Happy Halloween

This Spider Web template from Country Living worked great to make up some really cute spider webs  using melted white chocolate chips.  The spiders are made with buttercream.     Hopefully these will put a smile on the faces of my husband's coworkers.

I painted the stripes on the witch's legs with diluted Americolor dye. I diluted it with vodka.  Legs & brew are made out of fondant

Steve's 40th... NASCAR style!

Steve is an all-around NASCAR racing fan.. heck, he likes any kind of racing.  It's not out of the ordinary to find him tailgating at the track.   We hope you have a Happy 40th Birthday STEVE!

Steve @ Dumont Dunes

sportin' an awesome Coors 18 pk box hat made by Susana & I 

held together by electrical tape (hey, it's the only "adhesive" we had on hand) 

Last month at Irwindale Speedway I made "Dealth By Oreo" Cupcakes & he loved them.  Michele, his wife, asked me if I had time to make a dozen for his birthday.  Here's what I came up with...

The Happy "th" Steve were made with clay press letters made by Walnut Hollow

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Visit Sweet Creations by Stephanie on Facebook! 

Happy Birthday Yacil

These are going to work with me in celebration of Yacil's 26th Birthday

Vanilla cake, filled with Fresh Strawberry Puree  & topped with lemon buttercream

Happy Birthday Yacil!

I used Wilton tip 104 - rose petal tip to make the flowers

Halloween cupcakes for UFC

It was time for the monthly UFC Fight night at our friends house last night.  My friend, Susana, gave me a bunch of cute Halloween cupcake liners for my birthday and I've been waiting to use them. I made chocolate cupcakes & topped them with chocolate buttercream and Halloween decor. 

I put 1/2 a jumbo marshmallow inside each cupcake about midway through the baking process...so good! 

It was time for the monthly UFC Fight night at our friends house last night.  My friend, Susana, gave me a bunch of cute Halloween cupcake liners for my birthday and I've been waiting to use them. I made chocolate cupcakes & topped them with chocolate buttercream and Halloween decor. 

I put 1/2 a jumbo marshmallow inside each cupcake about midway through the baking process...so good! 

Toffee Cream Cupcakes: Cupcake Challenge Recipe #3

Cupcake #3  in my Cupcake Challenge  

Chocolate Ginger Cake adapted from Pamela Clark
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup self rising flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp honey
2 oz dark chocolate, chopped coarsely


Decorations
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 oz chocolate-covered toffee bars (such as Skor or Heath), chopped coarsely
1. Preheat oven to 325F.

    Line 6 hole oversized (Texas) or 12 hole standard muffin pan with paper baking cups.

2. Sift dry ingredients into small bowl, add butter, egg, buttermilk and syrup; beat mixture with electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are combined.  Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture is changed to a paler color. Stir in chocoalte. Dived mixture among baking cups; smooth surface.

3. Bake large cakes about 40 minutes, small cakes about 30 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.

4. Spread cakes with whipped cream; top with toffee bars.

Reviews:
Me        :   So far this is my favorite from the book.  The cake had great texture, not too dense.  I had
trouble eating the Heath bar on top, couldn't really bite into the whole cupcake.
Husband:   Not his favorite, he also had trouble biting into the whole cupcake.
Others   :   good cake, would be better with chocolate frosting

next up..... Recipe #4.... Ice Cream Cone Cakes

Unicorn Cupcakes

Happy 4th Birthday  Izabel!

Basket of Yarn cake

Happy Birthday Kim!

My friend, Kim, knits beautiful blankets, baby sweaters and hats.  I saw a cake like this a while ago and stuck it in my ever growing "to do" pile.  I used her Carrot Cake recipe which is super moist.   I took the Wilton courses last year and never thought I'd use the basket weave but it worked perfect for this cake...a basket of yarn.  The yarn are chocolate cupcakes, that I covered with fondant. 

Carrot Cake from the kitchen of Kim B.

Dry ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tsp soda

2 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

Wet ingredients:

1 ½ cups oil

4 eggs

2 cups fresh shredded carrots

1 small can “drained” crushed pineapple

1 hand full coconut

Frosting:

1 cube butter

1 lb powder sugar

8 oz cream cheese

4 oz coconut

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Mix all wet ingredients together.  Combine wet with the dry.  Grease & flour (3) 9” round pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp is such an easy dessert to make and somewhat healthy (minus the butter & sugar).  My husband loves it..so much that he brought home a bag of apples that someone had brought to work for anyone to take.  He knew I'd make him one of his favorites.  The dish lasted only about 5 days in our house ;(

 

Steph’s Apple Crisp

Filling:

3 lbs Granny Smith Apples, peeled & sliced thinly
2/3 cup sugar

5 tsp corn starch

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp nutmeg

Topping:

2/3 cup rolled oats (not Quick cooking)

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup flour

7 Tbsp butter (unsalted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 8x8 glass pan.

Make filling – wisk together dry ingredients. Mix into apples & spread them into glass pan. Spread with topping and bake until topping is golden brown & filling is bubbling. 45 minutes.

To make topping:  combine everything but butter, stirring until well blended. Cut butter into mixture with fingers or mixer fitted with paddle attachment, until mixture is pea sized.

Spread with topping and bake until topping is golden brown & filling is bubbling. 45 minutes

Happy Birthday Avalina

Happy 6th Birthday Avalina!