Tutorial: Pretty Powdered Donut Tower

Hello!  Paiges of Style back again...  I'm always looking for easy and inexpensive party desserts that won't cost me a fortune or take hours of my time. We all know how stressful setting up parties can be and I needed a sweets display that wouldn't break the bank or keep me up all night. Enter Hostess brand powdered donuts :) Piling up these little treats takes only about 5 minutes and looks so sweet and charming. Here's how I make my donut towers:

Start with a decorative cake stand to display your donut tower.  Create a solid base with donuts and make sure there are no large gaps in the center of your bottom circle. It's important to start with a good foundation.
 

Continue building your tower by making the circle of each upper layer a little smaller than the one below it. Again, make sure to fill in the center of your circle well, you may have to break the donuts into pieces to make the donuts fit well.

 

Once, you've built your tower, have some fun with dressing it up. For this birthday party, I made fabric flowers with pins on the back to serve as favors for the moms in attendance. I simply used floral pins to "pin" the flowers into place on the donuts.

Here's an inspiring donut tower that is too beautiful not to share! Jessica from Modern Moments Designs created this gorgeous tower for a bridal shower using flowers from Two Sugar Babies. I'm in love...

Cardamom Pear Bread Pudding

Hi, it’s Michele from Cakewalk Baking and I’m back to share one of my favorite fall recipes – cardamom pear bread pudding.  Bread pudding is the ultimate comfort dessert and super simple to make. It’s also incredibly versatile – swap out the pears and raisins with chocolate & bananas, blackberries, or apples for an equally delicious result. I love using pain au levain (a French sourdough made with a combination of wheat & white flours) for this recipe because it adds another layer of flavor and creates the best crunchy top, but most breads will do.  Enjoy!

PS – I have this recipe on my menu at Zut! in Berkeley if you want to taste it without actually making it yourself!

 photo © cakewalk baking

Cardamom Pear Bread Pudding

I loaf of day old pain au levain or French bread, crust removed & cut into 1” cubes

2 cups milk

2 cups cream

1 cup sugar (white or brown)

6 eggs

1 tsp cardamom

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 pears, peeled and sliced into 2” slices

1 cup raisins

Sugar for sprinkling

Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, sugar, spices and vanilla. Add bread cubes and gently fold in pears and raisins.  Pour mixture in a 13” x 9” ceramic dish or individual ramekins, sprinkle with sugar. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes at 350°. Remove foil and continue to bake until browned on top and the custard is set, about 30 more minutes. Serve warm with your favorite caramel sauce and whipped cream.