Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays from Sweet&Splendid! Thank you for another wonderful and successful year, and we look forward to serving you in 2013!

-Danielle

jingle balls

When the shopping malls start playing Christmas music, I know it's time to start the Christmas baking. This time I'm starting with cake pops (also because a few people have already asked them. It's not even December!). 

These chocolate pops were dipped in white chocolate and covered a) completely in christmas non-pariels; b) sparingly in white non-pariels; and c) in shredded coconut. Simple and delicious.

For something a little different, these snowmen pops were dipped in chocolate and accented with fondant hats and noses, and finished with blue bows.

And lastly, these ornament pops were dipped in chocolate and then coated with different shades of luster dust, finished off with fondant ornament top details. 

I can't wait to see what the rest of the holiday season has in store for us.

-Danielle

Heisenberg

There are only a few TV shows I've gotten really into. Like, "stay in bed all day and watch an entire season" into. Breaking Bad is one of those shows. So imagine how happy I was when I was asked to make this:

A subtle homage to the birthday boy's favourite show is represented by Heisenberg's (Walter White's alter-ego) hat and glasses. The cake itself was made from vanilla sponge and filled with cookie dough, sandwiched by layers of vanilla buttercream. Highly addicting.

The cake also featured meth. Lots of meth. Made from homemade, blue-raspberry flavoured hard candy. 

Happy birthday to a man of great television (and baked goods) tastes!

Danielle

bombs away

A close friend with a penchant for Jägermeister is turning another year older, and it's only fitting I prepared a cake that truly captured his spirit and adoration of this fine beverage.

Vanilla cake and cookies and cream filling were carved and shaped into the iconic bottle and topped with a rice paper label.

Happy birthday, Paul!

Ladurée

While visiting New York City I finally had the opportunity to try the famous Ladurée macarons. After reading and hearing so much about these delicate treats the expectations were quite high. However, I was not disappointed.

Located on Madison Ave in the Upper East Side, the retails shop is adorably delightful. Macaron towers adorn the windows and the shelves, and of course, the trays upon trays of macarons are proudly on display behind the counter. I learned from the staff that these macarons are prepared daily in Paris and shipped across the ocean 3-4 times per week; these French pastries are authentically French.

The packaging for these treats is just as lovely as they are themselves so I ordered an Arabesque box of 8 macarons and headed to the Pond in Central Park to enjoy a couple (i.e. I ate all of them within 2o minutes). 

From top left: cassis-violet, salted butter caramel, rose, lime-basil, strawberry candy, lemon, chocolate and blood orange-ginger. 

The texture was unreal. Why can't I get my shells that thin?! Each macaron had the same consistent texture which was pretty remarkable considering the fillings ranged from creams to ganaches to marshmallows to gelees. 

Not a single air pocket, not a single crack, and beautiful, perfect feet. The chefs at Ladurée definitely know what they're doing. If I had to choose a favourite though, it would be the cassis-violet. The filling was perfectly tart and sweet. Salted butter caramel is a close second, and rose takes third place.

I enjoyed these treats so much I went back to Ladurée the next day. And the one after that. I spent an embarrasingly huge amount of money on macarons, but they were worth it. They were certainly one of the highlights of my trip to NYC.

And maybe next time I'll taste them in Paris.

-Danielle

sweet and sour

The summer season is winding down and while I'm anticipating all the delicious fall flavours that are going to popularize every treat menu (i.e. pumpkin), I want to hold on to sunshine and flip flops for as long as possible. Citrus epitomizes summer fresh and makes the perfect, refreshing flavour for any treat.

This was also a great opportunity to showcase some new macaron fillings; typically, macarons are filled with ganache, buttercream or a jam; I found a great recipe for lemon curd that can be adapted for any citrus fruit. Thus, a trifecta of lemon, lime and grapefruit citrus curd macarons was born.

Citrus curd filling:

recipe yields 1 cup

Ingredients:  

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup citrus juice

2 eggs

2 egg whites

5 tbsp butter

1/4 cup zest

2 tbsp corn starch

Directions:

In a double boiler, combine sugar, citrus juice, egg whites and eggs and whisk together until mixture thickens (10 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in butter, zest and corn starch. Cover and refrigerate until set (4 hours). 

The corn starch is added in this recipe in order to make a thicker, more stable filling; there's nothing worse than anticipating the most delicious bite of a macaron, only to have its guts spill everywhere as you chomp down. 

I prepared the shells according to this recipe. After letting the macarons set overnight I sampled one: the juxtaposition of sweetness from the shells and tartness from filling is probably the best thing I've ever tasted. These macs are definitely my new favourite, and will  help with the summer withdrawal (along with my nail polish). 

Happy baking!

-Danielle

red velvet whoopie pies

My proclivity for sandwich treats is pretty well known. I tend to bake (and blog about) a lot of macarons. They're pretty, they're satisfying, and they can be made in all sorts of different flavour combinations (bubble gum, meyer lemon, lavender, etc.); they're my go-to treat. 

But this week I was itching to try something new: the whoopie pie.

The texture of a whoopie pie is a tricky thing to describe. It's not quite a cookie, not quite a cake, but it does have an icing filled centre. It's fluffy but firm, and absolutely awesome. 

And pretty easy to make. 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:
(recipe yields 18 assembled pies)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vinegar

3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

3/4 cup butter milk

red food gel

Directions:
Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. With electric mixer, beat together sugar and egg until white and fluffy. Add vanilla, food colour and oil. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.  Add buttermilk and dry ingredients, alternating. Combine vinegar and baking soda in small container and stir for 10s; add to mixture. Mix thoroughly for 2 mins then pipe 2 inch circles onto baking sheet. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

recipe yields 2 cups

Ingredients:  

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Sift in confectioners sugar, beating until smooth. Add vanilla and stir until incorporated. Pipe 1 tbsp of filling per sandwich.

Last step: Try not to eat all of them in one sitting. 

-Danielle

bubblegum macarons

It's been a while since I've made macarons. Well, not really a while - a few weeks - but it was enough of a break to get me excited about making them again. I even got to have fun with the flavours this time around. 

I prepared them according to the French recipe and they came out beautifully. I used powdered food colouring in the shells and saved the flavour extract for the filling. Care to guess what it was?

I'll save you the suspense - it was bubble gum! Delicious, delicious bubble gum. Each bite tasted like a trip back to childhood where I would personally challenge myself to chewing as much gum in one mouthful as possible. Turns out I could chew a lot of gum.

Packaged and ready to serve!

-Danielle

pixie dust and sailboats

This weekend was a very special one indeed. My close friend Jamie and her fiance John tied the knot in a beautiful vineyard ceremony in the Niagara region. I was most honoured when the bride asked me to prepare the cake for the wedding. She's got great taste and afforded me full creative reign, as long as it was "rustic". Here's the result:

A four tier-cake (bottom tier: keylime; third tier: chocolate; second and top tiers: Betty Crocker confetti cake, straight from the box) was wrapped with fondant to emulate a birch bark texture. The tiers were adorned with gumpaste acorns, buttercream leaves and treated pine cones. .

A close up shot shows the details, from the lines of the "bark" to the carved initials of the bride and groom.

The cake was set up in the bottling room which hosted all of the guests in between the wedding ceremony and reception; after that, the cake was moved outdoors. It was nearly 30C outside, but the cake held up pretty well (minus a dropped acorn or two).

Of course, this was the first occasion that I had the opportunity to see just what happens to one of Sweet&Splendid's creations.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Haber

It was a little bittersweet, but I had expected this to eventually happen (note the toppers: John made wooden puzzle pieces himself).

Photo courtesy of Andrew Haber

And it was worth it to watch the bride and groom enjoy the cake. 

Congratulations to a great couple, and thanks for throwing the best end of summer party I could have ever imagined.

-Danielle

MVP

A very thoughtful bride ordered a very special present for her groom-to-be for their very special day. The groom has a solid connection to sports, being a former goalie and football player. So, the bride asked for a groom's cake incorporating all his favourite sports!

The bottom tier was an almond and chocolate square cake decorated as the USC football field. Trojans and emblems adorned all sides, as well as yard markers and field goal posts sculpted from gumpaste. Piped buttercream grass covered the back edges of the cake. On top sat a cereal treat football.

On top of the football cake was the pumpkin and cream-cheese UFC octagon cake, similar to this one. The UFC logo and sponsor emblems were emblazoned on all 8 sides and the top was decked out with a sugar cage.   

The most detailed portion of the cake came from the sculpted hockey player. Made from gumpaste, this little goalie was placed front and centre, right in front of a fondant Toronto Maple Leafs jersey with the groom's last name. 

Lastly, as to reflect something the bride and groom shared together, a pair of Jay-Z/Kanye tickets from their show at the LA Staples Centre were included.

It was a big but awesome project! Congratulations to the happy couple.

-Danielle 

strawberry daiquiri cupcakes

Daiquiris are the quintessential summer cocktail (in this girl's opinion). Combining a summer seasonal fruit (in this case strawberries) and rum, this flavour combination lends itself especially well to cake. For the fourth instalment of cuptails, I give you strawberry daiquiri cupcakes. 

I'd like to take a play from the strawberry's book and find myself some sun and a parasol.

Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes
(recipe yields 24 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

4 eggs

1/2 cup chopped or puréed strawberries

2 tsp rum extract

pink food colour gel

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add oil, followed by eggs, one at a time. Mix on high for 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, continue mixing. Add strawberries, extract and colour and mix for 1 minute. Pour batter into cupcake liners (about 2 large tablespoons per cupcake) and bake for 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  

Strawberry Buttercream Icing:

recipe yields 2-3 cups

Ingredients:  

2/3 cup egg whites

1 cup white sugar

2 cups butter (4 sticks)

1/2 cup strawberry purée

Directions:

Heat egg whites in a double boiler stirring frequently so that egg whites do not become cooked. Slowly add sugar and mix thoroughly for about 5 minutes or until mixture reaches 55C. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl and whip on high until stiff peaks form. Switch mixer attachment to paddle and slowly incorporate butter. Turn the speed up until mixture becomes uniform. Add purée and mix until incorporated.

Strawberry is among my favourite flavour (and fruit), so this cuptail is always a sweet treat for me. Now it can be a sweet treat for you too!

-Danielle

diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades

This  request was for a gal who loves the finer things in life...

...and Kate Spade purses.

This vanilla cake was sculpted to look like a Kate Spade shopping tote. Gumpaste was used to fashion the tissue paper and the stargazer lily. Other details include an edible logo and a tag with a birthday greeting in the same font as used in the logo. Lastly, gems were affixed to the edge of the logo.


Happy birthday to the birthday girl!


-Danielle

blue lagoon cupcakes

This popular summer cocktail consists of blue curaçao, vodka and lemonade. Blue curaçao is made from the peels of a citrus fruit native to the island after which it is named; there's no real reason it's blue, and it tastes like oranges. To transform it into a cupcake, I omitted the vodka, but kept the flavours and colour close to the original. Here I present the third instalment of cuptails: blue lagoon cupcakes.

Blue Lagoon Cupcakes
(recipe yields 24 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup blue curaçao liqueur

3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

4 eggs

2 tsp orange extract

blue food colour gel

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add oil, followed by eggs, one at a time. Mix on high for 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, continue mixing. Add liqueur and extract and continue mixing until incorporated. Pour batter into cupcake liners (about 2 large tablespoons per cupcake) and bake for 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  

Blue Lagoon Buttercream Icing:

recipe yields 2-3 cups

Ingredients:  

2/3 cup egg whites

1 cup white sugar

2 cups butter (4 sticks)

zest of two lemons

1 tbsp curaçao

a couple drops blue food gel

Directions:

Heat egg whites in a double boiler stirring frequently so that egg whites do not become cooked. Slowly add sugar and mix thoroughly for about 5 minutes or until mixture reaches 55C. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl and whip on high until stiff peaks form. Switch mixer attachment to paddle and slowly incorporate butter. Turn the speed up until mixture becomes uniform. Add zest, liqueur and food colour and mix until incorporated.

I took the less fanciful approach to frosting this cupcake; given the blue colour, it kind of reminds me of waves. So let's just say I did that on purpose. 

You can add whatever tropical garnish you'd like; I stuck with an orange slice (as this is the dominant flavour), a pineapple wedge and my trusty fondant cherries, because I still don't have maraschinos. Whatever you choose, this cuptail is sure to add a refreshing dash of sweetness to your summer afternoon.

-Danielle

pina colada cupcakes

Now that it's summertime, I'm on a kick of cocktail-inspired cupcakes - which I will refer to as cuptails from here on. It's amazing how you can adapt a simple, tried and true recipe into something novel and outrageously delicious. 

Without a doubt, the pina colada is my favourite patio/beach indulgence. I practically sustain myself on them during all-inclusive Caribbean holidays. The combination of the two tropical and exotic flavours is pretty much perfection. Naturally I wanted to re-interpret that pairing in cake.

Coconut Cupcakes
(recipe yields 24 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup coconut milk

3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

4 eggs

2 tsp coconut extract

No substitutes for coconut milk.

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add oil, followed by eggs, one at a time. Mix on high for 2 minutes. Slowly add coconut milk, continue mixing. Add extract and mix for 1 minute. Pour batter into cupcake liners (about 2 large tablespoons per cupcake) and bake for 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  

Pineapple Buttercream Icing:

recipe yields 2-3 cups

Ingredients:  

2/3 cup egg whites

1 cup white sugar

2 cups butter (4 sticks)

1 cup pineapple juice

Directions:

Heat egg whites in a double boiler stirring frequently so that egg whites do not become cooked. Slowly add sugar and mix thoroughly for about 5 minutes or until mixture reaches 55C. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl and whip on high until stiff peaks form. Switch mixer attachment to paddle and slowly incorporate butter. Turn the speed up until mixture becomes uniform. Add juice and mix until incorporated.

I garnished these cupcakes with a sprinkling of toasted sweetened coconut flakes (broiled for 2 minutes in the oven) and a cherry made of fondant, because I... no excuses. A maraschino cherry belongs on top of this cupcake. Or a pineapple slice. Or both. 


This recipe can be pretty easily modified if you want pineapple and coconut flavours in both components; simply add 1/2 cup crushed pineapple to the cupcake recipe, or coconut extract or flakes to the buttercream. I, however, find that the coconut cake and pineapple buttercream pair so perfectly together and accurately reflect the cocktail and recommend the recipe(s) as is.


Enjoy summer. Have a cuptail. I did.

-Danielle