Oo lala, French Macarons

Chocolate and Lemon French Macarons

Macarons are chic, delicious french treats. They come in a variety of flavors, colors and fillings, having thin crunchy exterior and a soft middle. These petite treats are picture perfect and make lovely tea party treats or gifts. Yet before making these I'd never had a macaron before. I was delighted by there light flavoring and dainty size. I was also thrilled by how they turned out. Recipes time and time again prepared me for them to come out flat or misshapen, but mine turned out beautiful! This time I made two flavors, lemon with a lemon curd filling and chocolate with nutella spread filling. They tasted wonderful. I'm excited to continue baking macarons in all flavors and fillings. Maybe salted carmel next? We'll see! Well I hope you love them as much as me! 
    

Chocolate Macaron Filled with Nutella

Celebration Cake

Four Layer White Cake and Buttercream 

So maybe there wasn't really anything to celebrate, but this cake is worth a celebration on its own. This was my first true attempt at a multiple layer cake (usually I stick with cupcakes). The results were better than I ever imagined! It was simple, just buttercream and white cake, but it tasted smooth and delectable. I loved this cake recipe, it was simple and not too fussy when I increased it to enough for four 8" layers. Next birthday, party, or celebration, I'm making a cake like this one. I'm so excited for my next cake, using this recipe I'm going to try something like this ómbre cake by dying  the layers.    

Cake Pops

 Pink with pearl sprinkles Cake Pops

Cake pops. You've seen them around, they're little cake bites, dipped, and put on a stick. Yet how they're made seemed to be such a mystery to me. I picked up this book the other day and with all the cute, fun ideas I had to try them out. They turnout to be a lot simpler than I ever imagined. Besides a little trouble with the candy melt, they where put together in a snap!  I definitely plan to make them again. There are lots of cute critters and party items you can make them  look like, but for the start I recommend starting with the basics.  

Minty Chocolate Chip Brownies

Chocolate Chip Fudge Brownie with Mint Frosting

Who can resist a brownie? I sure can't! Yummy chocolate, with more chocolate, and more chocolate. I wanted to make these brownies especially delicious, so I thought of the perfect combination; yummy chocolate, with more chocolate, and more chocolate, AND mint buttercream! The results were better than I ever imagined. I was worried my brownies wouldn't work well with buttercream, and worried the buttercream would taste like toothpaste, but that simply wasn't the case. Everyone loved them. They were chewy and chunky, minty and sweet, just the perfect treat. I plan to definitely make them again and hope you enjoy them as much as I did!           

Fruit Tart

Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Kiwi Tart 

 This summer I went to italy, and every café would have numerous tarts and pastries to choose from. Each were perfectly decoration and presented so beautifully, it make the task of picking one oh so difficult.  So when I decided to make a fruit tart, I prepared myself for the key point, presentation. The layers of fruit needed to be cut and laid perfectly. As beautiful as the tart turned out, it tasted...It tasted amazing! I was in love, covered in all my favorite fruit ($15 worth, ekk!), a thin layer of pastry custard, and a smooth crust. Biting into the tart brought me back to summer in italy. I'm excited to make this tart again in the summer, especially when fruit is in season.       

Baked Doughnuts

Baked Doughnuts with Cinnamon and Sugar

Warm, fluffy, and the perfect with coffee, I was craving some doughnuts this weekend. I started the preparation for these doughs on saturday and baked (yes baked!) them sunday morning. My mom is very particular with her kitchen, so to avoid any greasy messes I found a recipe that made something similar to the classic doughnut that I could bake. The results were delicious, though noticeably different to the original, they definitely made a nice treat for sunday brunch. 

Cupcake Obsession

Chocolate Cupcakes with vanilla buttercream, walnuts, 
and lightly salted caramel topping. 

I love cupcakes. And for my first post I wanted to start with something I know, and something I know well. So it was only obvious that I needed to make it about cupcakes. Their perfect little proportions, their cute decorations, and best their delicious taste, all reason why cupcakes make a wonderful treat. These chocolate salted caramel cupcakes then are the perfect combo to satisfy any sweet tooth. My friends all loved them and I hope you will too!