Hoosier Homemade hosts a weekly link up called cupcake Tuesday that I often link my cupcake creations to. Over the last month she has been hosting a Holiday Cupcake Challenge in which I entered some of my cupcake creations from both last year and this year.

Each week has had a theme:

Week 1 – Holiday Flavor

Week 2 – Thanksgiving Cupcake

Week 3 – Christmas Cupcake

Week 4 – New Year’s Cupcake

Here are the cupcakes I entered…

Week 1 Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcake

Week 2 Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Week 3 Santa’s Crew Cupcakes

Week 4 Almond Champagne Cupcakes

It’s been so much fun to see all of the creative holiday themed cupcakes entered by the participants. People are just so awesomely creative and inspiring.

I haven’t bothered soliciting any votes from my readers for any of the individual cupcakes, but this week YOU CAN VOTE FOR ME ONCE, as “Overall Winner.” So if you’ve got literally ten seconds to throw my way, click here, and leave a comment on the Hoosier Homemade post saying that you vote for MommyTopics.

I sure would appreciate it!

Merry Christmas and Happy Baking!

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Have you ever visited Confessions of a Cookbook Queen's blog? She is totally hilarious, loves all things pink and sparkley, and creates the most decadent, indulgent, desserts!

A couple weeks ago she posted a recipe that called for Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses and I was shocked to learn such a thing existed.

You heard me… “PUMPKIN SPICE – Hershey KISSES.” See you’re shocked too right?!

One of the reasons we’re both so shocked about this is that they don’t sell them anywhere… except for at Target. At least… that was my experience. I looked at Walmart, Albertson’s, CVS, Michael’s, JoAnne’s… no one had any clue what I was talking about. So then I had to go back to the source and Ms. Cookbook Queen herself informed me that they were where all good things go to hide… at Target.

She was right. There they were. But, Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses were not the only thing I found!

I also found Candy Corn Kisses and even Caramel Apple Kisses.

I had no idea Hershey was branching out like this with their chocolate.

So along with grabbing the Pumpkin Kisses to make the Cookbook Queen’s Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Blossoms, I also just had to buy the Candy Corn ones and figure out something to do with them.

When you don’t know what to bake… bake brownies! Right?!

Who’s with me?

I mean you can never go wrong with brownies.

BAM!

How you like them brownies?!

Oh yeah!

Candy Corn KISSED!

These were so easy to make, they look extra special for fall, they taste fantastic, and you just have to make some!

Thanks Cookbook Queen, for the inspiration! I wish I had taken some pictures of your Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Blossoms that I made, but I literally baked them and dashed off to church with them and they were instantly devoured!

Next time I make them, I promise to get some pictures. And oh yes! There will be a next time.

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The feast, the special pies, and the gathering of extended family on Thanksgiving, are unique to this annual celebration. The giving of thanks has become a practice of every day. Gratitude continues here, beginning with this…

540. that thankfulness has become a way of life

541. the emotion of warmth and idealism invoked from Norman Rockwell paintings

542. old recipes handed down from one generation to the next

543. new recipes to discover and turn into an heirloom

544. hidden treasures

545. a sturdy shelter from the elements

546. a day of restored health after a week of sickness

547. a mother in law who prays in power and authority

548. working on a love story

549. learning about love languages

550. rain outside my window

551. cold cups of clean water anytime day or night

552. soft, cozy, blankets that bundle us together on couches

553. little hearts eager to celebrate the season

554. embracing the celebration of Christmas several weeks earlier than usual, in order to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year for several weeks longer than usual

555. Christmas carols in the car

556. striped pajama pants size 2T

557. bold words from small mouths

558. little concentrated expressions on small faces

559. Saturdays that have returned to restful and unscheduled after months of soccer season

560. the gathering of family from distances to celebrate together

561. the opportunity to give and how it robs us of nothing

562. fresh crisp veggies

563. sweet pies

564. moist turkey

565. creamy mashed potatoes

566. sweet potatoes that are served with dinner but taste more like dessert

567. the altered perspective of joy and peace that comes from a lifestyle of purposefull gratitude

568. that the practice of thankfulness can ever increase leading to greater peace and greater joy

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So you saw the Thanksgiving Throwdown between Bobby Flay and the Pioneer Woman didn’t you?! Wasn’t that fun?!

Confessions of a Pioneer Woman was the first blog I ever started reading, and her site is what inspired me to start a blog of my own. I even got to meet her once.

I really enjoyed watching the Throwdown the other night on the Food Network. If you missed it, don’t despair, it will be on again several times a day through Thanksgiving weekend. Check your tv guide and set your DVR!

While absolutely everything on the show looked DELICIOUS, and I was whole-heartedly rooting for Team Ree, there was one thing that completely, without question, intrigued me the most… Bobby Flay’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranates and Vanilla-Pecan Butter!!!

I don’t know what it is about Brussels Sprouts, but there is something inside me that wants to love them, and yet I’ve never tasted one that has agreed with my tongue. But this recipe gives me hope.

The tricky part is finding that Pomegranate Molasses! There are still a few bottles available on Amazon.com and you can also try efooddeopt.com. You can also find it in Middle Eastern grocery stores. If you’ve ever seen or purchased this product at a large box store, please leave a comment to let all of us know where we might be able to run out and grab it last minute! I tried both Sprouts and Cost Plus World Market to no avail. But… I did order mine online… it’s coming!

I’m going to give this recipe a shot next week. Here it is…

You know what else looked sooooo good?! Both of the desserts.

Ree made a perfect Pecan Pie with a Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce.

Bobby Flay made a Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicey Caramel Apple Sauce and Vanilla Bean Cream Anglaise.

Check them both out… you’ll be glad you did!

And for any of the other Thanksgiving Feast Throwdown recipes you’d love to try, click here to see them all

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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(UPDATE: If you’re here visiting from the Pioneer Woman’s Pie Post… WELCOME! You might also enjoy reading about the time I got to meet Ree, and my take on her throwdown with Bobby Flay this week, including links to some of their recipes. Thanks so much for following the link and stopping by my blog. Happy Thanksgiving!!!)

The holiday season is upon us. Year after year there is a growing expectation in my marriage for me to become…

A pie maker.

One of my husband’s most beloved things about Thanksgiving and Christmas is his grandma’s cherry pie.

When we got married and said our vows, one of them was, that I would learn to make this pie.

Okay… not really… I mean I didn’t actually have to say that during our ceremony, but believe me… it’s been implied.

In order for this marriage to work well, one of the things I will need to eventually, quite literally, “bring to the table”, is the ability to perfectly reproduce Grandma’s Cherry Pie, during the holidays.

But… I’m not quite there yet.

I’ve taken some lessons with grandma, I’ve written things down, I’ve experimented on my own, but I have not yet achieved official “Now That’s Grandma’s Pie” status. I won’t give up though. I’ll keep plugging away. My practice season is upon us.

Since I don’t quite have it down, I can’t share the secrets of making that perfect pie with you… yet.

But what I can share are these…

Holiday Pie Cupcakes.

Cupcakes.

Now there’s an area where I feel a bit more confident.

They don’t require a lot of counter space, complicated ingredients, a rolling pin, or the dreaded transfer of a thin sheet of sticky, easily tearible dough, from cutting board to pie pan.

Phew. I’m breakin’ a sweat just thinkin’ about all of that!

Back to cupcakes.

Ahhhh cupcakes.

Yes… that’s better.

Holiday fruit cupcakes that look like pie.

And… with these you don’t have to commit to just one kind.

My husband loves cherry, my father in law loves apple, my favorite is peach, and everyone loves fresh raspberry.

With these little beauties, you don’t have to commit to just one or two types of pie for your celebration. It’s easy and fun to quickly make several different kinds, at once.

I used apples, peaches, and raspberries with the batch shown, but you can use whatever types of filling your family loves best: cherries, blueberries, candied pecans, ready made pumkin pie cheesecake filling – sky’s the limit!

I’ve found that this Butter Pecan box mix flavor is perfect for these mini pies, both in taste and color.

I used canned pie filling for my Peach, and Apple Pie Cupcakes, but for the Raspberry Pie Cupcakes I used fresh raspberries, lightly covered in store bought Strawberry Glaze.

In order to make these Fruit Pie Cupcakes, you’ll need to leave plenty of room in your cupcake papers for the fruit to lay on top of the cake and still be held within the paper. When pouring the batter into the cups don’t fill them more than 1/2 way. Somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 full is just about perfect. And, if you do have some cupcakes that puff up too high to fill with fruit, never fear… once they’re baked just use a knife to gently cut the cupcake down enough so the fruit will fit. No one will ever see the part you cut hidden under all that fruit.

Next, cover the top of the cupcake with your favorite fruits. For raspberries, blueberries, and cherries, they look beautiful if you place them one by one with your fingers, but for the canned peaches and apple slices, you can dice them up and spoon them on.

Once you get all your fruit on, you’ll be tempted to stop right there… And… of course, you could. These Fruit topped cupcakes are beautiful and delicious just like this.

But, if you want to take it a step further and create a little Holiday dessert that will truly thrill your guests, give this extra step of turning Fruit topped Cupcakes, into little Mock Pies, a try.

The Pie Hatch and Crust design is created by piping on Frosting. I like to use a delicious mixture of Butter Cream and Caramel frosting, to get a great taste, and perfect pie crust color.

One or two tablespoons of Caramel Frosting. mixed into a full tub of Buttercream, will give just the right shade for a Mock Pie Crust.

If you’ve seen any of my other Cupcake recipes, you’ll know I often just use a plain old Ziploc bag as my piping tool. But, in order to get a flat appearance for the hatch-work on the top of these pies, you really are going to want to use a piping bag and a flat tip.

Here are some examples of Wilton Tips that would be appropriate for this project. Personally I prefer a small smooth flat tip like #44 above, to create the look of a pie. The ribbed edge tips are more for creating the look of a basket weave, although if you already have a ribbed tip, you can turn it upside down so that the smooth edge is on top, to get the same effect as a smooth flat tip. Tip #46 above demonstrates this.

When you place your berries in, one by one, you’ll end up with some gaps in between them. You should fill those holes in with cut or torn pieces of berries so that you have a nice full dome shape for your hatching to rest on.

Don’t start your first line on the middle of the cupcake because it can throw off the spacing of your lines. Using your piping bag and tip, lay your first line just off of one of the sides.

Lay all of your lines across the top, from one side to the other. I was able each time to fit three or four lines across in each direction, depending on the spacing. I think the cupcakes with four lines going each way came out the best.

Rotate your cupcake and begin piping lines horizontal to the ones you’ve already done.

Don’t worry about how the ends of your lines look because they will be completely covered up by the Mock Pie Crust you’ll do next. Just make sure each end of every line touches the cupcake paper, but doesn’t droop or flop out beyond it.

If you do have some frosting that accidentally drips down the cupcake paper, use a lightly damp paper towel to wipe it off. No harm, no foul. It will dry in seconds and no one will ever know.

Your Hatch Top is done as simple as that!

You’ll be so proud of yourself at this point, and you should be… You’re almost done!

Using the same piping bag and tip, create your Pie Crust by working in sections. Don’t try to pipe all the way around the cupcake without taking a break.

Using an up and down folding pattern, pipe the area directly in front of you. Stop piping, rotate the cupcake, and pick up where you left off using the same up and down folding motion. Each cupcake will be divided into about six small sections like this.

I highly recommend taking the time after you finish decorating each cupcake, to immediately place it on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator in order to help the shape of the Buttercream on top of the fruit and glaze to set in it’s place. Leaving the cupcake out while you decorate all of the others, may cause some the frosting to begin drooping and coming apart.

And please don’t give up if your first try at this is a mess. Mine was. Just pick out a couple of cupcakes that didn’t turn out so well in the baking process and without even bothering to put any fruit on them, use them to practice the piping techniques. Or, if you can’t waste any of the 24 cupcakes you baked, practice the piping technique on the dome of an orange or a rubber ball. (Better buy an extra tub of Buttercream for this just in case) When you’ve got it down, move on to your lovely Fruit Topped Cupcakes and turn those little tarts into Pies!!!

And, whether you’re a pie expert, or are in the learning stage of pie making, be sure to head over to Tidy Mom’s Love the Pie Party for all kinds of fantastic tips, tricks, recipes, and inspiration for making great pies this holiday season.

If you do make awesome pies, you may also want to make some of these as well. They’re just to pretty, festive, unique, and EASY, not to include in your celebrations this year!

Your guests, both young and old, will adore them. And they aren’t just attractive and clever… they also taste sooooooo good!!

Happy Holidays!

This post is also linked to: Fireflies and Jellybeans

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The Fourth of July is such an important day to commemorate. I love honoring America’s adoption of the Declaration of Independence by being mindful of the tremendous Freedoms we enjoy as Americans, and celebrating those Freedoms with  Family, Food, Fireworks, and Fun.

When I think of a Patriotic treat that represents America, I think of Pie. More specifically… Apple Pie.

But this Mommy doesn’t do pies. I’ve tried. It’s tough. It takes a lot of counter space to roll out the dough, and I don’t have a lot of counter space. So for now I’m stickin’ to my cupcakes.

But trust me… these Cupcakes are, “as American as Apple Pie!”

I used apples, peaches, and raspberries in mine because those are my family’s favorite kinds of pies, but you could use whatever fruits your family loves best. Cherries and Blueberries would be lovely too, and so Patriotic.

I used a Butter Pecan box mix.

I’ve made cupcakes from scratch and eaten cupcakes from scratch and they can be delicious, but I’ve also never had a boxed cake mix that I didn’t like.

This Butter Pecan flavor is perfect for these mini pies, both in taste and color.

I used canned pie filling for my Peach, and Apple Pie Cupcakes, but for the Raspberry Pie Cupcakes I used Fresh Raspberries lightly covered in store bought Strawberry Glaze.

My family LOVES fresh raspberries!!! I make Raspberry Tarts all the time.

In order to make these Fruit Pie Cupcakes, you’ll need to leave plenty of room in your cupcake papers for the fruit to lay on top of the cake and still be held within the paper. When pouring the batter into the cups don’t fill them more than 1/2 way. Somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 full is just about perfect. And, if you do have some cupcakes that puff up too high to fill with fruit, never fear… once they’re baked just use a knife to gently cut the cupcake down enough so the fruit will fit. No one will ever see the part you cut hidden under all that fruit.

Next, cover the top of the cupcake with your favorite fruits. For Raspberries, Blueberries, and Cherries, they look beautiful if you place them one by one with your fingers, but for the canned Peaches and Apple slices, you can dice them up and spoon them on.

Once you get all your fruit on, you’ll be tempted to stop right there. And… of course, you could. These Fruit topped cupcakes are beautiful and delicious just like this.

But if you want to take it a step further and create a little American Country Creation that will thrill your guests, give this extra step of turning Fruit topped Cupcakes into little Mock Pies, a try.

The Pie Hatch and Crust design is created by piping on Frosting. I chose a delicious mixture of Butter Cream and Caramel frosting to get a great taste and a Pie Crust color.

One or two tablespoons of Caramel Frosting mixed into a full tub of Buttercream will give just the right shade for a Mock Pie Crust.

If you seen any of my other Cupcake recipes, I often just use a plain old Ziploc bag as my piping tool, but in order to get a flat appearance for the Hatch work on the top of the pie you really are going to want to use a piping bag and a flat tip.

Here are some examples of Wilton Tips that would be appropriate for this project. Personally I prefer a small smooth flat tip like #44 above, to create the look of a pie. The ribbed edge tips are more for creating the look of a basket weave, although if you already have a ribbed tip, you can turn it upside down so that the smooth edge is on top to get the same effect as a smooth flat tip. Tip #46 above demonstrates this.

When you place your berries in one by one, you’ll end up with some gaps in between them. You should fill those holes in with cut or torn pieces of berries so that you have a nice full dome shape for your hatching to rest on.

Don’t start your first line on the middle of the cupcake because it can throw off the spacing of your lines. Using your piping bag and tip, lay your first line just off of one of the sides.

Lay all of your lines across the top, from one side to the other. I was able each time to fit three or four lines across in each direction, depending on the spacing. I think the cupcakes with four lines going each way came out the best.

Rotate your cupcake and begin piping lines horizontal to the ones you’ve already done.

Don’t worry about how the ends of your lines look because they will be completely covered up by the Mock Pie Crust you’ll do next. Just make sure each end of every line touches the cupcake paper, but doesn’t droop or flop out beyond it.

If you do have some frosting that accidentally drips down the cupcake paper, use a lightly damp paper towel to wipe it off. No harm, no foul. It will dry in seconds and no one will ever know.

Your Hatch Top is done as simple as that!

You’ll be so proud of yourself at this point, and you should be… You’re almost done!

Using the same piping bag and tip, create your Pie Crust by working in sections. Don’t try to pipe all the way around the cupcake without taking a break.

Using an up and down folding pattern, pipe the area directly in front of you. Stop piping, rotate the cupcake, and pick up where you left off using the same up and down folding motion. Each cupcake will be divided into about six small sections like this.

I highly recommend taking the time after you finish decorating each cupcake, to immediately place it on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator in order to help the shape of the Buttercream on top of the fruit and glaze to set in it’s place. Leaving the cupcake out while you decorate all of the others, may cause some the frosting to begin drooping and coming apart.

And please don’t give up if your first try at this is a mess. Mine was. Just pick out a couple of cupcakes that didn’t turn out so well in the baking process and without even bothering to put any fruit on them, use them to practice the piping techniques. Or, if you can’t waste any of the 24 cupcakes you baked, practice the piping technique on the dome of an orange or a rubber ball. (Better buy an extra tub of Buttercream for this just in case) When you’ve got it down, move on to your lovely Fruit Topped Cupcakes and turn those little tarts into Pies!!!

Like I said, your guests will adore these. They are so pretty, so clever, and they taste sooooooo good!!!

Happy 4th of July…

Here‘s What You Need...

This post linked to: Metamporphosis Monday, Just Something I Whipped UP Monday, It’s So Very Creative, Market Yourself Monday, DIY Project Parade, Motivate Me Monday, Cupcake Tuesday, Anti-procrastination Tuesday, Blue Cricket Designs, Boardwalk Bragfest, Penny Pinching Party, Show Us What You’re Workin With, Works for Me Wednesday, It’s So Very Cheri, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Thrifty Thursday, Strut Your Stuff Thursday, Under $100 Linky Party, Diaper Diaries, Get your Craft on Thursdays, I’m Lovin’ It Friday, Tatertots and Jello, Check Me Out Saturday, Funky Junk, Craft Schooling Sunday, Sunday Favorites

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Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday, May 9th 2010.

I’m a Mom and I run a site called “MommyTopics” so I figured… who better than ME to take the guess work out of shopping for Moms! All I have to do is list the kinds of things that I, and my other Mommy friends, would love to receive. So… here they are…

(For the Mom’s who are reading this post, here are some great ideas to pass on to hubby and the kids when they start asking for clues as to what you might like. You can even send the link for this post to your husband in an email or on Facebook and I’m sure he’ll appreciate the road map!)

And of course this post is also full of all kinds of great ideas for Grandma, Sisters, Aunties, and Friends who are great Mothers and Mothering Types that need to be celebrated this coming weekend.

Here are three great lotions with fantastic scents for Spring and Summer from Bath and Body Works. Coconut Vanilla, Lemon Vanilla, and White Citrus. All three scents can be purchased in array of products from perfume sprays, to lotions, to soaps, and more.

Available only at Bath and Body Works - Each lotion retails for $10.50 and is currently part of a special in store and online promotion of “Buy 2, Get 1 FREE” or “Buy 3, Get 2 FREE.”

This is a collapsible Salad Spinner. It removes all the water from washed produce and this one collapses for easier storage. If Mom loves making salads, she’ll love this! I know I would!

Walmart $24.96

MommyTopics online store - $20.99 - eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping

You can see pictures and read my RAVING REVIEW of the prequel to this book titled “Hello Cupcake.” I just received “What’s New Cupcake” last week for my birthday and my whole family has loved sitting together and looking through it. We are all so amazed by their cupcake creations and I can’t wait to tackle some of them.

Kids will be thrilled to give this gift to Mommy and to spend time looking at it with her and making some of the treats in it together.

Barnes and Noble $12.10 in store or online

MommyTopics Store $11.53 – Ships in 24 hours – eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping

Speaking of Cupcakes… Maybe you’d like to whip up a delicious treat for Mom to enjoy on Mother’s Day. You can get my recipe for these AMAZING Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes that are so irresistable and so easy to make.

These three new candles from Bath and Body Works have great spring and summer scents of Summer Melon, Sunflower, and Strawberry Patch. They are so adorable and would look great anywhere in the house as well as outside for warm summer night meals on the patio.

Bath and Body Works online or in store – $12.50 each – and party of a “Buy 1, Get 1 50% OFF” promotion

This is a nifty new tool for Mom from the Martha Stewart Kitchen Collection. It’s a cutting board that is long enough to fit across the kitchen sink with each end resting on the counter, and the colander hanging over the drain. The colander is removable for easy storage or for when cooks want to brush scraps off the board and strait into the disposal. This is such a great gadget for washing, and cutting  fruit, vegetables, and other foods, right over the sink.

Macy’s in store or online $29.99

These are external hard drives and if you have a Mom in your life who loves taking digital photos and videos, this may be just what she needs. An external hard drive can be hooked up to her computer and used to store photos and videos that take up a lot of memory. Having this handy little accessory will free up hard drive space on the computer and create a safe place for photo and video storage that can travel with you and be accessible in the unfortunate event of a main computer hard drive lock-up or crash! We’ve all been there right! Don’t lose photos again!

Price Range is $70 – $150 and can be purchased at Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and pretty much anywhere else computers are sold.

Check out this cute Chalk Board Coffee Cup for Mom. You can write a special “We Love You MOM” message on it, fill it with a bag of her favorite candy, and Viola! A Cute creative gift she’ll love and use again and again.

MommyTopics online Store – $10.00 – Available for FREE Super Saver Shipping

You know what goes perfect with a great cup of coffee? This Lemon DREAM Cream Cake! Grab the simple recipe, make it for Mom, and trust me… this cake will change her life!!!

Here are two very popular and FANTASTIC cookbooks for Mom.

“The Pioneer Woman Cooks” is a book full of good ol’ down home country comfort food like fried chicken and red velvet cake.

“The Steamy Kitchen” takes the mystery and guess work out of creating delicious Asian cuisine at home.

Barnes and Noble – $17.39 PW Cooks and $20.12 The Steamy Kitchen

MommyTopics online store - $16.50 PW Cooks and $18.45 The Steamy Kitchen – both available for FREE Super Saver Shipping

This fantastic Mentha Body Wash by C.O. Bigelow can make leaving the shower almost as enjoyable as being in it. This body wash contains a bit of Peppermint oil, so after you’ve lathered it on, washed it off, and stepped out into the cool air, your skin tingles all over. It’s one of my personal favorites and I always have some on hand.

Bath and Body Works -  $12.00 and this week part of a “Buy 2 Get 1 Free” promotion

Also at Bath and Body Works you can find these fantastic sweet tasting Mentha Lip Shines by C.O. Bigelow. They come in several different tinted shades as well as clear, add great shine, and contain peppermint oil that makes your lips tingle.

The last friend I recommended this to said she put it on for the first time when she got in her car right after buying it and… it changed her life.

I swear.

That’s what she said.

“It changed my life.”

Bath and Body Works – $7.00 – $7.50 ea. and this week part of a “Buy 2 Get 1 FREE” promotion

And last but certainly NOT LEAST, a nice Gift Certificate that can be redeemed at a day spa for a facial, pedicure, or good long scalp massage is one of my personal favorite gifts. What’s great about this choice is you don’t have to decide which treatment to purchase for Mom. Just find a nice day spa and request a gift certificate that fits the price of your budget. Then Mom can view the services available and decide which one to order for herself! Perfect!

I hope this post has helped with some great ideas for Mom this Mother’s Day. For even more ideas and ideas specifically geared toward “expecting” Mommies, click here.

Also, check out my MommyTopics online Store for so many ideas it will make your head explode! Be careful! Have Fun!

And Dads… Maybe you aren’t a confident baker but you really would love to get the kids involved in whipping up a fun treat for Mom on Mother’s Day. Look no further!

This Barrel Cake is so easy to create, can be made with Mom’s favorite candies, and the kids will remember the FUN they had making it, and eating it with Mom, forever!

Or…

Mom, gather up the kiddos and make this cake for Grandma! Click here to get the simple recipe and easy step by step instructions!

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

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This cake WILL change your life!

Seriously.

It will.

Part of why it will change your life is because it is so easy to make.

It starts off with a box mix like this one.

Yeah yeah I know… so it’s not completely from scratch. Let’s not be cake snobs.

No one will ever know you didn’t slave over this thing for weeks in a 17 step process.

They’ll think you ordered this from some exquisite authentic Italian bakery and when you ever so modestly let it slip that you made it yourself…

Well…

You just wait and see what the reaction will be.

Yep.

I told you.

This cake is going to change your life.

It’s also going to change the lives of those you serve it to.

Follow the directions on the back of the store bought cake mix box, and bake accordingly.

Once your cake comes out of the oven and has cooled, transfer it to whatever lovely serving dish you would like to present it on; preferably one with an upturned edge like you see in the picture above.

Now the fun begins.

You get to poke your freshly baked cake with a fork… like this.

All over.

Everywhere.

Go crazy.

You have my permission to play with your food.

Just don’t tear it.

The more holes you make, the more portals available for yummy, drippy, sweet, creamy, goodness to seep through.

We are in fact going to add some of our very own ingredients now.

This is what will make this cake our own.

And this is what will make our cake a DREAM.

1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 whole can Evaporated Milk

1 whole can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Stir it all together. It makes about 3 cups of goodness.

Now if you thought poking this cake with a fork was fun, check this out.

You get to pour the milky goodness ALL OVER.

Well…

All over the cake anyway.

Here’s a tip:

You’ll tend to want to pour a whole lot of cream in the center because that’s where you’ll feel safe. When you get over near the edges you’ll start to freak out and lose faith in yourself worried that you’re pouring too much OVER the edges. This will create a super soggy cake in the middle and a super dry cake around the edges. With this kind of cake people who receive an edge piece will not get the delicious unique experience we’re trying to go for here, and people who get a middle piece will think you went a bit overboard with the soaking.

That’s not what we want.

What we want is a super even distribution of liquid over the entire cake. So don’t worry so much about the middle. By all means cover the middle, but that part is easy… the cream will get there.

Put extra thought and focus into wetting those edges.

Just pour slow, take your time, and try to pour the cream not past, not behind, but right into the edges of your cake.

This is what we’re going for.

Creamy Lemony Dreamy Deliciousness.

And see…

A milk moat.

It’s perfectly normal.

Don’t worry.

You’ll see.

Just make sure those edges, center, and entire cake are good and soaked with the ENTIRE 3 cups of dreamy creamy.

Now place the whole thing in the fridge to chill.

When you pull it back out, that moat will be gone! The Lemon cake will have soaked it right up.

See.

No more moat.

Just a leftover creamy glisten, reminding you, you have made something wonderful.

Something special.

Now we’re going to cheat with some store bought stuff again.

To make the topping add 3/4 cup store bought Lemon Frosting to 1 and 3/4 pints of Cold Heavy Whipping cream.

Also add 3 tbsp Sugar.

Whip it on low until it gets thick enough not to splash all over your kitchen and then crank it up to full power and watch the magic happen.

There is just something so fun about watching liquidy cream turn into fluffy whipped goodness like this!

This is such a fun recipe… the whole thing!

Cheating with store bought ingredients, fork poking, cake soaking, cream whipping.

You must try this!

So here’s my yummy bowl of whipped lemon topping, next to my cream soaked lemon cake, on a perfect Spring day with family.

Get out your spreader and start-a-spreadin’.

Don’t be shy now.

Remember we gave up on our fear of edges hours ago.

And here it is.

Lemon  Dream Cream Cake.

I made it up, so I get to name it and I say you have to say the DREAM part when everyone asks you,

“What on earth is this miraculous creation?”

And trust me… they’ll ask.

It’s always nice to give everyone a little hint about the tastes they’ll soon encounter by putting a couple of little lemon slices on the top.

Makes it look pretty too.

Then just serve it up and dig in!

This cake also tastes amazing after it’s been in the fridge a while.

I served it up immediately after making it today, but you can make all of it ahead of time and then put it in the fridge. When you pull it out for your guests, it will knock their socks off.

Adding that lemon frosting to the whipping cream creates a topping that tastes and feels like whipped cream, but when you chill it, it sets up like icing.

The only thing I wouldn’t recommend with this cake is leaving it out for any length of time. It tastes best chilled and it stays together best chilled. Remember, you’re dealing with a whole lot of milk and cream here. And if you somehow forget that…

The cake will remind you.

Look close.

Can you see the milky goodness?

This is when it’s as cold as can be.

If you let this creamy dream sit out on the table for too long, you’ll start to have a creamy puddle.

Keep it cool.

Then it’s perfect.

It’s moist, sweet, lemony, and wonderful.

Serve it up with some great coffee and you will have VERY happy people in your midst.

Here’s What You Need…

Lemon DREAM Cream Cake

Serves 12

1 Box Lemon Cake Mix Prepared – Recommended Duncan Hines Super Moist Brand

3/4 cup Lemon Frosting – Recommended Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme

1 can evaporated milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 pints heavy whipping cream divided (1/4 cup for soaking and the rest for topping)

3 tablespoons sugar

- Prepare cake according to box directions, and set aside to cool.

- Flip cooled cake out onto serving platter. Platter should preferably have turned up edges to help trap liquid.

- Using a fork make multiple punctures all over the surface of the cake including along the tops of the edges.

- Mix 1 can evaporated milk, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream in pitcher or measuring cup with pouring spout.

- Pour entire contents of milk and cream mixture evenly over the surface of the cake making sure to soak the edges as well as the center. Set cake in fridge to chill and set.

- Prepare whipped topping by mixing remainder of heavy whipping cream (1 and 3/4 pints) with 3 tbsp sugar and 3/4 cup lemon frosting. Whip in stand mixer on low/med for 2 minutes until thick. Switch speed to high and whip until light and fluffy.

- Spread whipped lemon topping on cake and serve immediately or set in fridge to chill. Garnish with halved lemon slices.

I’m Lovin’ this cake! To see what other people are “LOVIN”, check out “I’m lovin’ it Fridays” at TidyMom.

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As Easter comes, in some parts of the world,winter’s gloom still hangs over us. A gloom reminiscent of the hopelessness conjured up as we imagine the pain and fear felt as Christ was arrested, crucified, and laid for three days in a tomb. But just as spring begins to burst forth with warmth and new life, so Christ overcame the dreary sorrow of death to bring New Life, to all.

As Easter Comes

by Rachael

It’s raining still

The gray remains

Morning mists

And brisk refrains

The trees still bare

No leaf in sight

As Easter comes

Buds clenching tight

Nature holds

As in a tomb

Secret life

Not yet in bloom

Like Christ laid low

Laid hid to rest

Hope laid bare

Like barren nest

Most gruesome loss

On that dark day

Cloaked in linens

Laid to grave

Silent winter

Oppressive drear

Blankets meadows

Swaddles fear

Yet on shining day

The third

Sprung forth New Life

The Living Word

As Spring breathes beauty

Far and wide

So sprung our Savior

Christ alive

Winter’s frost

Cannot contain

The flowers burst

To life again

And just as such

Our Savior rose

Confirming claims

For which disposed

Claims He made

Of being God

Living hence

Where angels trod

Claims that placed Him

On a tree

Sacrificed

For you and me

But now

A miracle ensued

Resurrection

Christ renewed

From in a tomb

On Easter morn

No bloodied back

No crown of thorn

Sprung our promised

Scapegoat made

Whom bought our lives

With His He paid

Warmth returns

Sun now shines

As spring gives life

So lives the Vine

And us each branch

Each grateful shoot

Strive evermore

To bear new fruit

Death overcome

Life springs from seed

He is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

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When I think of Valentine’s Day treats I immediately think of Conversation Hearts candies.

I love those little things.

I can remember as an eight year old girl sitting in my bedroom the night before Valentine’s Day, putting together my homemade Valentines to hand out at school the next day. I took great care to select each candy heart that would go inside the valentines making sure the right messages went to the right people.

To this day whenever February rolls around I can’t help but grab a box or two of the candy hearts while checking out at the grocery store.

So… naturally these little candy hearts were the obvious inspiration for my Valentine’s Day cupcake design.

I even got inspired to use my favorite Valentine Candies as an inspiration to make some tasty Brownie Pops you can see here.

I started with a basic boxed brownie mix and spread it out about 1/3 inch thick on wax paper, laid on a cookie sheet.

There wasn’t enough mix to fill the whole cookie sheet, but the batter was so gooey that I was able to spread it with a spoon to the desired thickness and it stayed in place.

I baked it at 350 degrees for 12 minutes until a toothpick came out clean.

After the brownie sheet was baked and cooled I placed the whole tray in the fridge for an hour to allow the brownie to firm up.

Next I used a small heart shaped cookie cutter to make my hearts.

I dipped the cookie cutter in powdered sugar to keep the brownies from sticking to it.

Again, after all the brownies were cut, I placed them back into the fridge to firm up again.

These melting candies can be found at most craft stores or baking supply stores. They come in all kinds of fantastic colors.

After microwaving the candies in a coffee cup for about a minute and stirring it until smooth, I placed a brownie on a fork over the cup, and began using a spoon to scoop the melted candy over it until it was covered.

Once the brownie was covered the melted candy was so thick that the heart had lost much of it’s shape.

I gently shook the brownie on the fork over the cup allowing excess coating to drizzle away from the heart and cause it to regain it’s shape.

Next I placed the candy heart onto wax paper and allowed it to dry while dipping more hearts.

I then repeated the coating process a second time on each heart in order to completely and smoothly cover each brownie.

After the two coats of melted candy have dried some of the hearts may still be miss-shaped. Simply use a sharp knife to carefully cut away excess candy around the edges.

Any rough edges that remain can easily be smoothed out with the warmth of your finger by gently rubbing them away.

Now it’s time to add all those fun messages.

Markers with edible ink can be found in the bakers aisle of your grocery store or craft store.

I prefer the look of the marker over piped candy or frosting because the effect of the marker better mimics the look of the stamped Conversation Hearts Candies.

These candy covered brownie hearts make a great little treat all by themselves, but they make an even better treat on top of some delicious cupcakes.

I chose Strawberry cupcakes to compliment the chocolate brownies and used food coloring to make pastel frostings that would match the candy colors.

If you want to play along…

Here’s what you need…

Brownie Mix and its required ingredients

Wax Paper

Strawberry Cake Mix

Cupcake Papers

White Frosting

Pastel Food Coloring

Pastel Melting Candies

Red Edible Ink Marker

Enjoy!

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