Laduree visit and...pink macarons!

When Laduree opened on the Upper East Side of NYC I was thrilled!  I dragged my husband (who doesn't like sweets by the way..?!?..crazy) and waited in line for 1.5 hours.  The store is gorgeous and they hold the key to my heart there.  The NYC inspired cinnamon-raisin macaron was so delicious I almost cried.  No joke.  Have you ever tasted anything so good that you will never forget the feeling, the place, and the time you ate it?  A food that conjures up other great memories and evokes a child-like joy in you?  No wonder Laduree is the best.   Note: Bouchon Bakery makes a killer coffee macaron too.  

These delicate and sweet treats are flown in from Paris.  

So, of course I was craving a macaron the other day and wanted to stop by Laduree again, but priced at just around $3 per macaron and the long wait, I decided to make my own.  Please don't judge me by my feet....if you know what I'm talking about :)  haha

Piggy Bank Cake

This is the my first post in 2012 and what's a better way to start the year then with a cake that reminds us to save $.  This coin-slot/piggy bank cake was used in the January issue of Brides Magazine for a story on budgeting for your wedding.  

The all white flowers are supposed to mimic ceramic flowers with button-like centers.

Here a closer look at the decorative slot:

Christmas M&M tree

I hope everyone had a warm and wonderful Christmas weekend!  The holidays are always a busy baking season.  I'm sure you had your hands full rolling, icing, and baking sweet treats.  This year I made an assortment of white chocolate bark with almonds and cranberries, peanut butter blossom cookies, and millionaire shortbread bars.  To top it all off, I made a simple yet festive cake that my friend's daughter so kindly helped me decorate.  A three tier vanilla cake covered in green buttercream, decorated with colorful m&ms for lights, and a gumpaste star.  A quick, simple, and kid-friendly idea for your holiday table!  

Flower Pot Cake

There are a handful of edible flowers in the world like hibiscus, pansies, gardenias and roses...but hydrangeas are not among them.  Hydrangeas are actually considered moderately toxic. The best way to eat any flower in my opinion is a sugar flower, of course with chocolate cake crumbs acting as dirt and an orange fondant clay pot!

This flower pot was a small individual sized cake made for a friend who is an avid gardener.  I thought it would be an appropriate way to show appreciation for her hobby while celebrating her birthday. 

Garden Party Cake: The Knot - Winte

The new Winter issue of The Knot magazine is now on stands.  Check out the cake we made for it.  If this design seems familiar it's because we originally made this cake in red/yellow/pink hues (last picture).  I love how the same cake can be fitted to any occasion just by changing the color palette!

 
 

More Eiffel Tower Cake!

A couple months ago we made a small Eiffel tower cake for a 16th birthday.  This time around we made the same cake...only much larger!  This 80th birthday cake barely fit in the trunk of the delivery vehicle as it was almost 4 feet tall and weighed...well, a lot :)  This was such a sweet cake to make because three sisters collaborated to get this for their mother's big bash in NYC.  When you turn 80, you definately deserve a cake this big!

Here's a look back at the other one. This one was only about 14" tall, but still so cute!

 

Moustaches, banners and silhouette

Just Married!  We recently made a cake, cupcakes and moustache cookies for a wedding that was held at a bar near the Brooklyn Bridge.

The table consisted of our chocolate and red velvet cupcakes, vanilla moustache cookies and the Just Married banner cake.  In addition, there were classic black and white cookie from Juniors!

Here's a closer look at the silhouette topper of the excited bride and groom. The banners are made of all edible gumpaste and the tiers were simply adorned with swiss dots.

Brides Magazine : White Hot Style Shop

Last Thurs-Sun Brides Magazine put together a White Hot Style Shop open to the public.  It was a large space in Soho filled with dresses, invitations, jewlery, makeup, ideas and more.  We had the opportunity to participate in the Style Shop by creating a cake for display and holding a tasting.  Here are some pictures from the event!

This cake we made is perfect for brides who want that traditional white wedding cake, but with a modern twist.  The tiers are uneven heights and we added a modern chevron pattern that is painted in pearl dust so that it won't stand out too much.  A few flowers ended up being the perfect color accents.

 
 

We made mini red velvet cupcakes for the tasting on Sunday afternoon.

Baked by Melissa spelled out Brides with mini cupcakes :)

Other beautiful cakes on display at the shop.

Red Velvet Cake Debate

Ah the ever so popular red velvet.  Is it odd to eat something that is so unnaturally red?  Is butter based or oil based recipes better?  Can it only be made well in the South?  Did you know there is vinegar in most red velvet recipes?  Does it only taste good when paired with cream cheese frosting?  Should I use beet juice or red food coloring?  Is it just a hybrid of vanilla and chocolate cake?

If you've ever pondered Red Velvet cake in this way then " The Red Velvet Cake Debate" is where you want to be tonight.  From 6:30-9pm, Nichelle Stephens of Cupcakes Take The Cake will be hosting an event surrounding this discussion with a guest panel and of course tastings in the form of cake pops, cupcakes and cake.  Check it out.

Also...last year at Target I found none other than...Red Velvet Chocolate Milk!! What??  So I baked a small red velvet cake, took it to a friends house and had everyone try the pairing. :) The milk itself just tasted like extra sweet chocolate milk, but it was fun to experience it.