Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!

I absolutely love Halloween! I mean, how could you not? The parties and treats are enough for me. 

This year, Jeff and I spent it with my best friend Amanda and her awesome family.  Halloween is not a joke in this household.  They had a haunted woods theme with a fog machine and all.  Absolutely incredible. 

I decided to bake a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting which served a dual purpose since it was also Sofie's (Amanda's cousin) birthday! I also made pumpkin cookies with various white chocolate decorations.  Check out the pics below!








Have a happy and safe Halloween! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

xo,

Daniella :)

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Breast Cancer Awareness Trunk Show Treats

My coworker's wife Jen asked me to bake 240 minis for her Breast Cancer Awareness Charity trunk show! (Check out Great Shapes awesome swimsuits, cover ups and lingerie here) It was not only a challenge but an amazing opportunity.

Jen and I decided that we should do an assortment of muffins for breakfast (blueberry lemon, banana nut, and chocolate chip), rice krispie pops (Jen's amazing idea), sugar cookies, and raspberry vanilla cupcakes.  The pops and cookies were decorated with a pink white chocolate ribbon.  Check out the pics below!





Thank you so much Zach and Jen for giving me such an awesome opportunity! And of course, thank you mom for all of your help!

xo,

Daniella :)

Friday, October 28, 2011

Cell Phone cakes

Lately I've been on a baking spree.  I guess that tends to happen since it seems to be everyone's birthday and then before you know it, the holidays are here! These two cakes were taken with my cellphone camera so I'll apologize if they aren't the greatest :)

The first is a chocolate chip cookie cake I made for my coworkers Zach and Cristina.  I remember Cristina mentioned that she loves a good chocolate chip cookie.  I decided, why not make a cookie cake! I knew they would both love it.

To make it more decadent, I whipped up a bittersweet chocolate ganache that I used to fill and decorate the cake.  After two minutes, let's just say look at the picture below!

 Before
After

I made this last cake at my mom's house since we were all craving chocolate.  It was definitely different for me to bake outside of my own kitchen but I had awesome help (thanks mom and Sarah)! This is a chocolate buttermilk cake with a caramel pecan cream cheese buttercream frosting.  It was surprisingly light and not too sweet. 

It was a total hit and a new learning experience for me.  Check out the pic below!


xo,

Daniella :)


Saturday, October 22, 2011

Breakfast

Two weeks ago, my family got together for Sunday morning breakfast.  I knew I had to bake something so I decided to go with chocolate chip muffins and biscuits! I always love having something a little sweet in the morning, so these muffins were a fantastic idea.  The biscuits were fluffy, toasty, and amazing with some eggs and sausage gravy (by yours truly). 

Breakfast was delicious and it's always a nice way to get the family together to eat, laugh, and gain a pound or two.  Check out the pics below! :)



xo,

Daniella :)

Monday, October 17, 2011

Little Peanut treats

I've always wanted to make dog treats for my family dog Othello.  He tends to be the picky type so I knew he would probably just smell them and walk away.  Peanut, on the other hand, loves everything!  I knew I had to at least try to whip up some treats since he has been learning so many tricks. What a good boy!!

These are peanut butter, banana, honey dog biscuits made with organic whole milk and whole wheat flour.  I cut little bones and stars for my baby Peanut because he only eats smaller treats.  Yep, I know, he's spoiled.

The were a hit and lasted for almost tree weeks (they store well in the fridge).  If you're wondering if I tried them, well yes.  I did.  They weren't half as bad. Check out the pics below!


xo,

Daniella :)

Friday, October 14, 2011

Oatmeal Cream Pie

Childhood treats are totally unforgettable.  I remember getting out after school and getting a dollar worth of Little Debbie snacks.  That's when my fascination when baked goods really began.  I used to love those cakey chocolate cookies that had a chocolate filling.  I could eat 4 of those easily and now, not so much since there's something called calories.  I have to watch my figure :)

I made these oatmeal cream pie cookies for my coworker Adam since these were his favorite.  They turned out a little crispier but still had a chewy center.  I also added some cinnamon and made a vanilla bean marshmallow buttercream which made everything come together.  They were really a hit so I can officially say, "Little Debbie, eat your heart out!" Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Whoopie Pies

I've been curious about baking whoopie pies for some time now. There is something about the cake like cookie filled with a creamy center that just sounds like the perfect dessert (which it is).  These are chocolate whoopie pies filled with a vanilla bean marshmallow buttercream.  Talk about deliciousness! Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)