Chocolate Curls Christmas Cake

I know I said I would stop with the red and green but apparently I was totally lying.  Sorry.

I made a white cake, tinted some frosting red and green, then melted some chocolate.  Have you ever made chocolate curls?  I had tried once before.  It was a major fail.  I am pretty sure there were even some comments mocking my skills, and if they werent totally right I might have been upset.

Ok, so looks like I still have not mastered this technique.  I could not get one single perfect swirly curl.

I blame the red candy melts I used.  And the warm December weather. And that one boy in 2nd grade who called me 4-eyes. *cough*

Clearly I have issues.

In addition to sharing this sweet little Christmas cake with you, I also wanted to give you a chance to share something with someone you love.  Say that sentence three times fast.  Or dont.  Just remember I am not an English major.  I am not even an English minor.  Words. Good.

 

Would you like to win a brand new Motorola DROID RAZR smartphone?  These things are awesome.

  • 8-megapixel camera and an HD display that makes movies, photos, magazines and websites appear with vibrant clarity
  • are near-field communications(NFC)-enabled
  • battery that allows for up to 32 hours of normal use and double the internal storage to 32 GB
  • run over 4G LTE, combined with Chrome for Android, meaning customers can enjoy blazing fast speeds that make downloading documents or surfing the Web a breeze
  • Global Ready

Not only would I love to give an iambaker reader this beautiful phone, but I would love to give you a $50 Verizon Giftcard to be used towards your bill or any phone accessory!  All in all, this gift is worth over $250!

A Beautiful New Smartphone.

A $50 Verizon Giftcard.

A sweet little cake.

Its the recipe for a perfect Christmas folks. ;)

Official Rules

To enter simply follow the instruction through the Rafflecopter widget below!  I gave you LOTS of chances to win! (It can take a moment to load, so please be patient!)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

· 371 Comments

Special Cake for a “Picky Palate”

Have you ever met Jenny?  She is the genius force behind the amazing blog, Picky Palate.

And… she is having a baby!  A few friends got together to throw a virtual baby shower, and I was fortunate enough to be able to bring a cake!

Well, did you know that sweet Jenny INVENTED the Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie?  You’ve seen it everywhere right… that glorious creation of a chocolate chip cookie with an entire Oreo hidden in the center?  Jenny was the Original!  Isnt that cool?

So I decided to make a cake that was as unique and as fun as she is.  Which is no easy challenge!

The outside I based on her adorable blog design.

The border is made to mimic Jenny’s pretty scalloped blog header.

The rattle is a “baby-fied”  interpretation of her knife, fork, and spoon logo.

And the inside…

A chocolate chip cookie Oreo stuffed Cake!  You totally saw that comin right?  I posted a quick “recipe” for this cake below, but be sure to check out Jenny’s Original Recipe to make mouth watering Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Print
Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Ingredients

  • 36 oz of cookie dough (I use the Nestle tub)
  • 14-15 Double Stuff Oroes
  • 2 cups Buttercream

Instructions

  1. In a well prepared 8in cake pan, place half of your cookie dough. Press down so that iy is a flat layer. Starting in the center, place Oreo's flat on top of cookie dough. Press down remaining cookie dough over Oreo layer.
  2. In an oven heated to 350, bake for 25-35 minutes. At 25 min. I placed an aluminum foil ring around the edge of the pan so the cookie edges would not burn, and then watched closely.
  3. Remove from oven when center is no longer shiny.
  4. Let cool and cover in buttercream.
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 So many folks love Jenny and made special treats for her!  I cant wait to stop by and see all of the beautiful creations!
Angie: Bakerella Baby Faces
Bev: Bev Cooks Horseradish Deviled Eggs
Bridget: Bake at 350 Cute as a Button Cupcakes
Cheryl: TidyMom Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Gaby: Whats Gaby Cooking Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
Heather: Heather’s Dish Perfect Pancake Bites
Julie: The Little Kitchen Mixed Berry Mint Slushies
Kathy: Panini Happy Baby Oreo Ice Cream Pies
Kristan: Confessions of a Cookbook Queen Homemade Animal Crackers
Lauren: Lauren’s Latest Mini Chocolate Lava Cakes
Maria: Two Peas and Their Pod Cookies ‘n Cream Sheet Cake
Marion: Sweetopia Baby Shower Cookie Favors
Marla: Family Fresh Cooking Blueberry Mint Agua Fresca
Michelle: Brown Eyed Baker Shrimp Nacho Bites
Robyn: Add a Pinch Blue Velvet Cake
Shaina: Food For My Family Ginger Plum Preserves
Shelly: Cookies and Cups Oreo Pop Baby Rattles
· 88 Comments

Chocolate Cupcakes {contest closed}

This was the most fun post to do. I get to make something delicious and talk about one of my favorite people!

I dont know if you heard, but today Amy Atlas’s book Sweet Designs,  is available to purchase!!  Its fabulous.

She has so many tips and tricks, I think she can turn anyone into a professional stylist!  Its easy to read, the pictures are stunning, and the ideas are SO creative!

I wanted to make her Chipper Chocolate Cupcakes. (They are in her ‘Perfectly Preppy’ chapter… my favorite!!)

And I am so glad I did!  Amy offers up a unique version of chocolate cake that is delectable.  (You have got to get the book just for that recipe… I have made LOTS of chocolate cake in my day, but never one like this!)

The cupcakes in her book are covered with and surrounded by the funnest pretty pink sprinkles.

I totally did not have pretty pink sprinkles on hand.

So I just made some!

Paired with Amy’s delicious buttercream and it was a win-win.

Actually, its win-win-win.  Know why?  Because YOU have a chance to win too!  One lucky reader is going to win a copy of Amy’s book!

Its easy!  Just tell me, What is your favorite cake flavor?

If its chocolate you gotta get her book and try these cupcakes!

For an additional entry you can tweet:

I want to win a copy of @amyatlas ‘s amazing new book  #SweetDesigns  from @iambakertweets! http://bit.ly/JBRxee 

You can also earn an addition entry by sharing this post on facebook! (You can just click the share button under my facebook post)

Please leave a separate comment for each.

I have even better news.  A few other amazingly talented bloggers got together to help spread the word about Sweet Designs!

You have GOT to go and see what they made!!!

Tidymom  Honey Panna Cotta

Sweetapolita  Pink Eclairs

My Baking Addiction  Banana Whoopie Pies

Two Peas and Their Pod  Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Bake at 350  Hazelnut Truffles

Sweetopia  Chocolate Beehive Cupcakes

Bakingdom  Mini Strawberry Trifles

The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle Amy Atlas Cookbook Giveaway

Not only did they make something sweet from the book, they are also giving away one copy!  So you have NINE chances to win!!

This giveaway is open from April 24th through midnight on April 30th.  You must be 18 years old to enter and live in the United States.

Please see official rules HERE.

*****

The winning comment was #368

Amy who likes “lemon cake with lemon icing”

I am sending you an email Amy!  Congrats! 

 

· 916 Comments

Saint Patrick’s Day Cupcakes {Beer Mugs}

I made these cupcakes last year, but never shared the tutorial for them on my blog.  Since they are so easy and SO fun, I couldnt resist sharing them this year!

 
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Not only are these beer mug St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes fun and easy to do, but they’re actually made with beer, thanks to this fantastic Chocolate Stout Cake recipe from Sweetapolita!

Simply bake the cake according to direction, except put the batter into a cupcake pan. I did not use cupcake liners, but if you choose to, remember to remove them prior to assembling your beer mug.

Start off by getting a fist-full portion of green fondant.

Roll out your fondant on a clean working surface. If you need to, sprinkle cornstarch to keep the fondant from sticking.

Roll fondant to about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thickness, then cut into strips. The strip size will vary, depending on the height and width of your cupcake.

Now you want to add the mugs “panels” .  Just cut out mini portions of fondant and, using a tiny amount of water as “glue,’ adhere the strips to what will become the side of the mug.

 

Take your fondant strip and wrap it around your cupcake. Overlap the fondant by about 1/2 inch, and adhere edges with frosting or water.

Next you can add the handle! Just take your green fondant and roll out a “snake,” or long rounded strip. Form it into the handle shape and set out to dry. Since I was in a hurry to make these, I put the handles into my oven at 170 degrees for 15-20 minutes. This dried them out enough for them to retain their shape.

Using a small amount of frosting, I attached the handle to the side of the fondant mug.

To create the beer foam, just put your frosting into a sealable plastic bag and cut off one corner to make a hole. You want a fairly large opening — about 1/4 to 1/2 inch across.

Apply pressure to the bag and pipe out billows of frosting.   For an extra touch, let some drip down over the side. This technique is extremely forgiving, so have fun with it!

Be sure to let me know if you make them.  I would love to see!

· 74 Comments

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Champagne Buttercream

I meant to post this last week, but never was able. Please accept my sincere apologies.  I wish I could send you each some of these cookies to make amends. They are absolutely amazing.  Completely decadent.  Totally befitting an enchanting evening such a New Years Eve. I used Sprinkle Bakes [...] Read more »

· 75 Comments

Pumpkin Surprise Cake

I recently posed a question on facebook. “I just made a really fun cake!! One of the main ingredients is marshmallow… any guesses on what it is??? (There may be a prize involved…)” Three of you guessed correctly. Carla Smith Marcella Simon Vander Eems Lenita Wall And one of you [...] Read more »

· 60 Comments