Get This | Kids Party Outfits at H&M

Have you heard? H&M just came out with a line of party clothes for kids... a sweet selection of mix + matches for little fairies, princesses, preppies and pirates.

photos via h&m

Lucky You... Free Printables for St. Patricks Day

It's your lucky day... I got inspired to design a new little freebie for you.  This gift tag comes in two versions, with or without the St Patty's day mention... because you never know when you might want to share your luck with the ones you love, right?  I had some fun styling it on a green + gold ribbon trimmed balloon.  Unfortunately the wind didn't cooperate with my plans, so the photos are a bit dark due to shooting indoors.  C'est la vie... hope you enjoy!

photos + styling © cake. 2012

Sponsor Spotlight: Dressing on the Side

Our new sponsor has the most adorable (and soft!) cotton tees in her Etsy shop.  Donna of Dressing on the Side creates customized silk screened shirts with food inspired themes.  I've been rocking the 'Morning Buzz' and my husband loves his 'Bears Love Cupcakes' tee, but it was kinda hard to choose a favorite.  Just look at all these fun, fresh designs... they make me both happy and hungry.

This week, enjoy 30% OFF at Dressing on the Side! Exclusively for CAKE. readers and good through Sunday (3/4) - just use the code "cake2012".  Happy shopping!

photos © dressing on the side

This is a sponsored post, but the review is my honest opinion.  If you have a shop that you think would be a good fit for CAKE. and are interested in sponsorship, we'd love to hear from you.

Sponsor Spotlight: Yellow Bird + Yellow Beard

I had so much fun decorating our stairway for Valentines Day with my new kraft paper garlands from Yellow Bird + Yellow Beard combined with my felt heart garland from last year.  Janee is the owner of two sweet etsy shops for home and toys, and she is such a doll to work with.  She was even kind enough to send along this soft fabric monogram for Caitlin's room... it's not quite puffy enough to be a stuffed toy, but it looks super cute hanging from her door on this pink satin ribbon.  If you haven't clicked over from our sidebar yet, you should also note that Janee has a great blog.  I encourage you stop by and say hello... she offers up lots of visual inspiration, creative tutorials and other shops + artists worth exploring.

photos © cake. 2012

This is a sponsored post, but the review is my honest opinion.  If you have a shop that you think would be a good fit for CAKE. and are interested in sponsorship, we'd love to hear from you.

You Rock.

Ladies and gentlemen, the boombox is back. In a tinier, letterpressed, much quieter package that is. Mark this one under too cool not to share...

via frolic!

Dark Chocolate Holiday Bark with Sea Salt and Pistachios

Hello again from Caroline of Coeur De La! The holiday season has me craving long days spent baking with family and friends while drinking hot apple cider with a splash of caramel. Each year I go all out and make several holiday goodies to share with family ... peppermint patty cookies (that have now become a staple), meringues, dark chocolate truffles, peanut butter balls, and dark chocolate peppermint bark. I package the assortment of treats in boxes, tie ribbons around each one, and then happily give them as gifts. They are a hit! However, this year, I wanted to make a holiday bark that was a bit different. Something that was less sweet, but still would have friends and family asking for seconds. About a month ago I was immersed in Whole Living Magazine when I saw a recipe for a holiday bark that was made with dark chocolate, pistachios, and sea salt. Immediately I dog-eared the recipe and decided I had to make it. I love that the bark has only three ingredients, and being that I am a fan of savory desserts, I could not resist making it. The bark itself takes about six minutes to make and cooling takes thirty minutes. Afterwards, you will have the darkest and richest holiday bark that happens to pair incredibly well with a glass of red wine ... pinot noir to be exact.

I decided to package my holiday bark with simple twine as it will be placed in a box with other goodies. I made little tags, tied up the bark, and 1…2…3… I had a holiday bark that is sure to wow any foodie. Happy Holidays!!!! Bisous.

photos © coeur de la

Dark Chocolate Holiday Bark
with sea salt and pistachios
(recipe found in Whole Living) 

Ingredients
-1 package of dark chocolate 70% cacao (I used Scharffen Berger that was 68%)
- 1 cup raw pistachios
- 3-4 pinches of sea salt
- parchment paper
- 8 inch rectangular baking dish

Directions 
1. Melt your chocolate over low to medium heat for about five minutes, making sure to stir frequently, keeping the chocolate from burning. I found that the Scharffen Berger chocolate melted very well.
2. Pour your melted chocolate into your baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper allows for you to easily pull away the bark after cooling.
3. Drizzle the melted chocolate with the pistachios. You can go with the amount of your liking. Next sprinkle the bark with sea salt.
4. Place in the refrigerator for cooling for 30 to 40 minutes. Afterwards, do note, warm hands will cause the bark to melt so, eat as soon as possible. For serving, the bark is fine on a cake stand and at room temp, but it is better to keep in a cooler place. For storing: keep in the fridge.
5. Pair with red wine, enjoy the bark on its own, or skip the pistachios all together and go with a dark chocolate drizzled with sea salt.

Giddy Up: A Rockin’ Giveaway from the Land of Nod

The Holidays are coming! Do you have a little one who’s already making their list and checking it twice? As the mom of a toddler I happen to prefer buying well-crafted wood toys and games, so for me opening the holiday catalog from The Land of Nod is a complete delight. They have the most wonderful things for all ages, many of which remind me of my own childhood. Like this Hi-Ho Rocking Horse. We got one for my daughter and just couldn’t wait for Christmas to put it to use... we’ve lovingly dubbed him Ranger. To put size in perspective, at 18 months old Caitlin is able to climb on and off by herself (and she somehow knew instinctively how to ride like a cowgirl on first attempt)...

The Land of Nod has kindly offered to GIVE AWAY one of these classic wood beauties for the toddler in your life. For a chance to win, visit their online catalog and check out the great selection of holiday toys and games... then come back and leave a comment on this post with your favorite item and who it’s for. Bonus entries available if you share this giveaway on your blog, facebook or twitter page.

Giveaway ends Midnight PST on 11/20 and a random winner will be posted on Monday 11/21.  Caitlin wishes you the best of luck!

photos © cake.2011

playful chocolate cupcakes & a charming birthday gift

A friend recently asked me to bake some chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for her brother's birthday.  She was open on how to decorate, which finally gave me a chance to play with the goodies in my birthday gift from Michele of Cakewalk Baking... a paper suitcase filled to the brim with fabulous baking supplies including cupcake liners, pastry tips and sprinkles galore! My favorites were the chocolate stars, so I used a few on white frosting coupled with blue sprinkles, and the more traditional chocolate sprinkles with pale blue frosting.  I think they turned out quite cute, don't you?

{images copyright birthday girl 2011}

sweet treat: cake batter birthday bark

Happened upon this recipe from How Sweet it Is and it’s my new most favorite idea ever.  Ever!  Just a spoonful of cake batter and a rainbow of sprinkles turns this holiday staple into a fantastic birthday treat.  Perfect to give away as a party favor or packaged in a tin as a cheerful gift...

{image and recipe via how sweet it is}

Cake Batter Chocolate Bark

Ingredients
6 ounces high quality dark chocolate
12 ounces high quality white chocolate
3 teaspoons yellow cake mix
sprinkles of your choice (at least 3 tablespoons worth or more)

Directions
Melt dark chocolate either in the microwave or a double boiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour chocolate on. You can smooth it with a spatula to the thickness you desire. Stick in the freeze for 20 minutes.
Melt while chocolate. Whisk in cake mix slowly, stirring well until no lumps remain. Let it set for 3 full minutes (or at least until it slightly thickens). Remove baking sheet with chocolate from the freezer and immediately pour white chocolate on top. Sprinkle on sprinkles. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Once set, break into chunks. Keep refrigerated.

DiY tutorial & FREE printables: rosemary & sea salt roasted almonds

Each holiday season I create a small homemade gift that can be given to friends, neighbors and houseguests. Last year I baked a variety of cookies, but when delivering the boxes I discovered that most people were already up to their ears in holiday sweets. So this year I vowed to go with a savory treat instead. I absolutely love Marcona almonds (but they can be a little pricey) so I decided to create my own homemade version: olive oil roasted almonds with rosemary & sea salt. Below is the recipe, along with a tutorial for how to create the jars. I’ve also provided a free printable for the gift tags, so you can try this project out yourself. (Note: the wreath in the design was actually obtained from another free download provided by the fabulous Nonpareil magazine). Hope it gets you in the holiday spirit!

PS: Look for these almonds featured as favors at the holiday gift wrap party I'll be posting later this week.

To make the Almonds:
-5 lbs blanched almonds
-Olive oil
-6-8 sprigs fresh rosemary {stems discarded}
-Coarse sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. In a large bowl, toss almonds in olive oil until well coated.
3. Sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary
4. Spread evenly on baking pans, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until light golden brown in color.
tip: allow almonds to cool completely before filling jars.

For the Jars:
-24 small glad jars with lids {I ordered mine from specialty bottle}
-Fabric to cover lids
-Ribbon
-24 rubberbands
-Gift tags

1. Cut out fabric into squares and cut lengths of ribbon. {Tip: create a sample to find the measurements you like and use that to measure out the rest}.
2. Print and cut out tags using scissors or a circle cutter. Punch hole in top center.
3. Pull rubberband through tag hole and loop through to hold in place.
4. Fasten fabric to jar lids with tagged rubberband.
5. Tie ribbon around rubberband and center with a bow.

Download gift tags HERE

{all images copyright birthday girl 2010}

father's day fun: shirt & tie cake

I've always wanted to make a shirt & tie cake and present it in a shirt box as a Father's day or birthday gift. Alas, my dad is not a corporate guy. So with Father's day coming up on Sunday, I thought maybe some of your dads and husbands could benefit from the idea. I've seen lots of great design examples, and though I can't find any specific recipes, if you know how to work with fondant I think it's fairly self explanatory. Keep in mind I'm guessing a little, but here's what I would do...

{image via tiepedia}

Shirt & Tie Cake How-To

1. Select a shirt box and line with enough tissue paper to fold over the sides of the box.
2. Cut a sheet of foam board to fit inside base of the box and cover with parchment paper or foil.
3. Prepare a standard sheet cake as directed for a 9x13" baking pan. Allow the cake to cool and invert onto the foam board.
4. Cover cake in a layer of buttercream frosting.
5. Roll out sheets of fondant in desired colors and trim to size before gently laying over cake and smoothing.
6. Dip a thin brush in food coloring to create a tie pattern and use real buttons & cufflinks to trim shirt collar and cuff. Poke small holes with a toothpick to emulate stitching on pocket and cuff.
7. Carefully lift the foamboard with the cake and place inside the lined shirt box.

black & white cookies

Last weekend I attended a 5th Anniversary picnic for my friends Anna & David. I wanted to bring them something home baked and decided on classic black & white cookies. These cookies are a favorite bakery treat of mine, but this was my first attempt at making them at home. This recipe worked great, but things got amusing when my husband (who is a die hard east coaster) insisted that they didn't count as true black & white cookies unless they were BIG. So when my palm sized cookies didn't meet his standard of excellence, he took the remaining batter and made some giant cookies. And I mean giant... which of course didn't fit in the cute box I'd designed & labeled for the party. Admittedly though, the giant cookies were just as delicious and way more fun to eat, so feel free to experiment with the recipe for yourself.

{images copyright bg2010}

Black and White Cookies

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
makes about about 12-24 cookies depending on size

Ingredients
Cookies
4 cups (16 ounces) cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup whole milk
Icings
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup water
5 cups (20 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
2-4 tablespoons water

Directions
1. For the cookies: Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and lemon extract until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk. Repeat with half of the remaining flour mixture, and the remaining milk. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until combined.

4. Scoop 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. Use the back of a spoon or your finger dipped in water to smooth the tops of the cookies. Bake the cookies until the edges are just beginning to turn light golden brown, about 15 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking.

5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Repeat with the remaining dough using cooled, freshly lined baking sheets.

6. For the icings: Bring the corn syrup and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Measure half of the icing into a separate bowl and whisk in the melted chocolate and 2 to 4 tablespoons of water as needed until the mixture is smooth and spreadable.

7. Place 2 large wire racks over parchment paper for easy clean up. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the chocolate icing over half of each cookie with a small spatula, then let sit on the wire racks until the icing has just set, about 15 minutes. Spread the vanilla icing over half of each cookie and let sit until the icings have hardened, about 1 hour before serving.

DiY: hot chocolate spoons

I just love, love LOVE these hotchocspoons. It’s one of those brilliant ‘how could I not have thought of this myself?’ concepts.

Actually... even though it might be sacrilege to suggest such a thing, why not make them yourself? All you need is a silicone ice cube tray, disposable wooden spoons and a variety of chocolates and mix-ins for melting and experimenting with. (consider it a modern take on those dixie cup popsicles we used to make as kids). Such a perfect treat for this cold winter weather, and you could easily package them up and give them out as hostess gifts or party favors too. Yes, it’s settled. I’m definitely on board with this project... who’s with me?

{images via chocolate company}

the onsie game: nesting shower, part 2

Instead of the traditional shower games, we had each guest bring a onsie for a guessing game.  As I mentioned yesterday, guests were asked to bring a unisex onsie that reflected something about them.  We hung up all the onsies on a clothesline across the living room- which consequently made for some cute shower decorations.  The mom-to-be to was asked to look over all the onsies and pick out one at a time.  For each onsie she had 3 chances to guess who it had come from.  If she guessed wrong 3 times, the person who gave her the onsie raised her hand- and as a ‘penalty’ for guessing wrong, she got to ask the mom-to-be a trivia question about pregnancy, child development or celebrity babies.  Guests were allowed to ask their own questions, but I also had multiple choice questions on hand for everyone in case they didn’t know what to ask.  

All in all it worked out great.  The mom-to-be had a lot of fun playing, and we all got a laugh from some of the baby trivia questions.  Best of all, we outfitted the baby for at least a few weeks!
I forgot to take a picture of the onsie that I made and it doesn’t really show up in the group photos, but mine was an elephant.  They’ve been my totem animal since I received a stuffed Babar as a baby (still have it to this day).  I created it from a stencil on blue & white polka dot fabric and sewed it onto a white gerber onsie.  It was adorable, and very easy to create.  A great gift idea for any new mom!

{images & designs ©bg 2009}

cupcakes delivered from the heavens

Saint Cupcake should be... well, sainted for having the best gift idea ever.  Homemade cupcakes.  Your choice of 3 flavors - 3 icings - 3 sprinkles.  Packaged in an adorable pink DiY gift box.  Delivered anywhere in the country.  Your friends may love you forever. 

{first spotted at simple song}