Mother's Day Brunch & Desserts

Give your Mom five star treatment from the moment she wakes up! Doesn’t she deserve it after all the support, unconditional love, and hard work she has given over the years? Start off with a delightful breakfast. A fruit salad, gourmet iced coffee or a raspberry-orange sunrise, and a muffin or a slice of a quick bread. Try to remember your mom’s favorite foods and serve them for an early dinner. Don’t forget dessert! Try one of these pie recipes below to wow your mom with the final touch of the day. She will be impressed by your thoughtfulness and effort – a sure win!

Sources & Recipes: 

1. Gourmet Iced Coffee 

2. Raspberry-Orange Sunrises

3. Fruit Salad

4. Monkey Bread

5. Lemon Blueberry Bread

6. Blueberry Power Muffins with Almond Streusel

7. Cranberry Orange Quickbread

8. Golden Raisin Oat Bran Muffins

9. Apple Pie by Grandma Ople

10. Mile High Toasted Coconut Cream Pie

11. Apricot Raspberry Pie

Cinco De Mayo Desserts

Cinco de Mayo is only two days away. Here are some Mexican inspired desserts to celebrate the day. These cakes & desserts would be great to bring to a Mexican themed fiesta.

Sources & Recipes:
1. “Three Milk” Cake with Rompope (Pastel des Tres Leches con Rompope)
2. Chocolate-Ancho Chili Flourless Cake
3. Margarita Cake
4. Churros
5. Margarita Melon Salad
6. Banana Quesadillas

Passover Desserts

Passover commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. It is the best known Jewish holiday. Passover starts with the seder - a family ritual meal. These desserts are perfect to enjoy with your family and friends during this holiday.

Sources & Recipes:
1. Pecan Torte with Strawberries and Cream
2. Pistachio Pavlovas with Lemon Curd and Berries
3. Almond Thumbprint Cookies
4. Passover Lemon Cheesecake
5. Chocolate, Walnut and Prune Fudge Torte
6. Almond-Coconut Tart

Easter Cupcakes

Take a look at these cute cupcakes decorated for Easter. Adding bright colors, flowers, eggs, baskets, bunnies and chicks to your baked goods is a great way to celebrate the joy of Easter.

Sources: 

1. Peeps Cupcakes

2. Easter Cupcake Meadow

3. Easter Hat Cupcakes

4. Birds Nest Cupcakes

5. Fondant Easter Cupcake Toppers

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!! Here are some festive green flowers from me to you to celebrate this joyous occasion.

source: flowers

I am looking forward to going to the St. Patty's parade in NYC today. Do you have any fun plans for today? If so, please share! In the meantime, take a look at these creative cake creations in honor of today:

Source: Shamrock Cake

Beautiful rainbow cake with a hidden shamrock inside!

Sources:
Green Red Velvet Cake Balls
Beer Mug Cupcakes

Source: St. Patrick's Day Cake

Love the wonderful shades of green inside this cake!

Going Green for St. Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day is soon approaching (March 17th). This past weekend already saw a number of festivals and parades for those early celebrants. After this long winter, we all need something to celebrate... and who doesn't feel a little Irish on St. Patty's Day? How do you plan to express your Irish side? These green desserts will surely help you show off your love of the holiday.

Sources & Recipes:
1. Shamrock Milkshake Cupcakes
2. Kiwi Lime Pie
3. Clover Cookies
4. Green Pinwheels
5. Coconut Pistachio Pie
6. St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

If you decide to make cupcakes, take a look at these decorating ideas for some inspiration:

Sources & How-To:
1. Leprechaun Hat Cupcake Wrappers
2. Shamrock Cupcake

Three Kings Day

Traditions are often the glue that hold families together, and I am all about family and traditions. My family has celebrated the feast of the Epiphany since I was a baby. On this day, the twelfth day of Christmas, when the 3 kings brought gifts to baby Jesus, my family celebrates with a picnic dinner around the tree. We are always sad to see the end of the season, when all the decorations are carted away, and so we enjoy this moment, as we all sit on a blanket spread on the floor like a large skirt around the tree. The glow from the Christmas lights and the sound of Christmas music playing for the last time fill the house with warmth, as we toast the end of the season and the good times and memories shared by all. Oh yes, did I forget to mention that we do exchange three more gifts....small, often funny gifts though, not gold, frankincense and myrrh.

A traditional dessert of this day is called “Roscon de Reyes” (translation: king’s cake) which is served the night before or the morning of January 6^th. Click here to read more about this tradition and to find the recipe for Roscon de Reyes. 

 image source: flickr

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

It feels like Christmas came especially fast this year. I certainly hope that everyone has finished all of their Christmas shopping by now! I plan to spend the next week with family-first in New Jersey and then heading down to South Carolina to be with my fiancé’s family. 

I thought it was appropriate to share these Buche de Noel (Yule Log) recipes with you today since it is traditionally served on Christmas (at least in France). I think these logs are ready for the fire =) 

Recipes: 

1. Chopped Nuts Yule Log 

2. Chocolate and Almond Yule Log

3. Fondant Yule Log

4. White Chocolate Curls Buche de Noel

5. Pistachio Buche de Noel 

6. Chocolate Yule Log

I wish everyone a wonderful and a very Merry Christmas!

 

Showstopper Desserts

Instead of going out to the store to purchase your desserts for your holiday party, try making them yourself! Your hard work will be rewarded with a great sense of accomplishment and the many compliments you'll receive. Here are some cake recipes that are sure to impress your guests. 

Sources (from top left to bottom right): 

- Cream Caramel Cake

- Best Ever Chocolate Cake

- Red-and-White Christmas Cake

- Bittersweet Cheesecake Torte

- White Chocolate Layer Cake with Cranberry Filling

- Pistachio Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

Gingerbread Cookies

It’s just about time to start making gingerbread cookies! Check out the pictures below for some creative inspiration.  

 Source: gingerbread people

Sources: white gingerbread people, red and green gingerbread men, gingerbread reindeer, gingerbread penguins, gingerbread snowflakes, striped ginger cookies

8 Holiday Trifles

Trifles have great presentation potential. Stacked layers in varying color combinations make a bright and refreshing dessert that will be admired by all. If you are heading over to a holiday party this month, you may want to bring one of these trifles. It will certainly please a crowd. 

1. Chocolate-caramel trifle with raspberries

2. Sticky toffee trifle with cranberries

3. Sweet potato trifle

4. Pumpkin gingerbread trifle

5. Cranberry Trifle

6. Gingerbread trifle with cognac custard and pears

7. Grand raspberry trifle

8. Triple-chocolate peppermint trifle

Christmas Tree Desserts

Nowadays Christmas trees for sale are popping up all over the city. I'm sure many of you have already started to trim your trees. Here are some ideas for Christmas tree inspired desserts.

Sources: stained glass trees, linzer sandwiches, chocolate tree, gingerbread-cookie tree 

For an easier way to make Christmas tree cupcakes, pipe green frosting high, decorate, and top with a shimmering star.

Sources: green christmas tree cupcakes, candy cane christmas tree cupcakes

Everything is cuter on a stick! 

Source: christmas tree cake pops

10 Peppermint Desserts You'll Love

Peppermint just screams holidays. Using crushed candy canes or peppermint mints is a great way to add festive color and a refreshing, cooling flavor to your desserts.

1. Peppermint-topped Brownies
2. Peppermint Layer Cookies
3. Peppermint Patties
4. Candy Cane Cake 

     5.Crushed-Peppermint Cheesecake

     6. Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars

     7. Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

     8. Peppermint Bark

 

     9. Candy Cane Thumbprints

    10. Little Peppermint Cakes - This is an easy fix. Just take pound cake (you can use a store bought one) and top with a white chocolate peppermint topping.