Sweets + Treats | 20something cupcakes

Archives For Sweets + Treats

{goat} cheesecake + thyme-infused cherries.

August 31, 2012 — 4 Comments

I’m pretty sure goat cheese cheesecake is one of the seventh wonders of the world that I’m just a littttle upset to be just discovering.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Thyme-Infused Cherries

I mean, where have I been? It’s been a long 27 years without goat cheese cheesecake.

Cheesecake should probably be my favorite dessert, right? Considering that cheese is my numero uno food group. I do love a good cheesecake, now that I think about it. Sometimes I get a craving and send Daniel down the street for this ridiculous “30th Anniversary” crazy-town chocolate number from The Cheesecake Factory. It’s so rich and indulgent and just totally NUTS. Have you ever had this sucker?

It might happen only once a year for me, for said reason – it’s so over-the-top sweet and indulgent that I have it once and I’m good for, um… a year. Such is not the case with this very distant relative of that cheesecake.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Sweets + Treats cheesecake, cherries, cream cheese, goat cheese, summer recipes, thyme

how-to: create a candy bar for showers + parties.

June 28, 2012 — 2 Comments

You know those people who used to whine in school that they just failed a test, and then – of course – they’d end up with, like, a 99%?

how to set up a candy buffet

I was so one of those people.

I’m not sure if it’s confidence thing, because I’ve never really had an issue in that department … but as I type this, I think I’m having a breakthrough … it’s totally an overachiever thing!

YES.

How have I not thought of this before? Well, truth be told, I haven’t given much thought to it at all – until just now. Until I got to thinking about getting crafty. Because – yes, that’s right, this is the part where I tell you about how I’m not crafty at all, and how I probably shouldn’t be let within a 10-foot radius to a Michael’s and I don’t even want to consider owning a hot glue gun and …

Then I tell you about this super-cool lollipop stand I made. With ribbon. And pins. And large, cone-shaped styrofoam objects.

{please “like” the video if you make it to the end – YouTube likes this, which will make it easier for other people to find it when they’re searching, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel here if you’re so inclined}

More importantly? I liked it.

In Sassy in the Kitchen, Sweets + Treats baby shower, get crafty, party favor ideas, party planning, showers + parties

bananas ‘n cream pudding.

June 8, 2012 — 9 Comments

It doesn’t get more Southern than banana pudding.

Bananas 'n Cream Pudding

The old-school way of going about it involves any or all of the following: pudding – usually instant, boxed Nilla wafers, maybe some sweetened condensed milk, fresh banana slices, and either a meringue or whipped cream topping. It all gets layered together in some sort of a casserole or bowl, where the cookies become soft and as they melt their way into the pudding.

If you didn’t know all of that, you’d probably think the term “banana pudding” refers to … a banana-flavored pudding, right?

I totally dig this kind of thing – for one, that the name of the recipe seems straightforward, but it’s not, and then the fact that it’s timeless and classic, the type of recipe that gets passed down from generation to generation. However, I’m not so into boxed pudding and cookies and the like – hi, have we met? And so I set off to create my own spin on this traditional Southern specialty.

My first requirement was fresh berries. I love the combination of banana and both blueberries and blackberries, and I liked the idea of a twist on berries ‘n cream. To me, banana pudding should be a light, refreshing dessert. If I want something rich and heavy, I’m going for chocolate or an all-butter pastry type of a deal.

Bananas 'n Cream Pudding

Also – who wants something heavy after fried chicken? A meal like that requires something on the lighter side, for sure.

The next order of business – and the most important one – was the bananas. This is banana pudding, after all! I knew I wanted their flavor to shine, so I immediately knew I’d be roasting. I thought about roasting bananas for the first time when I made this banana bread (also with blackberries … I told you I’m into this combo) but I didn’t, because I had some old ones to use. This was the perfect opportunity to try it! You already know how I feel about roasting – it brings out the best of pretty much all vegetables, and apparently now fruits – so this was an obviously easy decision.

In Sweets + Treats bananas, blackberries, blueberries, everything's better roasted, fresh whipped cream, pudding, southern recipes, vanilla bean

mini pineapple {coconut} upside-down cakes.

May 9, 2012 — 7 Comments

For a long time, I’ve been obsessing over the idea of a pineapple upside-down cake.

Mini Pineapple {Coconut} Upside-Down Cakes

The only problem was, pineapple upside-down cake conjured up images of canned pineapple and cake mix.

Yeah … clearly that was not where I wanted to take this cake.

I checked out a few recipes, but didn’t fall in love. I had to take matters into my own hands.

Around the same time, I was becoming equally obsessed with the idea of baking with coconut oil. Have you guys been seeing this stuff everywhere? It comes in a jar, and the texture of it is scoopable – almost like a jar of coconutty-white, soft butter. You want to make sure to get virgin coconut oil, because that means it wasn’t refined with chemicals and other not-so-fun stuff. And guess what? You can use it as a {healthier} substitute for butter in your baking!

Which is just what I did with this recipe. Instead of using three sticks of butter, I went with one plus a cup of coconut oil. Um, hello? … How major is that?!

In Sweets + Treats blackberries, coconut, coconut milk, coconut oil, cupcakes, pineapple, tropical

how-to: chocolate-dipped biscotti.

April 18, 2012 — 11 Comments

Biscotti is one of those classic desserts that seems to be appropriate for any occasion.

Holiday gifts, housewarming gifts … breakfast.

Even people who don’t like dessert will probably take a liking to biscotti. It’s not overly sugary, and even if you’re entirely averse to sweets, you can customize these bad boys using your own favorite ingredients, making them as sweet – or un-sweet – as you want.

And, hellllooo … dipping stuff into coffee is, like, super-fun.

I got the brilliant idea to make biscotti for two of our good friends who recently hosted a housewarming party (and had also just gotten engaged – double the celebration!). My first thought was a bottle of Patron XO Cafe, our group of friends’ beverage of choice – and then I thought, biscotti! I wasn’t really sure what they were into in terms of desserts, so I figured this fabulous coffee-themed gift would please pretty much anyone.

I’m telling you: Biscotti (bonus points for pairing it with coffee-flavored tequila) is the solution to any of your “I want to make them something special, but I’m just not sure what they like” situations. We all have those situations, don’t we?

Yes, we do! Which is why I’ve got another episode of Sassy in the Kitchen for you today – so that you can see for yourself how totally easy this is.

In Sassy in the Kitchen, Sweets + Treats almonds, biscotti, chocolate, cookies, holiday gift ideas, housewarming, italian recipes, salty + sweet

tangerine semifreddo + salted almond brittle.

April 13, 2012 — 4 Comments

Looking for an absurdly delicious take on the classic “Creamsicle” flavor combination?

I thought so.

The second I saw this recipe, I was in. I wasn’t exactly sure what a semifreddo was, but I took a look at the ingredient list and figured that eggs, sugar, and heavy cream wouldn’t fail me – and a little tangerine love? Yes, please.

A semifreddo is really just a fancy Italian word for a frozen custard type of dessert. This recipe is actually quite simple – yolks, sugar, and citrus come together for a custard, the whites are beaten into a meringue-like cloud with the rest of the sugar, and cream is whipped into, well, whipped cream! They’re all folded together and frozen in layers with what happens to be the very best part of the recipe, which is the salted almond brittle.

Yes – it is the salted almond brittle that takes this one over the top. Without it, we’d be facing a super-creamy dessert with lots of fresh tangerine flavor – thanks to the quick sauce that’s added just before serving – but also a very sweet dessert. I actually added just a touch of lemon to the tangerine sauce to give it a little extra tartness, because my tangerines were oh-so-sweet. This way, we’ve got the holy flavor trifecta happening: salty, sweet, and tart. Holla!

In addition to bringing the salty vibe to the party, the brittle also provides that crazy-necessary element of crunch. Between the plush, ice-cream-like texture of the semifreddo (no ice cream maker required!) and the salty-crunchy goodness of the brittle, this dessert has it all.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Sweets + Treats almonds, brittle, citrus, italian recipes, salty + sweet, semifreddo, tangerines

rhubarb-strawberry icebox pie.

March 30, 2012 — 5 Comments

This pretty pink ice cream pie is totally not my fault.

I mean, how can you look it in the eye and not want to make it? It’s pink! And pretty!

I blame springtime. This time of year, I want to make pretty pink desserts. With rhubarb. And strawberries.

Well, that’s kind of a lie. Because this is the first time I’ve ever actually purchased rhubarb from the store and made something out of it. But, it’s not a complete lie – because I’ve always wanted to.

Just in case you’re unfamiliar, rhubarb is that pinkish-greenish celery-looking stuff that yes, happens to rear its stalky head this time of year. You probably hear that it’s paired with strawberries a lot, in desserts. It’s true. It happens.

It happened here, and I’m quite happy about it. I spied this rhubarb icebox pie in Bon Appétit a while ago, and saved it for this perfect moment. Well, the funny thing is that the moment turned out to be more perfect than I could have imagined.

In Sweets + Treats ice cream, icebox desserts, pies + tarts, rhubarb, spring recipes, strawberries

lemon meringue cupcakes.

March 15, 2012 — 11 Comments

Lemon meringue: It’s just one of those things. You’re either in, or you’re out.

You either like lemony-tart action happening in your desserts, or you don’t. Clearly, I’m into this sort of thing, as a lover of these lemon meringue tarts that I consider to be one of the greatest desserts ever created. But, as it turns out, there’s more to lemon meringue than just pies and tarts.

There’s lemon meringue in cupcake form! And it’s a total sock-rocker.

Spring just makes you want to run out and bake a lemon meringue cupcake or two, doesn’t it? As you can imagine, recipes for these types of cupcakes exist. Lots of them. There aren’t, however, any lemon meringue cupcake recipes that make sense – or should I say, there didn’t used to be … until now!

{Remember a couple of weeks ago when I got to talking about developing recipes that make sense? It’s kind of a new hobby of mine}

Here’s the thing: I’m not trying to have 6 egg yolks here and then 2 egg whites there and then 4 more egg yolks for this part of the recipes and then 4 egg whites over here – no, no, and no. This is not my idea of fun. If I’m making a recipe with three different components – lemon curd, cupcake batter, and meringue frosting – all of them involving eggs, I’d like them to add up to a whole number. And if.at.all.possible, I’d like to make jussssst enough curd and frosting to top the number of cupcakes I’m making.

Is that even possible? You wouldn’t think so, if you started to search this crazy world-wide-web we call the internet for a solution to this problem.

In Sweets + Treats cupcakes, lemon, lemon curd, meringue, spring recipes

tiramisù with homemade ladyfingers.

March 4, 2012 — 6 Comments

Welcome to the vat of creamy, coffee-filled delight that is tiramisu.

Layers of espresso-cream cheese-mascarpone filling, espresso-soaked homemade ladyfingers (which are really little sponge cakes), and a dusting of chocolate? Yes. Please.

Even though most people associate tiramisu with eating out, I think it was put on this Earth for at-home entertaining. It’s the perfect make-ahead dessert for a dinner party – especially a big group. And, your oven’s off-duty, meaning you’ve got room for lasagna! Which is another perfect recipe for feeding a crowd.

This particular recipe had a host of issues, but I hope it doesn’t stop you from trying it entirely; because it does have some great ideas, and I’ve adjusted the recipe to give you a better result. I actually intended to give you a video for this recipe, but since I couldn’t stand behind the original recipe as I’d made it in the video, I nixed it. Gotta keep it real!

In Dinner Party Worthy, Sweets + Treats coffee, espresso, italian recipes, make-ahead, no-bake desserts, pastry cream, project pastry queen

{strawberries + champagne} cupcakes.

February 24, 2012 — 85 Comments

The ever-so-classic combination of strawberries and champagne – signed, sealed, and delivered – in cupcake form.

This calls for a celebration.

You bring over the bottle of champagne – make that ~~two~~ three, we’ll need one for baking and ~~one~~ two for drinking – and I’ll whip us up a batch of these bad boys.

The Academy Awards are on this Sunday – does that work for you? Perfect.

You guys know I live for the Academy Awards, right? (Okay, fine…so I don’t live for the actual awards show. I much prefer the red carpet. And what I mean by that is watching Fashion Police the next day. Is it just me, or is Joan Rivers getting lewder – read: funnier – as she, um, ages?)

Nevermind the fact that I normally haven’t seen 90% of the nominated films. This year, I’m really shutting it down – I haven’t seen even one of the movies up for best picture. Although – I do plan on changing that this weekend. Friday night, Daniel and I have a date with either The Artist at this funky little old-school theater, or The Help via On Demand. Which one will it be? Well, let’s see: One requires me to leave my house, which probably means I’d have to put on some sort of clothing that doesn’t resemble pajamas. And then I’d have to brush my hair…make-up? No way. Not happening. I’ll take my comfy couch, spa robe, and vino, please.

I guess that settles that.

In Sweets + Treats champagne, cupcakes, special occasions, strawberries, vanilla buttercream