Sunday, June 26, 2011

Hand Stamped Wedding Cake Topper


Jake and Jane have the perfect cake topper! Simple but effective! (Made by Lisa Leonard).  Note the tiny hearts at the bottom of the cake.  I love these hand stamped creations!  Photo from Green Wedding Shoes site.


The bride and groom also utilized Lisa Leonard's hand stamped creations on the bride's bouquet.  Photo also from Green Wedding Shoes.  Memories that the bride and groom can keep forever--what a great idea!

Angel Food Anyone?


This double-decker angel food cupcake with it's boutique cupcake paper is perfect for a wedding.  It looks just like an asymmetrical wedding cake! This cupcake was an entry in a contest and was created by The Insomniac Baker.  The recipe is on the Baker's web page linked previously.  Photos also courtesy of The Insomniac Baker.  Try out this combination of angel food cake and meringue with gelato!  Two fluffy angel food cupcakes with meringue gelato in the middle and a smooth, Swiss meringue buttercream on top, with a sweet little meringue cookie to top it all off--perfection! These are an ice cream cupcake though so your caterer will need to assemble them on site and they won't work for a sweet table.  You could probably adapt the recipe to use something other than the gelato if you wanted to use them for a sweet table display. 


Sunday, June 19, 2011

A Cake to Go With Your Nonpareil Martinis


The Cake Girls made this gorgeous cake shown on Martha Stewart's web site that goes perfectly with the White Chocolate Martini's with nonpareil rims on The Signature Drink blog.  Visit all the blogs and sites listed.  Kudos to The Cake Girls for their beautiful creation!

While Not Technically Cakes...Taste Just As Good!


Planning on providing a late night snack for your guests as your reception winds down? Serve these doughnut holes with a difference. Ask your caterer to make you a variety of these great donut holes in a variety of hot colors and serve them in a gold or silver cone. Add some good coffee and your guests will thank you! Thank you Martha Stewart for the great idea and photo!

Doughnut recipe at Martha's site.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Win a Cake!


Visit Truly Custom Cakery's blog, Stacy's Sweet Shop, and enter to win a cake! The details are on her blog, read carefully and enter, enter, enter! There is more than one way to enter.  Stacy has some incredible designs, great for that special birthday, anniversary, or groom's cake or any special occasion.  Good luck! Obviously you need to live in the area to be able to pick it up.

Succulents Are Everywhere!



Not only will you find succulents in bouquets, boutennieres and centerpieces and wedding favors but now they are being used to decorate cakes.  These simple cakes with the addition of succulents take the cake from ho hum to WOW!  Keep your eyes open for other cakes decorated with succulents.  But what makes these succulents so incredible is they are made from fondant! Could you tell? I sure couldn't! Erica O'Brien deserves major kudos for her artistry on these cakes! Anyone with any other ideas on how to use succulents please post them!


Cake by Erica O'Brien Shown on Greer Loves; Photography by Hazelnut Photography

Cake by Erica O'Brian; Photography by: This Modern Romance


Same credits as cake above it.









When is a Cake Not a Cake?


When is a cake not a cake? SURPRISE! When it's this gorgeous paper cake from Tracey Mason. 


While this cake looks good enough to eat, it's actually meant for guests to deposit their gift cards for your wedding in! You can see it and the story behind it at Tracey Mason's Studio


Tracey is a creative DIY'er who has a creative web site filled with fun to make crafts that will knock your socks off. She also created a matching card to go with this cake. Why not create a memorable gift for the bride and groom to use at their wedding? Tracey also offers how to directions for the paper rosettes that decorate this 'cake.'

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Aqua Wedding Cake


OK, I admit, I am hooked on this color! Thought you might enjoy seeing this cake by The Caketress.  Unique and a little bit out of the box.  What do you think?  Wedding cake photos by Rebecca Wood Photography and Rowell Photography posted on Junebug.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Potito's Bakery--South Philly's Finest



If you live in Philly and you've got a craving for a couple cannoli or other Italian bakery specialties, there's only one logical destination: Potito's Italian American Pastries. Winner of the 2011 Readers' Choice Awards for best cannoli and more, you can't not love this sugar haven. Eversave.com has a half price offer this week. Potitio's Italian American Pastries is located at 1614 West Ritner St., Philadelphia, PA 19145
(215-334-2996) not too far to take a short road trip for some goodies!


Buy some cupcakes or other delicacies...my mouth is watering as I write this! (Video from You Tube via Eversave.com.) You have to experience their chocolate dipped cannoli--yum! My personal favorites! So head down to South Philly and find some bakery goodies (yeah I know you're on a diet for the wedding, but you can eat JUST ONE and consider it research for your wedding sweet table! See I've given you a good REASON (see reason NOT excuse) to let yourself have one! See you there!


Photo by Mark Louis Photography
Potito’s Bakery is also pleased to announce that they are now specializing in wedding cakes and custom cakes. Potito’s Bakery has contracted two of the finest wedding cake decorators in the city. Their designs range from traditional to ultra modern.

All wedding cake inquires and orders are handled personally by one of the owners. Free in person consultations are also provided. Wow! Another reason for a trip to South Philly! Go today, eat the cannoli tonight!

Cake Pop Pots

OK, you've made these killer cake pops (well not literally killer I hope, just visually) and now you have to find a way to display them for your guests.  These cake pop pots made by Stef at It's All In My Head not only show off your cake pops but are an efficient and pretty way to serve them on a sweet table. 
Take note of how she used the mini cupcake wraps to set off each pop as though they were flower petals, what a great idea!  If you look closely at the cupcake papers she used you'll see the pastel pattern in them.  See her other great ideas as well as step-by-step directions of how she filled the bottom of the pots so the pops would stay upright.  What a creative lady!  She said the pots came from Michael's Crafts but if you can't find them there I'm sure you could make you own with a little paint on some regular flower pots from your local Home Depot or Lowe's.  While these marginally qualify as DIY projects, they are so simple that you could also use them as a project for kids to make for Grandma for her birthday! 

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Tiramisu Cupcakes For A WOW Factor At Your Wedding


OK, tell me your mouth isn't watering just looking at this picture! I am a big fan of tiramisu so maybe it's just me, but this idea wow'd me.  The recipe is easy and your guests are sure to love them.  Serve these cold to help cool off your guests at a summer wedding or after your guests have been dancing any time of the year.  The wow factor in any tiramisu is not the ladyfingers but the filling.  That lush mascarpone, whipped cream, run, and coffee combo is what sets these cupcakes apart from the usual ho hum mini cakes.  The trick is to use just a small amount of ladyfingers(or cake) and LOTS of filling and topping.  YUM! 

Tiramisu Cupcake recipe adapted TiramisuII recipe from AllRecipes.com.

Yield: 12 Cupcakes
(see how little batter is in the cupcake pans--this will leave you room for lots of filling)

6 egg yolks

3/4 C white sugar

2/3 C milk

1 1/4 C heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 lb mascarpone cheese

1 C strong brewed coffee, room temperature

2 tbsp rum

ladyfingers baked in cupcake wrappers (see my post on ladyfingers for instructions)

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

a small amount of dark chocolate for chocolate curls (optional)

In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended.

Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils.

Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly.

Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator 1 hour.

Remove from refrigerator and whisk in mascarpone until smooth. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum.

Drizzle approximately 1 tbsp + 2 tsp of the coffee/rum mixture over each pre-baked ladyfinger. Add it a little at a time and wait for it to absorb into the ladyfingers before adding more. When it stops absorbing, stop adding more.

Spread the mascarpone mixture over the soaked ladyfingers.

Pipe or spread the whipped cream over the mascarpone.

Sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Optionally, top with chocolate curls. Make the chocolate curls using a vegetable peeler on a piece of chocolate. It works best if the chocolate is slightly warm, but not melty.

Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set


  Ladyfingers Recipe for Tiramisu Cupcakes:

This ladyfinger recipe is adapted ever so slightly from the ladyfinger recipe on Allrecipes.

4 eggs, separated

2 tbsp + 2/3 C white sugar

1 C all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Line two 17 x 12 inch baking sheets with baking parchment. (Or, if you are going to use these for tiramisu cupcakes, line a 12 cupcake tin with cupcake liners.)

Fit large pastry bag with a plain 1/2 inch round tube. If you don't have one, just cut off the end of a Ziploc bag.

Place egg whites in a bowl and beat on high until soft peaks start to form.

Slowly add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy.

In another bowl, beat egg yolks and remaining sugar.

Whip until thick and very pale in color.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder.

Fold half the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.

Fold in flour, and then add the remaining egg whites.

Transfer mixture to the pastry bag (or Ziploc bag) and pipe strips that look like ladyfingers (or whatever shape you'd like) onto the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, evenly divide the batter between the cupcake liners. The cupcake liners will not be filled to the top (see the photo above).

Bake for 8 minute

Violet White Velvet Cupcakes

I have to admit I'd never heard of white velvet cake or cupcakes before I came across these beauties!  Violet White Velvet Cupcakes, even the name sounds like they'll taste good! I found this recipe on the blog 'Diary of A Mad Haus Frau' and I had to share them with you.  The author loves using unusual ingredients to make your desserts a feast for not only the eyes but for your taste buds as well. 

These cupcakes use Rosolio Alla Violetta, a liqueur from Assisi, Italy.  This liqueur is pale lavendar (See photo) and has a delicate floral taste that you have to experience! The link to the recipe (and the rest of her blog is above).  Be sure to check it out for all the details that make these cupcakes beautiful as well as more great ideas to bake.

Eclipse From The Twilight Saga Wedding Accents


While I have to admit I'm not into Twilight or any of the other books about vampires I know a lot of people are.  Look for my prior post on Twilight weddings.  These accessories will just add to the look.  Don't want to have a totally Eclipse/Twilight theme? Try going with a red and black color theme but using Eclipse characters or places to designate the tables at your wedding.  There's always a way to add a little accent to your wedding that brings in the theme without overdoing it.  These free printable accents are from this link.