, it is now easier than ever to involve your kids, or just yourself, in making some yummy treats for Halloween and/or Thanksgiving.

I actually made some Cake Pops for my brother and cousin’s birthdays this past weekend. I simply made a Chocolate Cake batter(you can use any recipe you like!) and used my BabyCake Cake Pop maker to make the cake part of the pops. It only takes 4-6 minutes for the ‘lil cakes to cook, and I put them on the provided “stand” and freeze them for 5-10 minutes. Then, you can use some candy or lolli-pop sticks, dip them in your favorite glaze, frosting, or ganache and then insert the tip of the stick with the frosting/ganache mixture on it into the cake ball. This will act as glue. Allow them to freeze for another 5 minutes or so.

After the cake balls have become frozen, dip them in your favorite topping, allow the topping to set, and then roll in your favorite nuts, coconut, chocolates, sprinkles, etc.  And viola! You have a fun and extremely easy dessert that will wow your friends and family at your next party, or simply entertain and teach your kids to have fun in the kitchen!

If you’re interested in purchasing a BabyCakes Cake Pop Maker, they are available at KOHL’S Department Stores and available online.

Happy baking!

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

One way to utilize your pumpkin for all it’s worth is by scooping out the seeds and using them to make some yummy snacks for all those in the house who have the munchies.

You can virtually flavor your pumpkin seeds any way you’d like, so here are a few different options on how to spice ’em up…

1. Clean the pumpkin, taking out the pulp and separating the seeds. Place the seeds in a collander and give them a good rinse. Do NOT try to pat-dry them with a paper towel or hand rag because the seeds will become towel decorations and not snacks. Just give them a good shake in the collander to get as much excess water off as possible.

2. Once they’ve been rinsed, go ahead and spray a baking sheet or pan with some non-stick spray and spread out your pumpkin seeds. Allow the seeds roughly 25-30 minutes of cook time in a 300 degree oven. This will further allow the seeds to dry out.

3. While your pumpkin seeds are cooking, go ahead and set up your ‘spice stations’ so that you’re ready to add some flavor. You can literally make tons of flavor combinations, so pick ones that are most desirable for you. If you’re a salt over sugar person, set out spices such as paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, etc. However, if you’re like me, get out the sugar, cinnamon or nutmeg to add a sweet taste to this snack.

4. Once the 30 minutes are up for baking, go ahead and toss the pumpkin seeds (make sure not to burn yourself) in a bit of either canola, vegetable, or olive oil, and toss them together with some of the spices you’ve chosen for this batch. Then, once they’re coated to your specifications, go ahead and pop them back in the oven anywhere from 10-20 minutes, at the same temperature.

Enjoy!

Punkin’s ‘Pumpkin Tips’

With Thanksgiving speeding our way, it’s that time of the year to make Fall-oriented desserts, and one of the most iconic symbols of Fall that can utilized in and out of the kitchen is the pumpkin.

Whether you take your family to the Pumpkin Patch every year for memories and pictures, or bring one home to make Grandma’s Homemade Pumpkin Pie, these edible treasures can be used to create tons of creative ideas that revolve around the beautiful Fall Season.

Lord-willing, over the next couple of weeks, I hope to share some fun and yummy ideas and recipes for you and your family that all include, you guessed it, pumpkins!

Monsters, Inc./Fall Themed Birthday Cake

Sully Birthday Cake

Alongside my friend Shayla’s birthday, I also got to make a super cute and very special cake for a sweet, sweet little girl named Sierra.

After talking to Mom and Dad (and Shayla too!), we decided that we wanted to do a cake and cupcake tower to go along with a Monsters, Inc./Fall theme for the Birthday Girl. So, with that in mind, I decided to make a topper (I used an 8 inch cake, instead of a typical 6 inch round) that featured Sully as the centerpiece, since he’s one of the Birthday Girl’s favorite Monsters, Inc. characters.

To accomplish my plan, I first made an 8 inch cake that featured Traditional Vanilla Cake Batter with Vanilla Buttercream on the inside. I then proceeded to use a color scheme that matched Sully, to make sure the theme of the cake was uniform. To get the blue fondant, I simply took some Satin Ice fondant (you can order this online at www.thebakerskitchen.com or www.amazon.com) and colored it to match the blue hue that I desired. Since Sully is light blue, I figured this would be the best foundational color for the cake. So, with this accomplished, I wanted to add some detail to the cake that incorporated some fall colors, as well as sticking to the Monsters theme. I decided to use some simple circular cookie cutters to make varying sizes of dots in dark blue, orange, and purple. For the border of the cake, I simply colored some Vanilla Buttercream in both light and dark blue and piped a scallopped border followed by a Grass Tip to make the “fur” detail.

The main guy on top however, took a bit more effort! To make Sully, I decided to use Gum Paste instead of fondant, since Gum Paste will dry and hold its shape much quicker. After coloring the fondant, I hand- molded Sully’s body and used a Wilton decorating tool to give the illusion of fur. I then proceeded to mold Sully’s head, create eyes, a nose, horns, and eventually moved onto the arms. To attach the arms, I molded the Gum Paste into the shapes that I wanted, and then used toothpicks as supports to secure the arms into the trunk of his body. To ensure that the arms stayed put, I supported them with some left-over fondant I had wrapped with Cling Wrap. (You can use anything as a support while the Paste dries). I then used the same Wilton decoraing tool to make fur indentations, as well as secure the arms to the body by mashing the Gum Paste together, thus closing any cracks in the Paste. The trunk of his body was also secured with a skewer that served as a support when I put him on top of the cake.

I wanted to give the illusion that he was jumping out the cake, so to accomplish this I took some fondant, cut out wave-shaped pieces, and placed them around him to look like he had jumped through the top of the cake. To finish, I used Vanilla Buttercream, dyed dark blue, to write a Happy Birthday greeting.

Monster-Themed Cupcake Tower

The cake was accompanied by 40 cupcakes, consisting of Vanilla and Chocolate Cake Batter with a mixture of Vanilla and Cream Cheese Frostings. The cupcakes featured monsters, as well as Fall decor to match the theme of the party.

The cupcakes were assembled on a Cupcake Tower that was set up at the party. These towers are easy to assemble and inexpensive. If you’re interested in buying one for your next party or event, they are available online at www.efavormart.com and multiple other sites on the web.

Happy Birthday Sierra and happy baking!!

Peace Sign ‘Shayla’ Cake

‘Shayla’ Peace Sign Cake

This weekend I had the priveledge to make a few cakes for some very special friends of mine… One of them being my friend Shayla. 🙂

I have known Shayla since our Freshman year of High School, and she absolutely loves peace signs! I’ve told her for years that if she had been born in the 60s-70s, she’d have been a Flower Child, Tree Hugger, or all of the above! Lol! (Shayla, you know I love ya!).

So, with some help from her ‘adoptive family’, we decided to make her a cake that was totally Shayla. Thus, the Peace Sign/Flower Power Cake was created. The cake itself was Marble Batter (Chocolate and Vanilla) with Vanilla Buttercream. The cake was decorated with Satin Ice Fondant that I colored in Electric Green (Lime), Hot Pink, Orange, Yellow, and Purple. I used Daisy Cooker Cutters to create the flower detail on the sides of the cake, and simply rolled out Fondant ‘pearls’ for the border in alternating colors. To complete and personalize the cake, I used my Cricut Cake Printer to create the lettering used to spell out the birthday girl’s name.

Oh, and how could I forget to mention the peace sign?? To create it, I simply rolled out some fondant and used an 8 in. cake pan to draw a circle the same size as the top of the cake. I then transferred the cut-out to the top of the cake, used a stencil I had made of a peace sign, and cut out the middle sections with an exacto knife. I then simply pulled away the top layer of fondant to reveal the peace sign!

This cake was fun to make and it’s a great cake to make if you’re starting out in the baking arena!

*You can order the food coloring used for this cake (Americolor Food Gels/Airbrush Food Color) at www.amazon.com or through the manufacturer at www.tcpglobal.com.

Happy Birthday Shayla!!

Upcoming Blog Posts

Hey everybody! I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything new, but I will have a few new posts up by tomorrow, Lord willing. Stay tuned for a Groovy Birthday Cake and a Monsters, Inc. cake and cupcakes! I hope everyone has a great weekend!