Sugar Cookies

After years of testing and experimenting, I have found my own favorite (and in my opinion, perfectly delicious) sugar cookie & icing recipe combo. 

My cookies are thick and soft, not too sweet.  They hold their shape well when baked.  My icing is thin yet dries to a glossy hard finish.  It is very sweet and you can flavor it with the extract of your choice. 

For the past couple years, I have been using this recipe to make party favors for my girls birthdays.  My friend Lori asked me to make a special batch of my sugar cookies for her husband Steve, who has really had a tremendously awesome past 6 months and deserved a special treat for all his hard work. 

I knew Steve loves fly fishing, so when I was searching through my cookie cutter collection,  I found this never-before used cutter and knew it was the perfect one!

I had some fun with this arrangement.  I delivered them today and he was really grateful!

 

 

For my local friends, I can make large sugar cookies for you too! $1 each for order of 1 dozen or more (1 color). If you would like them individually bagged they are $1.25 each.

Cars Racetrack Cake

http://pipeddreamscake.blogspot.com/2013/05/cars-racetrack-cake.html

I mustache you to eat a cupcake.

For my MOPS group end of the year gathering, we decided to give our night a mustache theme since the husbands were invited.  I made these platters of fun cupcakes to go along with the theme!

The big centerpiece mustache is a 6" round cake cut into 2 halves -ying yang shaped- and then arranged to look like a 'stache.  I frosted it in vanilla and then covered in chocolate jimmies.  

It is surrounded by chocolate pound cake cupcakes with vanilla buttercream swirls.

The top tray is a new creation of mine, a twinkie-flavored vanilla pound cake with a whipped vanilla topping.    I used decorated with chocolate fondant mustache cutouts.

3D Teddy Bear Birthday Cakes

I was asked by my ultra-creative & crafty friend Shannon to make 3D teddy bear cakes for her daughter Merjen's birthday party. 

Shannon had the 3D cake pan for me to use.  It bakes the batter in the shape of this large teddy bear, then you pop it off like a shell and you have this adorable cake.  I actually have the smaller version and I used it for Kaycie's first birthday cake, too.

Since the teddy bears were large cakes and were relatively upright, I used a dense pound cake recipe so they would hold together well.  Shannon also asked for purple over sized bows, and we put one on each bear to match the theme. They were made out of fondant with a little bit of gum paste mixed in.

This cute little pair of bears was a hit with the birthday girls and her guests!

Unicorn Birthday Cake!

Hold on to your seats Ladies and Gentlemen, it's about to get REALLY girlie up in here......

Unicorns, glitter, AND pink flowers, in one single cake!

 

My dear friend Janice (yes that's right, 30 & Fabulous) asked me to make a birthday cake for her daughter who turned 3.  She loves unicorns.  She loves pink and purple.  She loves sparkles. 

 

 

We even made the cake batter purple!

This cake features a 6" unicorn made from a 50/50 fondant/gumpaste mix.  It was carved from a sketch I made of the unicorn.  After it dried for 2 days, I added a few subtle details like nose, eyes, mouth, a pink unicorn horn and brushed it with Disco Dust in the "Pixie" color. 

 

I cut the flowers from tinted fondant and attached them to the cake with buttercream.  I also added a few silver dragees to the flowers.  Oh, and glitter (disco dust).  Lots and lots of glitter spattered all over the top and across the flower petals.

 

 

Ashling and all the little girls loved the unicorn cake, and I was on cloud 9 that I could make her so happy on her Birthday.