Happy Birthday Grandpa!

It was my dad's birthday a few months ago, and his favorite (and only) granddaughter sang (or garbled) Happy Birthday to him over vanilla mascarpone cupcakes!

2019 Birthday!

Smash Cake - The Test Run!

Oh, the ever-so-popular smash cake trend! I had never heard about this until after Giuliana was already here, but since I am a baker at heart, I immediately jumped on board with the concept. If this is relatively new to you, you can read about the trend here!

The idea is fabulous - make (or order) the baby a tiny, beautifully but simply frosted and decorated cake so that he/she can destroy it, or alternatively, eat it with glee while you snap photo after photo!

I am a baker, but also a perfectionist, so two months before G's first birthday party, I just had to try out the recipe to see if the smash cake would be worthy.

In order to make the smash cake, which is typically 4 inches tall, I went to Target to buy three tiny springform pans by the Wilton brand.

They are adorable! I cannot wait to re-use these and make small cheesecakes or even small birthday cakes for people in the future. I can forsee these coming in handy! I just love to make mini, or individualized desserts.

Next up was finding a healthy but fun recipe. I used a cake recipe from the lovely blog, Oh Everything Handmade. I found a fabulous frosting recipe from the uber healthy website, Our Haven Hill.

I made two batches of frosting - one I left white from the cream cheese, and the other I dyed pink using natural dye made from boiling beets (you can find out more about this process here).

Applying the base layer of white frosting.

Using a spatula to get the smoothest finish, since I am too lazy to buy a metal offset spatula to do the job!

Piping flowers/swirls using the Wilton 21 tip.

All piped out and ready to go to the fridge and not melt all over Grandma's kitchen table!

Frosting settling nice and coldly.

Ricotta Yellow Cake!

My boyfriend's favorite cake is Ricotta Yellow Cake. I've made it for him three times, and he always requests it for his birthday. The recipe is very simple, and I always use the same one from Allrecipes. This year I decided to make it in two tiers and decorate with a simple whipped cream frosting and blueberries. Happy 26th my love!

Birthday Baking!

Tomorrow is a joint birthday celebration at work, and being the resident birthday queen, I rolled up my sleeves this weekend, ready to bake two very different birthday treats for two very different co-workers!

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes!

Mini Berry Cheesecakes!

Orange Creme Cupcakes!

One of my favorite reasons to bake is for birthdays. It is so fun to personalize flavors, colors, and garnishes depending on a person's specific preferences. I always bake for family, friends, and co-workers, and I can't think of a more fun way to celebrate someone's special day then by sharing delicious cupcakes. This week I baked orange vanilla creme for a special member of my team at work. I made my basic vanilla cake base, with my extra-special Madasgar Bourbon Vanilla Bean paste (yum!), and topped it with an orange butter cream frosting, with an orange-chocolate covered almond as garnish. They were a big hit at work! :)