One Tsp. Online Recipe Storage

I have been searching for a way to store all my recipes online for a while now.  I tried Google Docs which I like, but it seems kind of messy.  I also tried allrecipes, but don't like that either.

(pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream) 

I found One Tsp. today and I love it.  You can store up to 150 recipes for free, and if you would like to store unlimited recipes, it is only $5 a year.  Not bad for unlimited storage.  You can also download it to your iphone/ipad and clip recipes from websites for later.  It will make you a grocery list, let you share with friends, and sort your recipes however you would like.

One Tsp. Recipe Storing

I have already gotten started typing up my favorite recipes and ones I always seem to lose.  I think my favorite thing is the shopping list.  I love that you can type in your old family recipes and then just click shopping list and have it all laid out for you.  EASY  . . .  AS  . . . PIE.

I can't wait to start uploading and typing up ALL my recipes.  I will probably got over 150 in a matter of days, but there is a backup button so you can download everything to your computer.  I LIKE THAT.  I can't imagine losing all your precious recipes because you forgot your password or couldn't get to them.

Here is what my page looks like so far.  You can add photos too.  Pretty cool!  I am even more motivated to take pictures of all my desserts now.  I hate flipping through recipes trying to remember if I want THIS recipe or THAT recipe.  Was it FLUFFY or SOFT?  OR....  am do I have the complete wrong recipe?  No more confusion...

Scooter Cakes

If you live in Tucson, Arizona and you are celebrating a special occasion or love sweets, give me a call!  I am now taking custom cake orders.   I would love to make your day special.  You can find me at Scooter Cakes.  I love making bright colors, cute cupcakes, and simple favorites like strawberry shortcake.

I am also throwing cupcake decorating parties.  These would be perfect for bridal showers, tea parties, your child's birthday, or a night with the girls. More info here.

Cupcake parties are a great way to keep your guests talking about your party long after the favors are gone.  Each guest will take home 6 decorated cupcakes.

I will provide 6 baked cupcakes for each guest, icing, and piping tips and bags.  Please have a space large enough for your guests to sit and decorate.  (ie: long table with chairs, plastic tablecloth, and good lighting!)

WHO AM I?

 I am a sweet obsessed, chocolate loving, trend following, dessert maniac.  I started my journey on the road to SWEET HEAVEN long ago when I would run around the house with cake and whipped cream hiding from my mom.  Butter, whipped cream, sugar : these are my partners in crime.  Eggs, flour, vanilla : these are my accomplices to bigger and better things.

WHAT KIND OF TRAINING DO I HAVE?

 I have a degree in Pastry Arts from the Culinary Institute of the Pacific in Hawaii.  I also have 3 1/2 years of experience in large scale production kitchens making the wonders of the dessert world.  Cakes, pies, tarts, mousses, ice creams, breads, and smiles.  That is my specialty!

Call Scooter Cakes today and plan your next party!

Wedding Cake for the

I was so happy to be able to make the wedding cake for my brother and his wife for their recent wedding in Spain.  It was a challenge baking in an unknown oven, with different ingredients, and in a short period of time.  I had a lot of fun and I think their cake turned out beautifully and fit with their theme really well.

Raspberry Buttercream filling and a Swiss Buttercream icing.

Each tier had 4 layers of cake and 3 layers of filling.

The Raspberry Swiss Buttercream filling was a huge hit.  The bride's mother made macerated raspberries with cinnamon sugar before I arrived and I mixed them into the buttercream for a fruity twist.  I also soaked the cake in the macerated raspberries to ensure it was extra moist and flavorful.

They had a garden themed wedding with their reception in her mother's huge backyard.  The garden was strung with lights and full of flowers, and this cake blended right into the setting.

The bride and groom requested a simple piping design with olive branches.

They had awesome cake toppers designed on Etsy, they were created to look just like them.  

The olive branches and the white frosting compliment each other nicely and draw on the simplicity and elegance of a garden wedding.

Congratulations Zach and Sara!  I was honored to make your cake for you and your guests.

To many years to come!

Petal Cake

I had the day off today and made a few cakes.  I made a petal cake and a cake for my husband.  I have been wanting to try this cake style for a while, and it was so easy and cute!

I love blue: light blue, robins egg blue, aqua...  I could go on.

I wanted to do an ombre effect so I made 3 different shades of blue.  My favorite is the middle one.

The petal technique is so easy.  Just pipe a dot, then drag it with a spatula.  Continue around the cake, piping dots about 1/4 of an inch apart.

Then I piped a little flower on the top in a creamy bluish white.  

Creamy swiss buttercream, oh my.

Petals and flowers, blue and white, can't wait to dig in.

Rocky Road Ice Cream Recipe

I got a new ice cream maker this week and decided to try Rocky Road.  Why Rocky Road?  I love chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts.  Oh, and my husband will eat it!

RECIPE:

1 can fat free sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3 cups fat free 1/2 and 1/2

1 tsp. vanilla

handful of chopped walnuts

handful of chopped marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:

Heat condensed milk and cocoa on stove for about 5 minutes, until the cocoa powder is dissolved and the mixture is creamy.  Remove from the stove and add the rest of the ingredients, hold the nuts and marshmallows until the end.  Place the mixture in the fridge or freezer to cool.  The colder the mixture, the better it will freeze in your machine.

Turn on ice cream machine and pour in mixture.  Mix as directed for your ice cream maker and add the nuts and walnuts at the end of the mix.  Freeze overnight in an airtight container and ENJOY!

Candied Orange Peel Recipe/Tutorial

I love candied orange peel from the store, but homemade candied orange peel is amazing.  It takes a lot of work and time, but the end result is worth it.  I used 4 pounds of oranges and it made enough to give 4 small jars for Christmas presents.  I would do at least this amount. The more you do, the longer they will last before you have to make more.

Ingredients:

Oranges

Sugar

Water

Start by peeling oranges, then cutting away the pith.  Get as much of the white off of the peel as you can.  Then place the peels in cold water to cover and bring to a boil.  Strain and repeat for a total of 3 times.  Rinse with cold water each time.

Place 1 part water and 1 part sugar in the same pot and bring to a boil.  This will be your sugar syrup.  Place the orange peels in the syrup and simmer until translucent.  The syrup should remain at a simmer until you are satisfied with the results. I simmered mine for about an hour.  This can vary from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on how thick your peels are.

Remove (strain) from the syrup and lay out to dry.  When they are partially dry (not soaking wet) place them in a bowl of sugar and coat.  You can save the syrup and use it for iced tea or other cooking with sugar syrups, it is a great addition to a fruit compote, smoothies, or a pancake topping mixed with berries/syrup.

Allow the peels to dry until they are to your liking.  The humidity and temperature will make a huge difference in your drying time, so be patient and keep an eye on them.  I left mine out for a day on my counter, you don't want them rock hard, just firm and not wet. (in Arizona)

To finish them you can either dip them in dark chocolate, stripe them in chocolate, or leave the plain.  They will be devoured either way.  :)

Ruffle Cake

I love ruffle cakes and I have been wanting to make one forever!  My mother in law's birthday was a few weeks ago and she is coming to visit, so I thought, PERFECT TIME FOR A RUFFLE CAKE!

I piped ruffles and stripes.

I piped a flower on top like the flower cupcakes I made a few days ago.

I made bright yellow cupcakes to go with it.  So cute!

MMMMM... 

I love layer cakes!

I filled it with homemade strawberry cream cheese filling.  Oh my.

I love this combination.

Flower CupcakeTutorial

Start by filling a piping bag with your frosting.  I used a #104 tip from Wilton.  I like to use my plastic scraper to get the frosting nice and tight and into the tip.

Start with the fat side down and pipe your first petal.

It should look like this.

Then pipe all around the cupcake in a single layer of petals

Do the same thing on top of the first round, but a little shorter.

Then, for the third layer, turn the tip a little more up and down and make little short petals.

Then top with sprinkles or little pearly dragees.  

They are so easy and turn out beautiful.

Flower Cupcakes

Yesterday I made these flower cupcakes to take to my husband's nurses.  He is in the hospital for a routine check up, and I have been spending a lot of time there hanging out with him.  I know this is bad, but when I realized there were people there that would eat my baked goods, I was like, "Finally!"    My husband is not a sweets person and it is usually just me that eats all the desserts!

I love the pink and purple colors.  Not very fall-like, but that's ok.  I am having a hard time getting into the seasons and the colors and decor.

The little pearly balls on the top really make the cupcake, don't you think??

I got a new carrier too, it holds cupcakes with higher frosting, which is awesome!

Tutorial for these cupcakes to come!