Flamboyant Mayflower Petal Cake
While Sydney was home this past weekend, for a VERY short time, we visited the Botanical gardens. As we walked around the flowers and greenery I saw a Flamboyant Mayflower and became mesmerized by it’s beauty! The Flamboyant Mayflower is known for its flamboyant display of flowers. In many tropical parts of the world it is grown as an ornamental tree and in English it is given the name Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant. It seemed kismet to spot this wonderful flower during the month of May, Graduation month. I photographed as many pictures from all angles of the Flamboyant Mayflower...
Read MorePurple Perfection Peony Spray
Peonies are one of my favorite flowers, we have had them adorn our landscaping for almost 22 years; I remember planting our first peony plant with Sydney (she was almost two) and it just happened to be Mother’s Day. As I was covering the the second cake Sydney came through the door ready for 10 days of fun (she is spending the summer in DC). I had originally created the Peony cake topper as another cake, in a long line, of 21 birthday cakes for her to choose from. The Peony symbolizes friendship, good luck, feminine beauty, elegance and poise, all the qualities Sydney has acquired. For...
Read MoreFabric Fondant Billow Weave Cake
I posted a few days ago Sydney will be turning 21, and I am creating a few different cakes for her to choose from for her party. This is the first cake for her to view. This cake is a billow weave, Susan Trianos has a wonderful video explaining how she creates a wonderful tufted billow weave cake. The first time I saw the billow weave I thought of Sydney, between her love of fashion and fondant cakes, I knew she would adore the fabric fondant cake. Generally, Sydney and I will construct a cake together via FaceTime, it is fun to create the same cake in two time zones; however I...
Read MoreSugar Paste Rose
I love a full open rose sitting on top of a cake. It is a simple touch of elegance. I had planned on designing a few cakes for Sydney to choose from for 21st birthday party. The first element I need is for her to choose from is the type of topper; she is leaning towards a flower. She wanted to see a few different types, last year we designed Butterfly Orchids for her birthday cake. This year she hasn’t a clue, so I thought I would start with the rose, but I wanted to have a fabric quality to match the cake design, (I plan to explain the cake design in another post). I found a perfect...
Read MoreRoyal Icing Daisies
It would seem Colorado wants to hold onto winter, we have had 3 major snow storms every Tuesday for the last 3 weeks; today we finally seem to be warming up. I thought if I decorated some daisy cupcakes I might give colorado a punch in the arm, so to speak. If know anything about Sydney and I we love warm weather, once Christmas has past we start dreaming of the balmy spring days. Sydney and I find use out of the t-shape parchment paper under a piece cellophane and visualizing the nail head is a clock to insure realistic daisies every time. Sydney had the idea of the “T” shape...
Read MoreRomantic-Vintage Royal Icing and Fondant 3-D Sugar Cookies
I was organizing my cookie cutters, and I came across a beautiful copper corset cookie cutter Sydney had given last summer. I couldn’t believe I had not used it yet. Since Sydney loves fondant I covered them in strawberry flavored and mocha-cinnamon fondant, from Fondarific. The decorative details are piped in royal icing. While Sydney and I were FaceTiming she suggested they would look best 3-D on a fondant molded stand with royal icing string work. Corset Sugar Cookies: Equipment: Corset cookie cutters Square cookie cutters Jewel mold PME icing bag stand Fondant smoothers Fondant...
Read MoreVictorian Two Tone Brush Embroidery
I was showing Sydney a two tone royal icing brush embroidery (that is a mouthful), and she thought the cookies would be a wonderful dessert to create for Mother’s Day. I must say I agree, the cookies would look exquisite in a clear top box with a blush pink ribbon. In fact I am planning on remaking the exact cookies for my 99 year old grandmother, she taught me my early culinary skills. I can remember when I was in college my grandma would send me care packages of treats. The treats, I admit, did not last long in my dorm or sorority house! I find it apropos I am sending care...
Read MoreVintage Easter Basket
It was wonderful having Sydney baking and decorating with me this past week, however I admit saying goodbye has become harder as she visits more often. I began realizing our relationship will be a series of visits and goodbyes. She loves living in D.C. and will probably go to graduate school at George Washington University. I am happy to see her become a self assured adult able to live on her own, but I would be lying to myself if I didn’t also admit each time she leaves I have this empty feeling (my heart hurts). While she was here we were able to bake and design a plethora of...
Read MoreEaster Egg Cookie
I was inspired to create a sugar cookie with frills from a Craftsy video and a beautiful fluted egg cookie cutter I purchased at Copper Gifts. The design is a collaboration between Sydney and myself, we wanted something different and frills seemed perfect. The fondant is a monochromatic pink-purple color as are the frilled wrapped roses. To add an elegant touch we subtly colored the edges of the frills with antique gold lustre. While frilling the section Sydney thought this would be a fun project to create with your children. After many attempts to design a sugar cookie recipe that would be...
Read MoreGluten Free Pâte à Croissants
I adore a warm buttery flaky croissant with a strong cup of coffee. A friend, Nancy asked me if I could bake some gluten free croissants (she has celiac disease) I was hesitant, but she was persuasive. Sydney explained I should go out of my comfort zone and try to create a flaky gluten free croissant, the worst that could happened is the gluten free croissants would not turn out. I reminded Sydney I am a perfectionist and have a problem with failure, I become panicky. Sydney replied back the only way to learn anything new is to fail and learn from the mistakes. She also repeated my own...
Read More“In your Easter Bonnet with all The Frills Upon it”
I have had a love for Judy Garland since I was a little girl; my father introduced me to The Wizard of Oz when I was two. From that moment on, I watched every Judy Garland movie I could find. I still can recall the first time I saw Judy Garland and Fred Astaire dancing and singing to classics like “We’re a Couple Swells”, “Drum Crazy”, and of course “Easter Parade”. I introduced Sydney to Judy Garland and now we both share an admiration for her movies. Sydney thought it might be fun to dedicate a blog to the Easter Parade. She happened to be home...
Read MoreMint-Strawberry Macarons
This past weekend a customer (M.B.) threw a baby shower for her friend, and she wanted aqua colored macarons. MB gave Sydney and me carte blanche in choosing flavors. First call was to Sydney, she is the macaron connoisseur of our shop, within 3 minutes Sydney proclaimed strawberry mint! We had our flavor. In order to achieve the aqua color I mixed sky vert pomme & citron; however the color turned a beautiful full body green due to the pink color of the strawberry powder. Panic consumed me, MB wanted aqua, they needed to be more blue. After I calmed myself down I remembered PME blue...
Read MoreValentine Sugar Cookie Card
Every year D.F. romantically buys a dozen roses and chooses a card in which he meticulously underlines the words he feels is a representations of his feelings for me. He buys Sydney sweet cards for an daughter and 2 roses as well. This year I thought I would create an edible Valentine’s card for him, and for Sydney (I am sending most of the cookie cards to her & her roommates). While the sugar cookie dough was chilling I began to design the look for the cookie cards; royal icing brush embroidery kept creepy it’s way into my brain. The look is elegant, romantic, and...
Read MoreCherry Blossom Fortune Cupcakes
Sydney started noticing personalized fortune cookies and thought it might be fun if we created fondant fortune cookies with a gumpaste personalized message. I thought it would be perfect to add cherry blossoms gumpaste flowers with cherry blossom flavored cupcakes. As I have written prior, cherry blossoms are a major part of D.C. history. Sydney and I FaceTime and Skyped this post together, I must admit it was hilarious to watch us trying to figure the structure of the fortune cookie over the internet (D.F. was in tears from laughing). There were a few times Sydney became dizzy from my...
Read MoreSweet Strawberry Angel Food Cake
This past week Sydney and I did not have an opportunity to bake together; it was time to move her to George Washington University, her new home while she finishes her undergrad years. It seems strange to start a baking project alone in my kitchen, I find myself missing her idiosyncrasies that once made me crazy. As most of my readers know Sydney is more than my daughter, she is my best friend, business partner, and my inspiration! She continually surprises me with her hidden inner strength and resolve. I realize most mommy bloggers write about younger children, but we parents don’t...
Read MoreGuest Post: Mommies Saving Dough
This is a guest post from Michele of Mommy Blogger Directory. If you’re like most parents, you probably spend a lot of money on your children. Not just keeping them fed, but also keeping them entertained and educated. There are many ways you can “have it all” while saving a few dollars here and there along the way. First, you must be proactive. Consider where you are likely to spend money you were not expecting to and prevent it from being a budget-crusher. Throughout the year, take note of clearance items at department stores. If you find a neat toy on clearance, use...
Read MoreGift Box Cake Filled with Peace and Hope in 2013
As I write this special post I am in Washington D.C. dropping Sydney off to start her junior year at George Washington University. It seem apropos to be in our nation’s capital while I write a gift box cake post dedicated to a New Year filled with peace and hope. Sydney and I started the plans for the peace gift box cake the day after Christmas 2012. I was reminiscing with Sydney when it occurred to me how much violence has happened in her short life compared to my entire life; I wish I could erase all the awful events from our world, since that is impossible I thought I could pray that...
Read MoreA Baking Year in Review
Sydney and I are presently working on a very special post, but in the meantime we thought it might be fun to revisit 2012. We were blessed with an amazing friend who travels home, to Japan, twice a year, and generously brought us back a plethora of cherry blossom flavors. We spent an entire month using cherry blossom extract, sugars, and compounds in array of treats, by far the favorite was the Cherry Blossom Macarons. And Strawberry-Blossom Macarons. This summer Sydney turned 20 and wanted us to design Butterfly Orchids out of gumpaste for a tiered birthday cake. We spent a good 5 days...
Read MorePoinsettia Cake, A Peek into our Holiday Traditions
Poinsettias have become a staple during the holiday season, the plant is sold every year, and most homes have a few. It has become a family tradition to design a special cake that represents the season, last year we created a Buche de Nöel (Yule Log), I suggested we design another this year, but Sydney wanted something spectacular! Thinking of a spatular cake isn’t as easy as you think. As I was thumping the front of my head saying “think, think, think,” yes just like Winnie the Pooh, I glanced over to fireplace and saw…a poinsettia plant. Eureka! I had a dazzling...
Read MoreMr. Freeze, The Holiday Cake that Came to Life
Sydney was looking through Alan Dunn’s, Christmas Cakes (A perfect gift for any cake enthusiast) when she came across a cake of the most adorable snowman. She insisted we create a snowman cake of are own. Alan Dunn’s cake inspired Sydney and I to design our own version. I knew the cake would be a fun project for us, but I must admit I was caught off guard at the amount of excitement that came over us as we began bringing the cake to life. We found ourselves giggling like first graders as we added the parts of the snowman’s body and apparel. As we added the last snowflake a...
Read MoreStollen, A Christmas Family Tradition
Every year at this time, for the past eighteen years, Sydney and I bake a Christmas Stollen. When Sydney was small, her job was to roll the almond paste (her favorite flavor) and pour all the ingredients, as she grew up so did her baking capabilities! This year as we were baking our Christmas Stollen I realized it would be the last time we would bake a Stollen together for at least six years; Sydney has been accepted to The George Washington University for the spring semester, she leaves the first week of January. Next year I will be baking most of the Christmas indulgences for her...
Read MoreChristmas Cranberry Pound Cake
I am going through a fresh cranberry phase, Sydney and I have been finding ways to develop recipes that incorporate cranberries; putting them in stollens, brioche pockets, cookies, and a cranberry white chocolate cake. I believe we have started a new family holiday dessert tradition. This past Sunday we had friends over for dinner, the dinner consisted of bolognese, warm pancetta spinach salad, garlic bread, steamed green beans, and to finish the meal we had cranberry white chocolate pound cake. I must admit I was on “pins an needles” waiting to hear their opinion of the...
Read MoreCaramelized Pear Almond Tart
The day after Thanksgiving our family’s tradition is put up the trees and decorate them and the whole house while waiting for Sydney’s favorite holiday tart, an almond cream tart. The recipe has been handed down from my great great grandmother, through the years I am sure each generation has changed the recipe a little. My change was to use crème frâche versus mascarpone, but this year I also caramelized the pears. I actually added crystalized sugar and flamed them with a torch. I must admit neither Sydney nor I had intended to flame the pears, but I accidentally didn’t...
Read MoreApple Cider Cupcakes with Acorns and Oak Leaves
This year for our Thanksgiving Sydney and I thought Apple Cider cupcakes with gumpaste acorns and oaks leaves would be fun and festive place tags that will adorn our table! Apple cider starts the holiday, once you begin to see gallons of it in the food stores you can’t help but start thinking of the festivities. Thanksgiving is the first of the holiday meals, family and friends gather together, while cooking, baking, and of course eating! Sydney and I wait all year to host Thanksgiving at our home, and we try to show our appreciation for our guests with special edible place...
Read MoreHoliday Baking: Fondant Kitchen Mixer Fun
With Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching Sydney and I thought it would be adorable to create some treats of baking essentials. Over the summer I had found an awareness ribbon cookie cutter for pinktober at ecrandal, a family owned handmade cookie cutter store, while surfing around their site I came across a kitchen mixer with an inset and rolling pin cookie cutter (which I bought). Sydney’s palate is addicted to fondant so we decided the mixer cookies would be completely decorated with fondant. I used my kitchenaid professional 600 series and Sydney’s Artisan for...
Read MoreHappy Halloween Cupcakes
Halloween is as entertaining for adult as it is for children; Sydney and I are no exception. We become completely engaged in decorating, dressing-up, and baking treats to give to family and friends. These amusing cat, bat, pumpkin and ghost cupcakes are just one of many mouthwatering goodies we are packaging to hand out. With just a few materials and imagination an ordinary cupcake becomes a boolicously, unique Halloween pastry, that is irresistible to all. Sydney and I baked an extra batch for the preschoolers she is observing for her development class. The kids frosted, with help, and...
Read MoreJust in Time for Autumn Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes
This time of year pumpkins and gourds are everywhere; we plan trips to arboretums to find that perfect pumpkin worthy of carving and placing on or near the front porch. I vividly remember carpooling a car of excited three and four year olds for their first arboretum. Sydney and her friend’s energetic excitement became contagious and exhilarating; we began going each year as a family. Sydney and I were reminiscing our Autumn arboretum ritual and thought creating mini pumpkin shaped bundt cakes, orange flavored, would be a great way to honor a sweet memory and have a delicious...
Read MoreFleur de Sel Caramel Apple Macarons, The Perfect Halloween Treat
I am so excited to share this flavor of macarons with you; Fleur de Sel Caramel Apple Macarons. Every year in mid September to early October we pick apples and dip them in caramel to hand out to the special people in our lives; this year Sydney and I wanted to create the luscious flavor in a macaron. The fist step was to write down the essence of a caramel apples, the first taste to the last on our palates. That first crisp apple sensation, followed by the sweet gooey caramel, and finally the fleur de sel lingers on your taste buds. Now we had our challenge, to fabricate the exquisite...
Read MoreBewitching Dulce de Leche, Brush Embroidered Cupcakes
The holiday season has officially begun with the month of October and Halloween; from now until Jan 1st celebrations will be happening each month. This month we have the opportunity to dress in costume, eat amazing goodies, help with school Halloween parties, and decorate our homes with scary witches, skeletons, webs, and spiders. When sydney was young I couldn’t wait for this time of year to start, Sydney and I baked up a plethora of treats for her parties. Now we have the opportunity to bake for other little one’s parties. This year we thought it might be fun to create brush...
Read MoreBlood Orange and White Chocolate Chunk Pound Cake
Pound cakes are so popular I decided to welcome the changing season (early September 22, 2012 the Fall season begins) with a blood orange white chocolate pound cake. As many of you already know DF enjoys pound cake; Sydney and I were lucky to be able to photograph this cake before he cut himself a piece. He reminded me of a young boy waiting for the release of a new version of a video game. Sydney was having a hard time styling the pound cake, she was so distracted by DF’s behavior, she began to tease him. Finally I had to explain to my husband the longer he pouted around the photo...
Read MoreOrchids for Sydney
If you’re familiar with my blog you know each member of are little family unit has a birthday week; 2 weeks ago it was Sydney’s 20th birthday. She requested a very special cake decorated with gumpaste Butterfly Orchids; I was so excited to be creating this special “Sydney cake” with her. Butterfly Orchids have a very special place in her heart, and she wanted sugar paste butterfly orchids to adorn her cake (the cake will be continued on another post). I had ordered butterfly orchid cutters and veiners when the summer began, I thought I was prepared to teach her how to...
Read MoreRuffle Blossom Cupcake
Sydney and I are always on the look for new tips/tubes for our kitchen; I happened to purchase a set with a #070 ruffle tip/tube. We had worked with quite a few of the ruffle tips/tubes, however we hadn’t had the opportunity to work with tip/tube #070, coincidentally I came across an Ombre Cake that caught my eye. The cake was monochromatically decorated in pink tones of rosettes, but I was enthralled with the idea of violet ruffles on a cupcake. I wanted the ruffles to have a fabric sense to the eye almost as if the cupcake’s frosting was in constant motion. It would seem I...
Read MoreTaking Time to Be with Your Children, Can Make A Titanical Difference?
Sydney and I have been designing everything form Valentine’s Almond Cookies to Cassis-Cherry Marshmallows. I realize this will most likely be the last Valentine’s Day Sydney and I will have the opportunity to bake together for the next few years; Sydney has decided to transfer to Goerge Washington University (in DC). I want her to spread her wings and fly solo, experience the world, but it would be deceitful of me if I did not admit I am melancholy (a tad). Letting go has to be the hardest parts of parenting, but necessary, in-fact since her birth our job has been to guide her...
Read MoreStrawberry-Rose Macarons, A Little Girl’s Favorite Snack
I was writing a check today and asked Sydney what the date was; I couldn’t believe January is over and February has begun. I was reminded of the day Sydney was born, and like most parents I calculated the year she would graduate from high school (2010). That evening, when she was born, while I watched her sleep in our hospital room I wrote letters for the milestones she would encounter through her life; her first day of kindergarten, the first day of middle school, her high school graduation, college graduation, her wedding day, ect… I tucked those precious letters away till...
Read MoreThe Miracle of Nature, a Recipe for Life
Anytime I feel melancholy or stressed I pull a few photographs from our past. When Sydney was three years of age during a cold January day; I allowed her to play “hooky” from Montessori. We had a day of Colorado nature; we started at the Butterfly Pavilion, next stop was the Denver Zoo, we ended our fabulous day with lunch and a hike outside of Breckenridge. The memory of that amazing day always brings a smile to my face. The Butterfly Pavilion exhibits 5 areas, including four indoor exhibit halls, gardens and nature trail outdoors. Filled with thousands of alluring...
Read MoreA Final Farewell; To a Dear Friend
For 43 years of my 46 year life I have been a faithful fan of One Life To Live; yes, the soap opera. If you are not familiar with the daytime show it debuted in july 1968; All My Children, in 1970, was a spin of One Life To Live. As I mentioned I was three when I began to watch OLTL, my grandmother would take care of me during the week days and she was inthralled with OLTL. We would have our lunch and sit down to see who did what to whom, was Vicky herself, or Nicky. There were actual times when my life paralleled the show (with out the heighten drama). I think it is obvious an...
Read MoreBehind the Mother and Daughter Team
Normally Bobbie writes the posts that are published on Bobbie’s Baking Blog, however, today I am going to be writing a post. As long as I can remember I have been in the kitchen with my mom, we have had so much fun learning to create new treats for the special people in our lives. As my life transitioned from teenager to adulthood I have had the opportunity to share my feelings with my mom, and even when I thought I couldn’t overcome an issue that was happening in my life my mom was there to help me and encourage me. I am very close to my mom, I count her as one of my friends, and...
Read MoreHow I Love You So, Holiday Traditions
The very first Christmas DF and I celebrated together while trimming the tree I had an asthma attack (a 911 asthmas attack). After a long four hour visit to the the ER it was diagnosed between my allergies for pine and cats (which we had a kitten) my lungs felt they needed to give a awake up call. The ER doctor explained I could keep the kitten, if we took the fresh pine tree down, but it was unadvisable to have both. I was so disappointed; DF went straight to “St Nicks” and purchased a tree that was perfect for us with a few new ornaments . In 2007 we purchased a new home; I was...
Read MoreThe Start of the Holidays; How We Keep Christmas in Our Hearts
This picture was taken two days after Thanksgiving 1995; we were having one of those sunny 50 degree days. Sydney and I were waiting outside for another family (we are still friends with to this day). Every year until Sydney was ten we all would go to Santa’s village in Manitou Springs, the highest fairest wheel in the US resides there (before you go checking my facts, it is the highest because the wheel was built on a mountain). The village has kid friendly rides and a very jolly Santa. We generally would stay for most of the day, drive up to Castle Rock for the star lighting, dinner,...
Read MoreThanksgiving Countdown, How to Keep the Kids at the Table
Sydney and I were reminiscing Thanksgiving and Christmas’ past, she remembers having to sit through the entire meal, while her cousins and friends were allowed to leave the table to play. Though I strongly disagreed, and thought it was insulting to the host (besides sending the wrong message to their children I kept my opinions to myself). My mom would needle me and try to persuade DF or I to allow her to play with the other children. I wasn’t trying to be the “mean mommy” on contrary I wanted to teach Sydney etiquette and table manners. DF and I would keep Sydney...
Read MoreThe Little girl On The Stoop
Many years ago there was a little girl, from the windy city, who would wait on her front stoop every Friday afternoon, awaiting her father. For her parents had divorced by the time she was six,( like many marriages of the 70′s) Friday nights to sunday afternoons were granted the man’s visiting time. She would wait from the moment she came home from school, sometimes she would wait for hours, the sun would go down yet still she would wait, her mother would scream, yell, and hit her, yet still she would wait. It was a happy moment when the yellow volkswagen bug would appear and the...
Read MoreBonding through the culinary arts
I have loved cooking and baking most of my life, it was a way to work any problems. When I was BLESSED with my daughter I brought her in the kitchen with me, I guess it would not be an exaggeration to say Sydney has been working with me from a baby carrier. It is strange, because it feels like yesterday she was 24 months old peeling ginger with a grapefruit spoon, and now she is almost 18 and she has excellent knife skills. Friends, teacher, and other parents always ask me how it is that Sydney is so untainted from all the bad stuff in the world. The only two answers I have is we share a...
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