a sweet happy 10th birthday to erin!

now let me ask you this question... how sweet would it have been when you were 10 if you had a "chocolate spa" themed birthday party... i mean come on! that's just awesome! well, it just so happens that this little cutie named erin did that for her birthday... the house was decked out in pinks and browns (the theme colors), they had facials, did their nails and got all girl-ified... and of course, there was lots of chocolate involved...

and lucky me, i was asked to make her cupcakes... and like every girl, erin knew exactly what she wanted... and here they are... chocolate cupcakes with rich chocolate frosting! and i think they came out beautiful... cute, girly and just plain fun...

happy birthday erin! and happy baking everyone!

it was a bitter-sweet ending... so long losties...

me and the hubs started watching this show when the little dude jack (and our jack is not named after the shows main character... we also have a son named ben... i swear it's just coincidence!) was about 2 months old... we spent an entire weekend watching season 1, ordering in take out, curled up on the couch, while jack slept in a moses basket at our feet... it was awesome... and now after 6 seasons of pure up and down, emotional craziness... it's all over... and you know what... i am truly happy with the ending... the show went back to it's roots... back to season 1... and it was awesome...

i knew alot of questions wouldn't be answered, but thats the beauty of the island... it was and still is this enigma... but i loved the final moments... hurley and ben partnering up on the island, locke walking into the church... but especially those last moments when jack got closure with his dad... it was a beautiful thing...

and by the way, i bawled when charlie, claire and aaron reunited... but as i promised myself when i started writing this post i won't dive deep into "lost" mode... so i'll just get onto the cake...

so here it is... my ode' to lost cake... its topped with a few of the shows monumental elements... they look a little cartoon-ish... but i love it...

here's the beach, the hatch and of course, the dharma bus...

here's smokie and widmore's submarine...
and here's some more views of the island...

so long losties... and happy baking everyone!

some cupcakes for my momma!

here are some cupcakes i hand delivered to my mom this past weekend since i didn't get to spend mothers day with her... i love the color combo of pink and green... its so cute and girly...

mom is a huge fan of vanilla cake with a simple vanilla buttercream... so i made sure she got just what she wanted...



love you mom! and happy baking everyone!

sweet birthday wishes to my hubby...

happy birthday to my loving hubby... he turned... (gasp!) 29 this past may 4th... i spoiled him by making two desserts because he couldn't make up his mind... he originally wanted a peach cobbler... but being stealthy like i am, i quickly changed his mind for him... but i felt bad because he really wanted something fruity...

but you have to have cake on your birthday! you just have to!!

so being so sweet and pleasing i made him something fruity and something cakey!

for the cake i went with twist on dorie greenspans "devils food white out cake" and a kind of deconstructed hostess cupcake... and the result... devilishly delicious...


Devil’s Food White Out Layer Cake:
ingredients:
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz. bittersweet/semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup water, warm
2/3 cup chocolate chips (regular or mini)

directions:
1. preheat oven to 350F
2. grease 2 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper, and butter the top of the paper
3. in a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder baking soda, baking powder and salt
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light, beat in eggs one at a time, waiting until each is incorporated (1 minute per egg) to add the next, then beat in the vanilla and the melted chocolate
4. combine buttermilk and water in a measuring cup. Working in two or three additions, alternate adding buttermilk mixture and flour mixture to the sugar mixture, scrape sides to ensure batter is even... stir in chocolate chips and divide batter into prepared pans
5. bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean
6. let cakes cool in their pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and peel off parchment paper, cool completely

frosting/filling ingredients:
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla extract

directions:
1. put the egg whites in to bowl of an electric mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer nearby
2. combine sugar, cream of tartar and water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and cool until syrup reaches 242F (use a candy thermometer)
3. as syrup nears correct temperature, begin to beat egg whites to soft peaks, slowly stream in the hot sugar syrup, followed by the vanilla extract.

4. beat for about 5 minutes after everything has been incorporated, or until frosting reaches room temperature

mmm... looks tasty doesn't it... yea... it was...

the cake was moist and subtly chocolaty... and the filling was so lite and fluffy that it just melted in your mouth... and the dark chocolate ganache was really the icing on the cake...

now here's the blueberry and strawberry galette... not the peach cobbler he wanted... but once he took a bite, he was in heaven... it was buttery, flaky, had a slight sugary crunch on the outside, and the little blueberries just burst with flavor when you took a bite... it was perfect...
it doesn't look perfect, rather a bit rustic... but looks can be deceiving... and that pool of blueberry goodness thats trying to escape... but don't worry, it didn't escape me... i used that on some vanilla ice cream...
look how cute and wrinkly these blueberries are...


happy birthday baby... and happy baking everyone!!

oh so sinful...

what do you get when you combine a flaky buttery crust with an ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie, and then... bonus! smother them both with a silky dark chocolate ganache...

umm... yea, that's right... you get pure awesomeness...

this recipe comes from one of the most inventive and talented ladies on the block... bakerella... if you know of her, you know how amazing she is... i wish i could add as much detail into my work as she does... maybe one day (insert daydream sequence)...

but anyways... this recipe was simple and very, very satisfying... it was so good, and so filling that i had to loosen my belt after i ate a slice... and don't even get me started on the milk... i am no fan of the moo-juice... but this dessert just screams "ICE COLD MILK!"...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
ingredients:
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
directions:
1. preheat oven 325 degrees F
2. beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high until foamy
3. beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar, then beat in butter
4. stir in chocolate chips and nuts and spoon into pie shell
5. bake for 55-60 minutes, cool on wire rack and serve warm

for added yumminess, i whipped up some fluffy, lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream... a little dollop of heaven on something so sinful... delish...
happy baking everyone!