Not every child’s birthday is awash in parties, gangs of friends, and breathless excitement. Sometimes circumstances call for a quieter celebration, and for this, a giant birthday cupcake is the perfect solution. Remember the old Baskin-Robbins ice cream cakes? The top of this cupcake is made of ice cream, then frosted: an ice cream sundae built on a piece of chocolate cake. The only thing needed to make this cake was the cupcake pan, which I found on Amazon. You […]
These cakes would make an amazing hostess gift if you really want to show someone how much you love them. They may look like they took hours, but this recipe is all about the shortcuts. I used a box cake mix and canned frosting, adding fresh fruit and sugared flowers to keep it rustic and simple. There are also shortcuts on sugaring the edible flowers; I started by painstakingly painting each petal with egg white, and then dipping each petal […]
This is summertime in a cake, a cornucopia of fresh berries (and sugar plums) from the farmer’s market: blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries, currants, cherries, sour cherries, sugar plums, and black raspberries. Black raspberries! I was so excited to find them at the market. They’re my favorite berry and very different from a blackberry. If you have the chance to try some, don’t hesitate because they have a short growing season. I used these fruits on a Victoria sponge, with some strawberry […]
Everyone loves s’mores, and there are as many versions of this beloved American outdoor classic as the dessert-minded can imagine. This one combines two of my favorite things – a chocolate pecan turtle and a s’more – into a chewy, gooey, mouthwateringly delicious campfire treat. The warmth of the freshly-toasted marshmallow melts the caramels in a way that is irresistible. Need I say more? Turtle S’mores
You’ve seen the healthy campout dessert, and the s’mores recipe, but this one belongs somewhere in between. Fresh strawberries and blackberries are easy to thread on to the end of a sharp stick, dip into a jar of marshmallow fluff, and toast to your heart’s delight. It just takes a little patience to keep it toasting slowly, so that the fruit begins to soften and cook while the marshmallow browns. Heaven! If you want to keep things more healthy, you can […]
