Biscotti x 2

On my days off, I like making my own coffee instead of buying a latte from Starbucks.  Sorry but $4 for a mocha latte is a little steep (even though it's delicious).  One of the things I like with my coffee is something sweet and biscotti are the perfect side kick.

I was a little intimidated at first since these cookies are supposed to be baked twice hence the name biscotti.  Would they burn? Would they turn out rock hard and practically inedible?  I thought of everything until finally, I just went with it. I made a batch of Mocha Almond biscotti the first time and Cinnamon Raisin walnut biscotti the second time.  I am happy to report that both batches turned out PERFECT! They were crunchy and slightly chewy in the center and packed a huge punch of flavor.  I also cut them relatively small so they were the perfect portion and a good excuse to have two instead of one.  Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Banana Chocolate Pecan Muffins

Brunch is one of my favorite meals during the weekends and I love making things that don't require me to think much before my mandatory cup of coffee.  Muffins are my go to because they are kind of the dessert at the end of the savory part of my brunch menu which usually involves sausage gravy and biscuits.  I also like that there isn't much clean up afterwards :)

These muffins were perfectly banana-y, chocolate-y, pecan-y, and yummy-y! Check out the pic below!

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

xo,

Daniella :)

Strawberry Chocolate Pie

What do you do with a ton of strawberries? Make a pie.  How do you make it better? Add chocolate and a crunchy, buttery, graham cracker crust. YUM!

I only love the summer because there is such an amazing selection of fresh berries and exotic fruits.  I tend to buy so much knowing I won't be able to finish them but I somehow always find a way to add them to a dessert. Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Mom is turning 5?

For my mom's 5th birthday this year (a true lady doesn't reveal her age), I wanted to make something easy that would stand up to the heat.  I knew making a buttercream or creamcheese frosting would melt easily so I thought to use my new bundt pan from William Sonoma! I immediately fell in love with the unique and modern design while browsing their site.  

I made a dark chocolate toasted pecan bundt cake and frosted it with some dark chocolate ganache.  My mom loves chocolate, like me and pecans so I knew it would be a hit.  Frosting this cake was probably the hardest part considering the design but it was so worth the effort. I knew my mom wouldn't mind the homey touch.  

Here's to another 5th birthday mom! Love you!

xo,

Daniella :)

Magic Bars

Magic bars.  Doesn't the name say enough?  They are the perfect little snack that has something for everyone. I used some unsweetened shredded coconut, almonds, walnuts and semi sweet/milk chocolate chips for my blend. I sprinkled it on top of a crushed Goya Maria cookie crust (so much better than graham crackers) and a whole can of condensed milk.  After they baked, I cut them into bite size squares so I wouldn't feel so guilty having a few.  Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Cherry Almond Cake

I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I last posted!  The summer has been pretty brutal for baking since my apartment gets so warm.  It doesn't mean I haven't bake, I just try to avoid it if I can.  I'm totally counting down to fall!

I made this cake for my grandma's birthday last month. I find that the key with grandma's or older people in general is that they prefer simple flavors.  I went with a cherry almond cake that resembled more of a coffee cake in texture.  It was light, crunchy, sweet and tart which makes it a great for the summer.  Check out the pic below courtesy of my cellphone!

xo,

Daniella :)

Musical Cupcakes

My mom's friend wanted to throw a party for her son and his friends after their music recital.  What better way to celebrate than to have some yummy dessert.

She asked me to make vanilla and chocolate cupcakes and decorate them with musical notes.  I used some Wilton candy melts and made white and dark chocolate notes to top each cupcake.  To give them a little more shine, I brushed some pearl dust to make them stand out.  They turned out so cute! Check out the pics below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Festive Cupcakes

I made these adorable vegan vanilla cupcakes for my boss Susie for her birthday.  She is a vegetarian/vegan and I knew she would appreciate these yummy little treats.  I dipped them in some vegan chocolate ganache and added some rainbow sprinkles for a colorful touch.  Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Jam Oat Bars

It feels so nice to take a break from baking! I felt like I was running out of ideas but now, I've had plenty of time to think and come up with new yummy treats.

Jeff wanted to help me bake this time around and I thought to make these oatmeal jam bars.  The best part about this recipe is that most of the ingredients are things we already have in our pantries.  All you need is quick cooking oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, butter, flour, and jam.  We used a mixture of raspberry, four berry and cherry jam as the filling.  The end result was a delicious, easy to bake bar with very few dishes to wash.  Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Puppy cake!

My little Peanut turned 1 two weekends ago and naturally I had to bake him a little something special.  I made him a banana peanut butter cake with a honey cream cheese frosting and he absolutely loved it! I have to admit, I tried a piece and it was pretty good.  I didn't add any sugar since it's not healthy for dogs but the bananas were really ripe and added a natural sweetness. Check out the pic below!

Happy Birthday my little baby boy! I'm so glad to have such a wonderful puppy!

xo,

Daniella :)

Babies!!!

My coworker Cristina asked me to bake a cake for her friends baby shower.  Sounds easy enough but my meticulous planning and prepping did not include a challenge midway through the process.  Let's start.

I baked off my vanilla cakes, let them cool, and worked on making my colored buttercreams.  When it was time to fill the cake, I outlined the top of the bottom cake layer with butter cream to prevent my home made dulce de leche from leaking.  I noticed it was a little too runny after I let it come to room temperature.  I then added my top layer and began frosting the cake, half with pink buttercream and the other half with blue buttercream as Cristina suggested. I added some finishing touches when suddenly, disaster struck.  The cake started to leak! This was the first time I had a mini baker breakdown.  What was I going to do?!

In situations like this, you have to think fast.  I scraped the buttercream off of the entire cake, removed the top layer and started over.  I had some left over dulce de leche and thought it was best to mix it in with some left over buttercream.  The result was DELICIOUS! No leaking + no breakdown = a happy baker! :)

In the end, you can't always plan how things are going to turn out when baking since there are so many things that can go wrong.  The key is to focus and think of creative ways of fixing them.  After all, these experiences always make you a better baker! Check out the pic below!

Thank you for the opportunity Cristina and I'm glad everyone enjoyed it!

xo,

Daniella :)

Yellow Flowers

I have found that everyone loves a basic yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  It's the quintessential all American birthday cake.  

I made this cake for my friend's mom's birthday. My favorite part was creating the great color contrast between the chocolate frosting and yellow buttercream flowers.  Although adding little pearls to each flower takes a while, it's so worth it for a finished looked.  Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Barbie Pink

It seems like my friends and I have been celebrating my best friend Roberta's birthday all month long! Earlier in the month, we stayed the night in AC. We had such an amazing time getting all dolled up and dancing the night away.  She wore this fabulous pink dress which was the inspiration for her cake. 

Since we didn't have any cake for her birthday, I wanted to bake one for her.  She wanted a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting which is always one of my favorites to make.  I dyed the frosting to what I like to call Barbie pink.  To add a little sparkle, I sprinkled some pink sanding sugar.  It was simple, girly and really delicious! Check out the pic below!

Roberta, I hope you had the best birthday month ever! :D

xo,

Daniella :)

Coconut Macaroon Tartlets

I made these adorable little tartlets for Passover for my coworkers.  It's basically a shaped chocolate dipped macaroon except this version is filled with a rich bitter chocolate ganache. You can totally make these in any shape or size as long as there is tons of chocolate.

My boss Susie made her famous chocolate dipped macaroons and I have to say, you can't beat a family recipe.  While mine were good, hers definitely were the best.  Either way, I'm sure everyone was glad to have dessert! Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Red Velvet Brownies

I wanted to try something a little different for a brownie and I came across a red velvet recipe.  I was totally excited to try it out since red velvet is always delicious. 

I have to say, to my surprise, I wasn't that big of a fan.  I guess it comes down to preference and I definitely prefer my brownies to be a lot more fudgy as opposed to cakey.  The cream cheese layer was phenomenal and a perfect idea but it felt like I was biting into a cake.  Again, not my favorite but it's always good to try something new. Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Birthday Boy

I feel like I've been celebrating Jeff's birthday all month.  Actually, I think we have.  This year, I wanted to do something a little different since Jeff was turning 25.  We spent time with our families and friends and for each occasion, I baked something a little different. 

Jeff's favorite drink at Starbucks is their chai latte.  I thought, why not make it into a cupcake! The spice blend of cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger made for a delicious cake base and even better frosting.

The next batch of cupcakes were for Jeff's family.  I made vanilla cupcakes with a vanilla bean cream cheese frosting and topped them with these cute little chocolate skulls.  I found this skull ice cube tray and added melted chocolate to create these mini treats.  Once they were set, I sprayed them with black food coloring to give them a tarnished look.  They turned out awesome!

I also made a banana cake for our house party but totally forgot to take a picture! I think this will do for now. 

Hope you had an amazing birthday month Jeff! You are such an old man now! Love you!

xo,

Daniella :)

Baby Shower Cake

I worked with my friend Angela back in my JCrew days and I absolutely loved her! I was even more excited to run into her recently and find out she was pregnant! I was so honored when she asked me to bake her baby shower cake.  She showed me some pictures of ideas she had in mind and I let my creativity take over.

I made a three layer multicolored lemon cake filled with a lemon curd mixed with meringue to cut the tartness. I frosted the cake with the rest of the meringue and torched it!  As the cake toppers, I made sugar cookie pops and added some fondant to create a smooth surface for my decorations.  I was so happy Angela and all of her wonderful friends loved it! Check out the pic below!

Thanks again Angela for the inspiration and congratulations to you and Jason!

xo,

Daniella :)

Coconut Key Lime Pie

I find myself becoming more of a citrus lover now that the warmer months are near.  One of my favorite pies has to be a key lime pie.  Key limes are not easy to come by in NY but luckily, I found them and ordered some off of Fresh Direct. These tiny little limes pack so much tart yet sweet flavor.

For the crust, I used some Goya Maria cookies and unrefined coconut oil to bind the crust together. So delicious! Check out the pic below!

Hope you all have a happy St. Patty's Day!

xo,

Daniella :)

Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes

If you are thinking how can cupcakes be any good without butter or eggs, well I've got a surprise for you.  These chocolate vegan cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World are insanely delicious and are up to par with any non vegan chocolate cupcakes I've made.  They are surprisingly rich, moist, and pack a really chocolaty punch.  I topped them with a vegan chocolate ganche also found in the book and added these tiny gum paste flowers I made. So cute! Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Carrot Orange Ginger Muffins

I absolutely love having my weekly brunches with my family since it really gives me an opportunity to come up with new ideas.  I made these muffins with some leftover carrots and orange that I had on hand.  I absolutely hate wasting food so I thought, why not incorporate the two.

For a little surprise kick, I finely chopped and added some candied ginger. YUM! Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Oreo Brownies

Lately, I've been making a ton of brownies.  They are so easy and the perfect bite of chocolatey goodness.  These brownies so happen to have a birthday cake Oreo's mixed in! So yummy!  Check out the pic below!  

Happy birthday Oreo's! Thanks for making my childhood just a little bit better! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Cherry Almond Cookies

These delicate cookies resemble a buttery shortbread except they pack so much more flavor.  The tart dried cherries and sweet almonds totally compliment one another.  I also drizzled a sweet Amaretto glaze for an extra kick.  Oh cherry almond cookies, thank you for bringing your deliciousness to my kitchen! Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

COFFEE cake!

Light? Yes. Crumbly? Yes. Amazing with coffee? Duh! Nothing better than a slice of coffee cake right out of the oven.  I made this last weekend for brunch at my grandma's house.  My brother and his girlfriend Janice made so much delicious food that I was afraid we wouldn't have room for my cake! :(  The good thing is, we did.  SO GOOD!!! Check out the pic below!

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

xo,

Daniella :)

Feeling the love

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day! Jeff and I had such an awesome night! He totally surprised me with dinner, balloons, flowers and tons of gifts that will be put to good use when I bake.

As a sweet treat, I cut out and baked these adorable sugar cookies.  Some were filled with raspberry jam and the others were filled with a dark chocolate ganache. I then melted some red white chocolate discs, drizzled it over the cookies and decorated some with some tiny white pearls.  Check out the pics below!

Thank you Jeff for being such an amazing boyfriend! I am so grateful to have you in my life! <3

xo,

Daniella :)

Jammin'

My coworker Raz introduced me to the most amazing cookie recipe called a jammer.  I have never heard of them before but boy, am I glad I know now!  They are kind of like a mini pie with a layer of jam that is then topped with a brown sugar streusel.  Think about all the endless flavor possibilities! These were a little extra special because I used some fresh fig jam Raz made.  So delicious!

In the end, this was pretty much the perfect collaboration. Check out the pic below!

Thanks for the inspiration and especially the jam Raz!

xo,

Daniella :)

Giant Blue

I will start off by saying that I am not a football fan but, who doesn't like to have a party?! Since the Giants are from New York, it was only right to host a get together and bake these yummy vanilla bean cupcakes. I of course wanted to keep the blue and white theme hence the white vanilla bean cream cheese frosting and blue sugar sprinkles.  They totally matched my blue and white table decorations.  Yep, I pulled a Sandra Lee.

Check out the pic below and congratulations to the Giants!

xo,

Daniella :)

Hello Scones

If you haven't had a scone at least once in your life, you are totally missing out.  They are probably one of my favorite brunch options since they are so easy to make and so incredibly delicious with coffee or tea.  I also love that you can literally add just about anything to your dough and turn out some delicious treats. 

I went with a pretty classic combination of cranberry, orange and chocolate chip.  The tartness of the cranberries, fresh orange zest and floral notes of the chocolate really pair nicely together.  Okay, that's enough fancy foodie talk.  In other words, these scones were awesome! Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Petite Puffs

My baker friend Rita inspired me to make cream puffs.  The base consists of flour, water (or milk), eggs and butter that is cooked on the stove top.  I watched a few tutorials and gave it my best shot! 

I was a little worried at first since the process can be very finicky.  You have to be sure you are following the steps exactly especially since you are cooking the dough first and then baking it. After the dough was cooked, I had a piping bag ready with a star tip to pipe these babies out.  The key is to work quickly with your warm dough.  It becomes nearly impossible to pipe them out once the dough begins to cool.  So if you're like me with barley any arm strength, remember to pipe like you've never piped before!

Once they were baked, I cut each one in half and filled them with a raspberry whipped creme.  Aren't they cute?! Check the pic below! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Banana Pudding Please!

What do you do with leftover bananas?  Make pudding! Well, I guess you can make cupcakes, or a loaf too but pudding is a little more exciting.

Sometimes, believe it or not, I just don't want to wait for something to bake in the oven. I just want something fast, easy to make and delicious.  Honestly, who doesn't like pudding or bananas and why not combine them?

I started out by making a basic vanilla pudding.  As it cooled, I sliced some ripe bananas and sauteed them with some brown sugar and butter.  To give them a little something extra special, I added some amaretto liquor. Talk about yummy! I then mixed the fancy bananas with the pudding and that was it! Banana Pudding with an upgrade. Check out the pic below! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Happy Birthday Bryan...DUH!

My California bestie Bryan loves any desserts that have lemon.  Naturally, I would make him my lemon cake for his birthday! DUH! 

Since I've made it before, I knew I wanted to tweak a few things this time around.  I decided to cut the two layers of cake in half and spread a thin layer of lemon curd in between. I also wanted to get a little more creative with the meringue frosting and thought I should swirl it on to the cake instead of piping it.  After it was torched, I was really happy with the unique design! Check out the pic below!

Happy birthday Bryan and thanks for being such an amazing friend! 

xo,

Daniella :)

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

It really doesn't get better than having a red velvet whoopie pie! It's like having a sandwich cookie but a million times better.  I honestly made them because I had some leftover buttermilk I didn't want to waste. I totally hate when that happens.  

Check out the pic below! If you haven't tried these, please do!

xo,

Daniella :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Deliciousness

I was so excited to take on this order for my friend (more like a little sister) Sarah! Her boyfriend loves Reese's and she wanted me to bake him the ultimate peanut butter chocolate cupcake for his birthday.  I decided on a basic chocolate buttermilk cake and added a mini Reese's in the center.  For the frosting, I made a chocolate ganche, mixed in some peanut butter and of course, added BUTTER! Lots and lots of delicious butter.  I then topped them with some cut up mini Reese's pieces.  Check out the pic below and Happy Birthday Mario! 

xo,

Daniella :)

2012 = 2 yummy cakes!

Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had an amazing time with their loved ones.  Here are two delicious cakes I made.

The first is a Lemon cake filled with a lemon curd and frosted with a meringue.  I added some candied lemon and fresh lemon for decoration.  The bottom is a fabulous German Chocolate cake filled with a toasted coconut and pecan custard and frosted with a semi sweet chocolate ganache.  Check out the pics below! :)

Here's to another amazing year!

xo,

Daniella :)