Garden Party Cupcakes

Chocolate with green tinted cream cheese frosting

Chocolate with green tinted cream cheese frosting

Vanilla cupcake with pink tinted strawberry frosting

Vanilla cupcake with pink tinted strawberry frosting

4th Annual Hokie Spirit Memorial Golf Tournament

My best friend has organized a golf tournament for the last 4 years to benefit the VTV Family Outreach Foundation. Her sister-in-law was one of the survivors of the shooting. She was able to raise $16,000 this year!! Since I can't hit a golf ball, at least I could help out in what I know how to do!

So I volunteered this year to bake 300 cupcakes for the event.

Carrot cake w/ maroon & orange tinted cream cheese frosting with a chocolate Virginia Tech logo

Carrot cake w/ maroon & orange tinted cream cheese frosting with a chocolate Virginia Tech logo

Coconut cake w/ maroon & orange tinted cream cheese frosting with a chocolate Virginia Tech logo

Coconut cake w/ maroon & orange tinted cream cheese frosting with a chocolate Virginia Tech logo

Carrot cake w/ maroon & orange tinted cream cheese frosting with chocolate Virginia Tech logos

 

Coconut cake w/ maroon & orange tinted cream cheese frosting with chocolate Virginia Tech logos

Chocolate with green tinted vanilla frosting

Chocolate with green tinted vanilla frosting

Yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting and a chocolate Virginia Tech logo

Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a chocolate Virginia Tech logo

Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a chocolate Virginia Tech logo

Mother's Day 2011

So I've been asked a few times recently if I do cakes. I haven't really worked with fondant except to make decorations for my cupcakes. So who else to test out my fondant making skills then on my mom?!

 I made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and put a layer of strawberries inside. I don't suggest doing putting strawberries inside a cake. Bad idea. The cakes get too slippery and don't stay still!

 Here's my first fondant covering job. Not too bad.

 Final product.

Race for the Cure bake sale. finale!

So our bake sale...
I thought we'd have a lot more traffic. But we still had fun. And raised over $238.00.
I took more of the leftovers to work that week. Let me tell you, that's the way to do it. Just leave it in the kitchen with a jar that says "Donations for Race for the Cure."

We used the fancy billboard at work for one of the ways we advertised.

My table, set up in the gazebo.

So here's what I made...

Browned Butter Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Cranberry Dreams

Your basic chocolate chip cookie

If you remember one thing when it comes to doing a bake sale, remember this...

Always make dog treats to sell! They are the first things to sell out!

Pumpkin & Peanut butter dog treats

Shortbread ribbon cookies

  Now onto the cupcakes...

I made pink tinted ribbon chocolates to go on top.

And here's how I packaged them.

Easter cookies and cupcakes

 I'm not the best at cookies. Sometimes, I just don't have the patience. I don't know how those crazy cookie decorating people do it all of the time! Y'all are crazy! But I made these for Jason's co-worker.

Strawberry cupcakes/strawberry frosting

Lemon cupcakes/raspberry frosting

Lemon cupcakes/lemon frosting

Bake Sale!!

We are walking in Race for a Cure on May 7th, 2011...
And...
If you live in Richmond, VA...
Come by April 30th...
All proceeds to benefit a local breast health organization...

Passover White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

Any holiday is a good holiday to bake. No cupcakes this time. Didn't really think Passover was the appropriate holiday for cupcakes. And every once in awhile, you need a change. So I made this cheesecake. And it was delicious! And it was so easy. And I forgot to take a picture of it whole, so you just get the leftovers! I apologize.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

Bon Appétit, February 1994 

For the crust (from Gourmet, April 2008)

3/4 cup sliced blanched almonds, toasted and cooled  
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup matzo cake meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Filling
4 ounces imported white chocolate (such as Lindt), chopped
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 large eggs
3/4 cup fresh raspberries (I used strawberries) or frozen unsweetened, thawed, drained

Topping
1 8-ounce container sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2-pint baskets raspberries or one 1-pint basket strawberries
1/2 cup seedless raspberry (I used strawberry) jam

For the Crust
Preheat oven to 350F with rack in middle.
Pulse almonds, sugar, matzo cake meal, and salt in a food processor until finely ground.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in butter until combined well. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of springform pan. Bake until crust is firm and a shade darker, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool crust completely in pan on a rack.

For Filling:
Melt white chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until smooth, stirring often. Remove from over water. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and peel in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined. Beat in white chocolate.

Spoon half of batter into crust. Top with 3/4 cup berries. Spoon remaining batter over. Bake until edges of cake are set but center 3 inches still moves when cake is shaken, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. Using fingertips, press down gently on edges of cheesecake to flatten slightly.

For topping:
Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Spoon over cake, spreading to edge of pan. Bake 5 minutes. Transfer cake in pan to rack. Run small knife around sides of cake. Cool completely. Chill cake overnight.

Fold down foil along sides of pan. Lift cake pan off cheesecake. Transfer cheesecake to platter, discarding foil. Cover cake with berries. Bring jam to simmer in small saucepan, stirring often. Gently brush jam over berries. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead; chill.)