A life & style blog for all things affordable
When you think of Halloween, the first colours that come to mind are typically orange and black! I decided to push the envelope and go with a blush pink Halloween party a la Lauren Conrad. I figured I love everything pink so why not incorporate it everywhere and anywhere I can?
Continue reading “Ghouls’ Night- A Perfectly Pink Halloween Party”
If you follow along on my Instagram you would have seen my sneak peek story on these yummy Butterscotch Pumpkin Cheerio Bars. I decided to kick-start my Fall baking early and get some recipes in before Thanksgiving weekend! Here we are, now just over a week away. After posting the bars and creating a poll, it came back as a huge success for me to post the recipe on my blog.
I always seem to have extra bananas lying around that are just waiting to be added to a recipe.
Instead of my usual use of bananas in banana bread I decided to add them to a cake using cake mix from the box (secret’s out!)
This recipe is so simple and you can even use it to whip up a quick bananna bread. It came out so moist and the pecans added a nice crunch.
What you’ll need:
* 1 white cake mix box (follow recipe on box to make a regular cake)
* 2-3 ripe banannas
* 1/2 cup of butter
* half a teaspoon of baking soda
*2 containers of store bough cream cheese frosting. You can make it yourself, but I find this way easier and I’m all about easy baking!
Steps:
This cake was a huge hit. It was so easy to take a simple boxed cake mix and turn it into another delicious banana recipe!
Enjoy!
Nothing like creating a fair food favourite right from the comfort of your own home!
Follow the easy steps below to make this creation yourself.
What you will need:
1 cup of pancake mix
2/3 cup of milk
1 egg 2 tsps of vegetable oil
1 box of Oreo cookies
Vegetable oil for frying
Confectioner’s sugar (optional)
Prep:
Who doesn’t love donuts? And who doesn’t love anything mini?
These sweet combination will be an absolute treat whether it’s for a party or just because!
I used the Wilton non-stick 12 cavity donut pan. I picked mine up from Michaels Canada and used a 40% off coupon! I’m always keeping my eye open for really good coupons, and typically every week Michaels has a 40% off one regular-priced item or sometimes even 50%. I wait to buy items such as these until a coupon becomes available!
The batter was really easy to make (I just went on Google and got a simple recipe and did the same for the icing.) I opted for a basic vanilla donut with vanilla icing that I died pink to get the desired effect and used large sprinkles. You can really get creative here and use any sort of flavours or colourings your little heart desires!
I was really pleased with how these turned out and how easy the pan was to use!
These were a huge hit and I keep getting requests to make more! I found that these were more popular compared to if I were to have made full-size donuts, these ones flew off the platter in minutes!
Here are some pictures of the adorable little yummies!
OH BOY! Fondant Converse Shoe Cake + Baby Face Cupcakes!
When I was asked to make a cake and cupcakes for a baby shower I immediately jumped at the opportunity!
This was my first time making anything of this sort so it was really fun to be able to play around with a few things and get creative.
I had come across a few different cake and cupcake ideas on Pinterest so I decided to combine a few for my final products!
Here’s a closer look at the baby face cupcakes. I used a round cookie cutter to make perfect shaped circles for the faces and blue fondant for the hat and soother. I used a small amount of fondant for the nose and then edible food markers and my gel food colous on a paint brush to get the desired effect on the faces. I LOVE how these turned out, so cute! 🙂
For this specific design on the cupcake I iced the cupcake with a simple swirl and then made two different sized/coloured circles to go on top. I finished it off by writing on it with the edible markers. These are really great for writing as well as doing any small details!
For the soother I used a heart shaped cookie cutter and added some extra fondant on the bottom and for the white portion. I used the other end of my paintbrush to add the holes (this really brought it to life!)
THE CONVERSE ON THE CAKE…
BY FAR the hardest BUT BEST part of the entire cake…the handmade fondant converse shoes! These MADE the cake. Luckily I found a stencil online for this so it was just a matter of playing around with it for a bit and then adding in my own touches at the end. I made an edible glue out of water and gum paste to hold everything together. For the laces I struggled with using fondant so I opted for some yarn, which ended up turning out great! I used white fondant around the bottom of the shoes and used the edible marker to add the star and stripes. I used a toothpick to add little details to the sides of the shoe. I made these a couple days ahead of making the cake and stored them in a container in the fridge. This was a great idea to have them done and out of the way so when I made my cake all I had to worry about was decorating it and not spending hours on these!
Not bad for my first time molding fondant into shapes eh?!
Here’s the final product!!! I tinted the fondant that covered the whole cake in a light blue and then made three different colours/sizes of circles to go on the cake. I also used these colours as little rolled balls on the base of the cake, I think this really finished it off!
On the weekend I attended a Stag and Doe for my boyfriend’s brother. It was a Saint Patrick’s Day theme so I decided to make this Guinness cake for them. After all…you can’t celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day without a Guiness!
If you look further back in my blog you will see the Budweiser beer-mug cake that I made. Since this was my second time around making it, I have started to perfect the construction of these! I was happy with how this one turned out as well and it was a huge hit at the party! It was such a hit, that everyone was too afraid to cut into it and instead were taking tons of pictures of it! Moments like those make me realize why I love doing this type of stuff so much!
Pictured below is everything you will need to create this cake along with some helpful hints! 🙂
Steps:
I’d love to hear what you thought about this cake! 🙂
xoxo
Sara
This Valentine’s Day I decided to really get my bake on! I opted for three different treats and I loved how each of them turned out!
Below are the three recipes and pictures of each dessert! I hope you try these cute treats out and enjoy them as much as I did!
Sweet Treat #1: White-chocolate covered Oreo truffle hearts
I love to bake but if I have the chance to make a dessert that requires NO baking (yes, you heard that correctly) I am all ears! These delectable heart shaped truffles are the perfect mix of creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside! If you don’t eat these all to yourself (which is totally understandable) they make a perfect Valentine’s Day gift wrapped up in cellophane with some ribbon.
To make these treats into a heart-shape all you need is a heart-shaped cookie cutter. This option proved to be a lot faster than rolling them into balls which is typically how truffles would be made. This recipe is without a doubt a piece of cake! It’s as simple as finely grinding the Oreo cookies and placing them into the cream-cheese mix, spread this mixture onto baking paper, place in the freeze (this makes it MUCH easier to use the cookie cutters), then all you have to do is dip the hearts into melted chocolate and decorate how you please! 🙂
I only did a single-dip of chocolate for mine, but if I were to make them again I think I would do a double-dip to make a thicker and smoother finish on the hearts! You can opt-out of the sprinkles but I thought they added a nice extra crunch to the creamy texture inside!
The thought of making truffles might frighten you but you have my word that these Oreo Truffles are super simple to make! The mixture might not look the most appetizing before its dunked in chocolate but the taste makes up for its looks! The only downfall of these treats is that they’ll disappear before you know it!
Ingredients: ( 3 simple ingredients! )
* One (1) box of Oreo cookies-crushed finely into crumbs
* 5 oz of softened cream cheese
* 12-14 oz of white chocolate candy melts or bakers chocolate
*Sprinkles (optional, but necessary)
Step-By-Step Instructions:
* Line a tray or baking sheet with wax paper
* Crush whole Oreos (filling and all) into really fine crumbs, and combine with the softened cream cheese
* You can do this by hand (a little bit messy), or use a mixture with a paddle attachment. I found it a lot easier to just knead the mixture but hand.
* Once the mixture is evenly combined you can transfer it onto the wax paper. Spread it in an even layer about a 1/2 in thickness (or larger depending on what size you want your hearts to be)
* Place the tray into the freeze for about 45 minutes (or until it's hardened)
* Using your heart-shaped cookie-cutter cut out the shapes and place them back in the freezer for another 20-30 minutes. ***Truffles must be frozen before dipping them in the chocolate!
* Take a few hearts out a time to dip in chocolate and decorate while the others stay frozen in the freezer until you're ready to get working on them.
* Using a fork dunk your hearts into the melted chocolate and tap off any excess chocolate. Transfer your completed hearts onto the wax paper and put any sprinkles on at this point if you are going to use them.
* The truffles can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer (freezing them will last longer)
* Yields approximately 16-20 small (about 1.5 inch) heart treats
ENJOY! xoxo
Sweet Treat #2: Chocolate-dipped heart-shaped Rice Krispies
Everyone young and old can’t turn down Rice Krispies. And who in their right mind would turn down a heart-shaped chocolate-dipped sprinkle Rice Krispie treat?!
You can use any recipe that you have to make the Rice Krispies. I placed my completed mixture in a large casserole dish and immediately after I began to use a large heart shaped cookie-cutter. It is easier to do it when they are warm, making it easier to cut through the mixture. You can make them as thick as your cookie-cutter allows you too!
Once you’ve completed that step all you have to do is use your favourite coloured chocolate candy melts and dunk them or drizzle them however you’d like! I decided to add sprinkles to mine (remember to do this quickly before the chocolate dries!)
Yields approximately 10 large heart-shaped treats. This will vary depending on how large of a cookie cutter you use!
Having a bit too much fun in the kitchen with one of my favourite childhood treats!
Sweet Treat #3: Conversation Heart Mini Cheesecakes
The iconic Valentine’s Day conversation heart candies were the inspiration for my final treat!
I decided to go with a cheesecake recipe that requires you to bake the mixture but it’s perfectly fine for you to go with a no-bake recipe if you have one!
To coloured my hearts I went for Wilton brand gel food colourings in purple, pink, green and yellow and left a couple plain white. I used regular red liquid food colouring to write the messages on top of the hearts.
I found heart-shaped silicone molds that were exactly the same that Wilton sells but for a fraction of the cost at Dollarama. I bought two of these molds and I had just the right amount of mixture to fill them entirely!
These molds make the perfect sized cheesecakes!
Ingredients: * 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs (finely ground with a pinch of cinnamon) * 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of butter, melted * 16 ounces (2 blocks) of cream cheese, softened * 1 cup of sugar * 3 large eggs * 16 ounces of sour cream * 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract * food colouring ( pink, purple, green, yellow, and red) Supplies: * Stand mixer or a mixing bowl and a hand-held mixer * Rubber spatula * Heart-shaped silicone molds * Fine-tip paint brush * Roasting pan large enough to fit your heart shaped molds Instructions: * Preheat oven to 325 degrees * If you opt for a baked cheesecake you will need to make a water bath for it. Place your roasting pan in the oven filled with enough water to go approximately halfway up the sides of the heart molds. Allow the water to heat up while the oven does and bring some water to a boil in a kettle. *Combine graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and melted butter. I used a food processor to grind the crackers then I mixed in the cinnamon and butter by hand until combined * Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of the crumb mixture into the bottom of eat heart mold. Press the crumbs down to ensure an even crust * In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium high until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. You will also want to scrape off the extra cheesecake mixture from the mixing blade so that you have clump-free cheesecake! * Add in the sugar and beat for 1 minute. Add eggs and beat until creamy, approximately 1 to 2 minutes once again scraping the bowl. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix just until combined *Equally divide the filling in separate bowls to colour them. Add food colouring to create the colours that you like. * Pour the coloured cheesecake filling into the heart-shaped molds. Since cheesecake doesn't rise when baked you can fill them right to the top! * Bake your cheesecakes in the water bath for 22-25 minutes (if making baked cheesecake) * Remove your baked cheesecakes and allow them to cook at room temperature for about an hour. * Freeze your cheesecakes for at least 2 hours (if not more). Remove from freezer and carefully push out your cheesecakes from the bottom. If they don't pop out easily they aren't done yet and will need to go back in the freezer for longer. * To add the traditional conversation hear phrases squeeze some red food colouring into a small bowl. Using a fine-tip paint brush you can begin to write your messages on each cheesecake. Typically the says are printed in all capital letters. Don't worry if your words aren't perfectly centered, they typically aren't when they're printed on the candies. * If you use too much food colouring your letters will bleed * The food colouring will dry once you place your cheesecakes back into the refrigerator or freezer for a while.
These cheesecakes can be stored for up to several days or in the freezer for about a month!
These were definitely my most favourite and most fun to make/decorate of all my treats!
Here’s a few pictures of my final products all finished and ready to be delivered to my special Valentine! XOXO
“The King of Cakes”…”Older Butweiser”
For Birthdays, Super Bowl parties, or beer lovers this beer mug cake is sure to be a crowd pleaser! (The Super Bowl is now only a few days away, this would be perfect to take to a potluck, and would be the talk of the party for sure!)
This is one of the most extravagant cakes I have made to date and once I figured out to construct it, it actually wasn’t too bad assembling and decorating. I’d LOVE to hear what you guys think of this and if you’d try it out yourself.
Pictured below is everything you will need to create this cake along with some helpful hints! 🙂
Steps:
THAT’S IT! It may seem like a lot of steps but once you get going it’s really not too bad! Now that I know exactly how to make it, I know the next time I make it it will go even more smoothly! I PROMISE you that everyone will love this cake and you WILL get lots of questions about the illusion of the floating can (it’s AWESOME!)
I used a lot of crushed candy canes in my Christmas desserts this year and this one turned out wonderfully!
All you need is to bake your favourite type of chocolate cupcake. I used a store bought mix but feel free to make yours all homemade! I decided to go for chocolate cupcakes so that the white icing and red candy cane crunch would really pop out at you!
Once your cupcakes are fully cooled down (I usually wait about an hour or so) remove the cupcake liners.
Next cut each cupcake horizontally down the middle
Using a piping page and star-point icing decorating tip place circle around the inside of the bottom half of the cupcake. Try going around the edges so that you can see the extra coming out. This step also makes it easier for your crushed candy cane to stick.
Place the top half of your cupcake back on and top it all off with a icing star and sprinkle a little bit more of your crushed candy cane on top.
VOILA, it’s that simple and they end up looking like you spent a lot of time on them!
I arranged my cupcakes on a large round platter and also placed some mini candy canes for a final touch! 