Heavenly Banana Cream Pie!

Oh I know, isn't it beautiful?!  I was curious if I could alter my recipe for the Mississippi Mud Pie, switch out chocolate for bananas and YEP I did it, and YEP it was amazing and totally worth that entire day I spent planning and putting it together.

I had to develop my own recipe for the cake and just swapped a different cookie for the crust.  The custard was so so yummy, that recipe can be found here.  I didn't want a fake tasting artificial JELLO pudding pie.  I wanted a real-deal banana cake/pie.  And this is what came out of my efforts--I couldn't be happier.  

 You can see the layers of crust, cake, custard, and cream!  (ooooh that could be a song!)

It keeps beautifully too, although I doubt you'd have to worry about that :P

Happy 4th Birthday Leila!

 My beautiful little girl turned 4 this past weekend.  She wanted something purple and something delicious--she wanted a monster and so this is what I came up with.  I didn't want fondant (gross), I didn't want too much frosting, because no matter how nice frosting tastes, sometimes it can be overwhelming and most people can't eat a mouthful of sugar.  I settled on a swiss meringue buttercream because it's just perfect.  It's sweet, yet overly so, and it colors so well.

I let her help make her decorations, I told her I'd frost the outside and she could tell me what to put on her monster.  She just wanted some eyes and a squiggly mouth, so that's what we did!

The inside of the cake is what I was most excited about.  There are five layers, two chocolate layered between the cherry, chocolate chip, and funfetti layers.  I was so impressed with how it looked when we cut into it :)

And here is her little monster, a little worse for wear since it's quite difficult to keep a 4 year old's fingers off of her birthday cake :P

And here they are, my happy beautiful girls.  Happy Birthday Leila bug <3  (Look how happy she is!)

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting!

I'm in love with pumpkin.  Anything pumpkin.  I am an American girl living in Australia and pumpkin isn't used in many, if ANY, desserts here, so I've had to improvise or else miss out on one of my favorite favorite seasonal favorites.  

I have made so many pumpkin pies, and I was looking for something different.  Don't get me wrong, I would never complain if I had a delicious creamy spicy pumpkin pie with whipped cream, it's just that I'm on a cake roll at the moment :)  I got a new cake turning board and some new piping tools from my mom for an early Christmas present (THANK YOU MOM!) and I'm excited about using them.

So here it is, my Pumpkin Spice Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting.  Have to credit Sweetapolita again for the original recipe, I've altered it to suit my tastes and OMG it's definitely satisfied my pumpkin holiday craving!  

 Aren't those layers gorgeous?  

I sprinkled some cinnamon on the finished cake just to break up the white frosting, but it was even pretty without the cinnamon.  But hey, no such thing as too much cinnamon!

Mulberry Cupcakes with Mulberry Cream Cheese Frosting!

Mulberry Cupcakes with Mulberry Cream Cheese Frosting!

Isn't that a BEAUTIFUL use of ripe, freshly picked, mulberries?

I just couldn't resist :P

These cupcakes are very special to me :)  My girls and I are always taking walks together, to the library, the shops, or to the park just down our little street.  This time of year, in Sydney, everything is in bloom--we see everyone's gardens and every year I get a little bit jealous I haven't got a green thumb >.<  Not that we don't try, this year we are trying to grow watermelon, zucchini, coriander, mint, rosemary, and some pretty flowers.  They're all seedlings still but we have high hopes!  But, even if I'm not successful, the least we can do is take advantage of the lovely produce available and teach my girls the value in all growing things, small or big, to eat or just to look at :)

Now where was I... Oh yes, the walks!  We walked to the park this morning and a lady was there with her daughter picking mulberries.  I knew the tree was there because my sister and I picked the berries a couple of years ago together (what a great time we had too!).  I didn't have anything to carry many home with us, but the girls insisted on picking the ripe ones and bringing each and every one to me as I sat reading.  I quickly realized they had the right idea, and fashioned a paper basket of sorts out of the receipts in my bag and we carried home about 4 handfuls!  The girls were so happy and excited, suggesting so many things I could make with them.  

I came across a beautiful cupcake recipe here.  I changed it a bit, made them more berry-y and omitted the matcha (even though I LOVE matcha, I just didn't want to use the little bit I have on frosting, I'm stingy! :)  I imagine any berry would work, I am already thinking of trying strawberry and blueberry.  Sadly, I just can't get the mulberries all year round.

The girls lined my cupcake pan and waited patiently to be my little taste testers.  I think they passed with flying colours, they're already telling me we NEED to go get more mulberries.  Clever little girls!

Mississippi Mud Pie!

Mississippi Mud Pie (You know you want some :)

 From the top, sure this pie isn't much to look at.  Not that all that fluffy whipped creme and chocolate curls aren't beautiful, but it's what's inside this pie that will blow your mind.  It is without a doubt the most impressive, beautiful, and delicious pie I've ever had.  I almost didn't even make it (I'm more of a cake person.)  BUT I'm so happy I did.  

Yes, there are 4 layers, counting the crust, which I do, because this crust is YUMMY.  Oreo cookie crust, dark chocolate cake, dark chocolate pudding, and whipped creme, topped with chocolate curls.

Everyone loved this pie.  It didn't even last the evening.  

Next time, I'll double the recipe and invite over all of our friends, just to hear you all brag about my pie :D

Original recipe found here and adapted by me <3

Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Mousse and Whipped Cream... with a Cherry on top :)

Happy Birthday to me!!

:D


I made such a beautiful yummy cake this evening.  What a perfect cake for my birthday!  I have been looking at this recipe on Sweetapolita for quite some time now, and since it was a special occasion, I decided to just make it.

I'm so happy I did.  Best part?  The peanut butter mousse... but wow, the cake is perfect, the cream is amazing, and put it all together... mmmmm I just hope I can get Ben to take some to work so he can pass it around, or else I WILL eat it all.. lol  The girls loved it too :)

Sprinkle Rainbow Cake!

I am so excited about this cake!

I have always LOVED sprinkles, all the colors just make you happy.  Underneath the sprinkles and buttercream is another rainbow cake--I can't resist, they are so impressive when you cut into them :)  I love doing the lettering too.  I just melted the white chocolate and piped it onto some wax paper.

My little girls can't help but get into the pictures, they get more excited about the cakes than even I do :D

 I hope you love your cake Elly!

Rainbow Birthday Cupcakes :)

Maeve was finally able to celebrate her fifth birthday on Saturday.  She wanted some cupcakes so we decided on rainbow cupcakes with whipped frosting and smarties on top :)  I forgot to get a picture of the inside somehow, and I wish I hadn't because they were so pretty when you cut them in half.  Oh well, a reason to make them again! :)

Happy Rainbow Birthday Cake!

LOVE love love this one!

I have been doing lots of thinking about Maeve's birthday and what sort of cake I should make for her.  She's going to be 5, so she wants something special.  She wants something impressive.  She wants something tasty.  So, of course a rainbow cake is right up her alley.  She loves the colors, sprinkles, and the balloons.  Her birthday is on the 11th so this just a trial cake really.  The girls are fine with that--they get to taste the practice cakes!

I haven't made up my mind if this is what I'll do yet.  But I LOVE the results <3  I hope you do too!

Cinnamon Cake!

Oh My GOD.

So I wanted to make a cake this weekend, my husband mentioned cinnamon cake and I KNOW how much he loves it.  I used to make it often a few years ago, but then we moved (a few times!) and I tried once and was so sad with my results that I just gave up on it.

Well, I'm so glad I gave it a go this afternoon!  It was beautiful.  SO beautiful.  Okay, so the cake doesn't look so special--there is no pretty frosting, no decorations, no layers.  You don't need it, trust me.  Maybe a bit of whipped cream or ice cream... yummmmy!

I'll share the recipe, because I'm so proud of it!  Please try it!

Ben's Cinnamon Cake!  (Named for my husband, who loves cinnamon cake :)

2 cups self-raising flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. butter, melted

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

Pan coating and inside layer:

2 tbsp. cocoa

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. cinnamon

8 or 9 in. pan

First, prepare your pan.  You could use an 8 or 9 inch pan.  I used an 8 in round pan because I wanted a thicker cake but the batter only just fit (I was concerned it may spill over!).  It was fine though and I was so happy with the results. 

To prepare your pan, butter the bottom and the sides well.  In a small bowl, mix together the 2 tbsp. cocoa, sugar, and tbsp. of cinnamon.  Coat the pan with this mixture reserving half or so to layer in the cake.

Note:  You have to be careful you don't overmix this batter, or else you could end up with a very heavy, stodgy cake.  I don't mind dense cakes, but I wanted this one to be on the fluffy side.  It turned out exactly how I wanted.

1)  Whisk the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon) in a bowl and set aside.

2) Mix the wet ingredients together (butter, milk, vanilla, and egg)  Beat until completely combined.

3)  Add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 3 parts until just combined.  Be careful not to over mix.  Pour half of the batter in the prepped pan, sprinkle the reserved cocoa/cinnamon/sugar mixture on top, then add the rest of the batter.

4) Bake for 25 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then remove.  Voila all finished and so so yummy!

I hope you love this delicious cake as much as I do! :)

Pretty Vanilla Cake with Pink Vanilla Buttercream

My sweet daughter, Maeve, is going to be turning 5 this year.  I can't believe she's growing so quickly!  Next month is her birthday and she's quite excited as you can imagine :)  It's such a big decision choosing what kind of cake she wants me to make for her.  I haven't really tried making a simple vanilla cake yet, so I thought I'd try my hand today.  I wanted something light, pretty, and yummy vanilla throughout.

See what I created!  I'm pretty proud of it, but Maeve wants something more girly, something more fancy, something more colorful.  Still, I bet this would make a lovely anniversary cake :)

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Frosting!

Banana cake layered with Walnuts and Cinnamon Creamcheese frosting!

Really proud of this one :)  My husband loves banana cake and makes it himself from time to time.  He usually makes a big one and whips some cream and it's delicious like that, but I wanted a fancier, prettier one.  And so.  This is my creation and I am so happy with how it turned out!

Chocolate Celebration Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

I had a wonderful opportunity to make a birthday cake this weekend for a friend's niece.  I was pretty excited about how it turned out!  I wasn't sure what to make for her and I went over lots of ideas in my head before choosing this beautiful cake.  I don't think you can go wrong with a rich, moist, homemade chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream.  I hope the birthday girl loved eating this cake as much as I loved baking it!  Happy Birthday Alyssa!

An Introduction to my Love and Obsession for Baking!

Hello Everyone!

I'm so happy you are taking the time to look me up and to find out a little more about me.  I've been baking for as long as I can remember.  Most meaningful memories for me are linked with memories of beautiful food and, especially, cakes.  My sister and I made magical chocolate chip cookies with our mom--I remember her chiding us for licking the spoons and eating more of the dough than actually went into the cookies!  I remember her letting me hold the mixer when we made birthday cakes.  I remember the chewy, rich brownies she whipped up for us on Sunday afternoons when the rain poured outside.  I remember cinnamony, crumbly peach cobbler that my dad loves so much.  I remember fluffy, decadent chocolate mousse cake my mom made for holidays--it was a rare treat that one!

For me though, it's cake.  Any reason I can find to make a cake, I make one.  Oh, husband, you hurt your leg?  CAKE!  Oh, Maeve, your tooth is loose?  CAKE!  Oh my, it's Wednesday?  CAKE!  All the better when it's a really good reason, like a birthday :)  An entire day of measuring, mixing, whipping, baking, and frosting?  I'm in heaven.

I am grown now and I have my own sweet daughters to whom I hope I can pass my love and obsession with baking.  Their little hands gets sticky from the sugar and powdery from the flour.  They love to lick the bowls after we're finished and they have the same chocolaty grins that my sister and I had when we were their ages.

I'll leave you with a photo of my beautiful girls and my latest cake.  A strawberry blueberry cake with mint swiss buttercream frosting.  They decided how to decorate it themselves! :)