lets celebrate with more cake!

this past weekend my parents and my sister came on down here to cape may, where my sister and my hubs were going to run the ocean drive 10 miler and marathon... so in celebration of them going out to do something so amazing, i decided to make a celebration cake...

i made a buttery vanilla cake, filled it with a Kahlua marscapone cream, and topped that with yummy ripe bananas... mmm... and then i made a sweet and light stabilized whipped cream to cover the cake with... sooooo good.... and what makes a celebration cake look even more celebratory... confetti sprinkles...

the cake's a little uneven... but i wasn't going for perfection... i was going for yumminess...

and here they are... my sister and my hubby coming into mile 10... they looked like they were enjoying themselves...
going up the ramp to the north wildwood boardwalk...

and here's the hubby coming across the finish of his first marathon at an unbelievable time of 3hrs and 38 minutes, placed 106 out of 606 people... whoo hoooo... not bad for his first marathon!

and here they are at the finish... my sister placed third in her age group for the 10 miler, and there's the hubs again with his marathon medal...

congrats guys... and happy baking!

ready to take 5... lets enjoy a chocolate induced coma...

well hello everyone... you ready for some over indulgent chocolate cake yumminess... then pull up a chair and get ready for this cake right here... so lets take five... no, seriously... thats exactly what we are going to do... because this is my ode to a "take 5" candy bar...

the first time i experienced the pleasure of eating a "take 5" candy bar, i felt almost naughty... i felt like i was cheating on my long time love, the "snickers"... how could i betray a candy bar i've been enjoying for years... easy... take 5's kick ass! i mean come on... the sweet combo of pretzels, peanut butter, caramel and chocolate.... mmm... delicious...

so... while rummaging through my cabinets and baking supplies, and racking my brain about what kind of cake to make, i came across a "take 5" candy bar, which surprised me because usually my husband and i wrestle for the last piece... and then as i was eating and savoring, i had an epiphany... how simple, but how amazing would a cake like that taste... so i was on a mission...

first i used my favorite chocolate cake recipe of all time... this cake is fudgy, moist, and oh-so chocolaty... and i get great results each time... mmm...

for layer number one i used a generous helping of homemade peanut butter mousse... topped with crunched up pretzels and smothered with some homemade salt caramel...

layer number two was a wee bit different... instead of pretzels i used some mini chocolate chippers... look at those little guys swimming in the yummy caramel... mmm...

finally the cake was topped with some more peanut butter mousse...

helloo there...

and then for the finale... drizzled with some dark chocolate ganache...

mmm... the peanut butter mousse looks like it's playing peek-a-boo... or drowning in a sea of chocolaty amazingness...

and here's the final product... now let me tell you something... this didnt just satisfy my craving, it outdid itself... i closed my eyes each time i took a bite... it was that good...

happy baking everyone!

birthday cupcakes and cake...

here are some pictures for the cupcakes and cake i made for my cousin sammy's 16th birthday (which is also my aunt robbie's birthday, who happens to be sammy's mom)... so i was lucky enough to make the desserts... and when it came to the show piece cake, all that came to mind when i think of sammy, is the beach and summer time in LBI... so here you are sammy girl... happy birthday you cutie!

my sister will be emailing me some more pictures, since i didnt have my camera on this day... so i'll have some more photos to upload soon!

the cake shifted during transport... and if you know me, you know how everything has to be perfect... so the sight of off kilter cake layers was KILLING ME!!! but no one seemed to notice but me... oh well...

here i am busy at work at my parents house, getting this little lady all set for her birthday debut...

happy baking everyone!!

and check out the previous post for some of the other stuff i've been up to... :-)

a mess of goodness...

hey everyone... i know it's been a long time... but i've been super busy, and not just with my own personal baking but with some business baking... and things couldn't be going any better... so here's a quick sample of some of the goodies i've been whipping up so far... so i hope you enjoy... here we go...

here are some caramel macchiato cupcakes... they were a yummy coffee cake, topped with espresso buttercream, homemade salt caramel, rice krispies, mini chocolate chips, and toffee bits... such a explosion of awesomeness...

i used a Vietnamese coffee cake recipe from the awesome cupcake pioneer, Chockylit, and man... not only are her recipes so inventive, they are really, really tasty... she is such an inspiration when it comes to the world of cupcakes...

and here's a pretty variety of some cupcakes i brought to a baby shower cupcake exchange... the top ones are ice cream sundae cupcakes, the second are Neapolitan cupcakes, and the bottom are simple, delicate and amazing vanilla cupcakes with a mellow yellow butter cream...

these ones were made with a deliciously moist chocolate cake, topped with vanilla buttercream and strawberry mousse... yumms!

here are the sundae inspired cupcakes... awesome chocolate cake, topped with vanilla buttercream, dark chocolate ganache and a cherry...

and these are the pretty ones... a moist and tender vanilla cake, topped with a lightly yellow tinted buttercream, and homemade sugar flowers...

these monogrammed babies were made for a birthday party for a little lady named Erica who turned 5... i thought they were fun!

and these pretty lovelies were made for a friends baby shower, she's expecting a little fella... these were made with vanilla cake, topped with vanilla buttercream, and hidden beneath is yummy strawberry mousse...

happy baking everyone!