Say Cheese! Cheesecake that is.

Got a request for a cheesecake with chocolate crust and something to do with raspberries. Found a fairly easy recipe for white chocolate raspberry swirl cheesecake and gave it a shot. She wanted a small cheesecake for just a few people so I went with a 7in pan. (of course I made a mini for us to try to see how it was) It had good flavor but not much bite to it. At your house we prefer New York style with big flavor. Still waiting to hear how she thought it was. Hopefully she was a fan because she has already requested some other baked goods :)

3rd Birthday fun!

Three years ago today my sweet little boy was born. I can hardly believe it has been three years. Colin is little person a parent could ask for. He makes me laugh constantly. As I type he is "fixing" my computer with his new electric drill. "It's ok Mommy, I fixin it" is what he is saying. A lot of things start out with, "it's ok Mommy." He is the only three year old I know that uses his blocks to build cakes instead of castles or forts. Sometimes I have a hard time thinking he could really be 3 and sometimes I have a hard time talking to him like he is only 3. We love to be in the kitchen together. He is a great help with mixing and doing the dishes. Colin James makes my days happy and good. I could not be a happier Mom!

For his party I made Oreo Cheesecake Truffles and Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes with Cinnamon Toast Crunch Frosting.

 Hope everyone has had a sweet weekend!

Happy Birthday fun and Thanksgiving Sweets :)

This past week has been a whirl wind of baking treats.  Starting with Thanksgiving, I made chocolate cupcakes filled with nutella topped with chocolate cream cheese frosting. I think the frosting was far better than the frosting was for the red velvet cupcakes. Want a recipe? Yep, I thought you might :)

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

24 cupcakes or one double layer 9" cake

16 oz cream cheese 

1 stick unsalted butter 

1 t vanilla

1/2 t espresso powder

3-4 c powder sugar

2/3 c cocoa powder

whipping cream to consistency

Beat cream cheese and butter (as always, at room temp!) on high till smooth. While the mixer is going combine vanilla and espresso powder. Let them sit for a few minutes so its not grainy! Add vanilla/espresso mix to the mixer till combined. Sift cocoa and powder sugar together and add slowly to mixer. Add whipping cream in small amounts till you are happy with the consistency.

Friday night we had Chris' birthday with his wonderful family and I got to take dessert. He decided pecan pie would be fun so I broke out Gran's recipe and added some bourbon. I was horrified as it was baking when it looked no where near set when the timer went off. AGAIN I remembered that I have 10 inch pie not a normal size so back in the oven it went. It came out lovely when I added about 30 mins more baking time.

Saturday was birthday fun for Chris at work and they asked for the same cupcakes from thanksgiving... boring for me but they are super yummy.

For the main event, my honey's birthday I made personal cheesecakes. He loves caramel and anything to do with caramel so... caramel swirl with shortbread crust and of course, dark chocolate ganache to top it off with.  Super rich but hey, you only get one birthday a year right? :)

Hope everyone had a super sweet Thanksgiving. Please let me know if you want me to include any recipes from the sticky sweet weekend!

It's a non cupcake kinda night.

Tonight I decided to start getting into the Thanksgiving spirit. I got out my flour and made a pie. You see, cupcakes are amazing and make me happy but there is just nothing like a pie.  Pie is what started my love of baking.  A couple years ago I moved back home and got to spend a lot of time with my Gran. She was an amazing cook. No one could make a pie like she could. When I went to Gran and asked her to teach me to make a pie she laughed at me. After asking a time or 6 she got out her flour and was her always patient self while I took notes. She told me stories about her uncle Jeff who had taught her and her twin sister.

Want to know a secret? I don't even like fruit pies. The reason I make them? I hear her words... while I mix the dough with my fingers... when I roll the dough... when I put the pie in the oven and of course when its time to take it out of the oven. It just comforts me in a way that only baking can. So... in the next two weeks there will pies!

Of course, I could not let my taste tester not get some, so I made him a little mini pie :)



Celebration is SWEET

Today at work we are celebrating my wonderful friend Terri getting a new position. She is now permanently working with me in the outpatient lab. Terri worked her tushy off to learn everything to be here and she deserves it! (more importantly she deserves a cupcake!)

Nothing says you did a kick butt job like.... red velvet nutella filled with chocolate butter cream.



Hope everyone is having a SWEET Tuesday!

Just another sunday... with a cupcake

Yesterday I spent a good part of the day cleaning the house since Colin was with his grandparents. Since I had such a lovely clean kitchen I decided it was time to get to baking! Chris has been mentioning that he loves cinnamon toast crunch cereal for a long time so that's what he got! There was a recipe on a site I frequent that I made a few changes to and then there were cupcakes :)  The pharmacy seemed to like them. The cupcakes were gone pretty darn quick. Once Colin went down for a nap I was outside to rake leaves.

I think it was a pretty productive weekend! Hope everyone had a sweet weekend as well.