Adorable Penguin Cake

I know we are gearing up for Christmas... and I really should be getting to my holiday baking.  But, I wanted to share my newest video, an adorable Penguin Cake!

I think he is just too cute!  My son agreed, he wanted to keep him forever and when we brought him to a family get-together several of the kids actually cried when we cut into the cake (my 5 year old son was one of them!).

My other favorite part of this cake is how quick and easy it is to make.  I seriously but this together in under 2 hours (not including baking the cakes), which is really fast compared to some of the other cakes I make!  If you want to make a cute 3D cake to impress at a gathering, this is sure to be it.  No complicated carving, and not a ton of intricate pieces to cut out.

I hope you will give it a try... if you do, head over to my Facebook page or Twitter and share a photo!  I'd love to see your creations :)

Happy Caking :)
~Renee

Gingerbread Wreath Cookies

I just love this time of year!  Today, I have another holiday video for you!

Check out these fun, simple and pretty Gingerbread Wreath Cookies!

I was inspired by a cookie project I did with a family friend when I was a kid... used pumpkin seeds and made gingerbread mermaid cookies!  Nowadays I buy them to use in homemade trail mix snacks.  So, when coming up for a project for a Gingerbread Playlist Collaboration, I really wanted to use them somehow.  I really love the slightly nutty crunch they give the spicy, snappy gingerbread cookie!

Be sure to check out the other gingerbread themed videos from some of my favorite dessert YouTube channels:
GINGERBERAD COLLABORATION PLAYLIST : http://bit.ly/1w1Buy1
MONTREAL CONFECTIONS : http://bit.ly/1yY42d0
PINK CAKE PRINCESS : http://bit.ly/1ysnz2y
HAPPY CAKES BAKES : http://bit.ly/1CV9l1W
KRAZY KOOL CAKES : http://bit.ly/1AKCEj9
JULIA M USHER : http://bit.ly/1CV9qmn
SUGAR CODER : http://bit.ly/1whuwbD
HANIELA'S : http://bit.ly/1CV9B0R

Happy Holidays!
-Renee

Homemade Holiday Gifts: Chocolate Chip Biscotti

It's that time of year again!  Holiday baking season!  I absolutely love the holidays... and since I was a kid, have enjoyed baking during the holiday season.  My friends and family always receive little packages of home baked goods to enjoy.  Today, I want to share my first Holiday video of 2014!

Check out these delicious Chocolate Chip Biscotti... perfect for holiday parties, office gift exchanges, maybe a cookie swap?  Or, even just to have on hand when family or friends stop by to visit (they keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container!).

I hope you you're feeling as inspired for holiday baking as I am!  Stay-tuned for all of the goodies I will be sharing this month!

Happy Caking :)

Jack Skellington Candy Apples

Happy Halloween!! It has been a loooong time since I've updated my blog.  But, I have been busy with so many things... It's about time to get caught up!

I've been spending a lot of time working on my YouTube Channel... if you haven't already, head over and subscribe to see all of my videos as soon as they're up!  I have so many videos up, I'll be adding them here, but if you don't want to wait you can check them out instantly over on my channel!

Since Halloween is just around the corner... I wanted to start off with a post sharing my newest Halloween creations!

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my son's favorite movies (he just turned 5).  In fact, I was helping out in the classroom a few weeks ago and one of the little girls asked me "Is his last name really Skellington?"  He had been telling the kids in his preschool class that it was, lol!

So, my son is the inspiration for these candy apples.  I started thinking of it months ago!  I am so, so happy with how they'd turned out... I had never made candy apples before and was nervous that they wouldn't look nice... but they came out SO great!  Watch my video to see how I made these fun, "Jack Skellington Candy Apples."

Ingredients:

3 Cups Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup

1 TBSP White Food Color: http://goo.gl/NxHCX8

Flavoring of your choice (I used Cinnamon Oil (http://goo.gl/nesvbL) about 1/4 tsp, if using an extract use about 1 tsp... clear extracts are better)

Stay tuned, next I will be posting my video for these adorable "Kawaii Halloween Treats!"

Until then...

Happy Caking :)

Irish Soda Bread Recipe!

Today, I have a great Irish Soda Bread recipe to share with you!  St. Patrick's Day is next week, and at my house we look forward all year to the boiled dinner, so we're excited!  This recipe is a great bread to go with your St. Patrick's Day meal!

 Check out the delicious recipe below!

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Ingredients:
4 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Raisins
2 Tsp Caraway Seeds (optional)
Zest of 1 Orange (optional)
1 Egg (slightly beaten)
1 3/4 Cup Buttermilk

Enjoy!

Happy Caking :)

DIY Simple & Elegant Wedding Cake

This weeks tutorial is a simple and elegant cake project!  Perfect for the DIY bride, or anyone looking for a beautiful cake that is easy to pull off.  The effect looks a lot like stenciling, but using Wilton Sugar Sheets, you just trace, peal and stick!   You don't have to worry about smudging your icing, handling a stencil while your try to stencil your design, or marring the surface your your perfectly smooth cake!

For my tutorial I used white sugar sheets on a light lavender buttercream... and I have included the link to the custom template I made in the YouTube description box!  But, of course you can use this technique for virtually any design... it might become a bit more tedious with a very intricate stencil/template though.

I also think this would be so beautiful if you painted the sugar sheets with luster dust, or applied gold/silver leaf before cutting out the pattern.... I may just have to do that myself!

Check out my video below, and head on over to YouTube to find the complete list of products used, links to buy them and, of course, the link to download my template!

This project is part of a DIY Wedding Collaboration with some of my fellow dessert YouTubers.  All of the projects are fantastic, so be sure to check out the entire playlist!!

Happy Caking :)

Ruffled Petal Cake Tutorial!

I am excited to share my latest video tutorial today!  This "Ruffled Petal Cake" I made over the summer was one of my favorite cakes... and I've received quite a few inquiries for a tutorial...

Finally, I have the video to share with you... Take a look below to see how I made this different and elegant cake!

Hope you enjoyed it!

Happy Caking :)