Picnic in the park Strawberry and cream cheese frosting cake

This cake is as simple as a picnic in the park.

Strawberries are finally coming down in price here which means the start of a few glorious months of plentiful and flavorsome berries so cheap you can easily top as many cakes as you like with a mound of berries and have enough left to puree up a sauce to drip invitingly over the edge.

This cake was made last year when strawberries were at their peak.

I used recipes from my own cookbook baking up a few batches of strawberry cake and cream cheese frosting (tinted blue). But you could easily use your own favorite recipe or a packet mix.

As you can see the strawberries are the stars of this cake. If you have kids let them help arrange the strawberries on top of the cake, if there happen to be too many and they slide off, don't worry it will just add to the charm of the cake.

The frosting was added with a normal kitchen knife. I  spread frosting onto the cake as evenly as possible and then I held the knife at the bottom of the cake and dragged it upwards to create a vertical line in the frosting, repeating all around the cake.

Thank you to Caketopia for lending me the pretty pink cake stand.

If you love strawberries click over HERE to get the recipe for my simple Strawberries and Cream cheesecakes in a jar. They're easy and berry delicious ;)

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores:

Link to Amazon:

Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! 

Or at Fishpond (free shipping Australia)

 

 Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go!

White Chocolate Mint Swirl Macarons

These white chocolate mint swirl macarons are an exercise in looking before you leap.

Or at the very least looking inside your cookie bag before you bake.

I found a bag of mini mint slice biscuits (that's Australian for cookie) at the supermarket and I thought it would be soooo cool to make up some macarons with a swirl topped by a cute little biscuit.

I assumed that they would be the size of mini Oreo's and the mini chocolate chip cookies in bags at the supermarket.

Yes you read right. I assumed and we all know what happens when you assume.

I made up my macarons, filled them, added a swirl to the top and then opened the bag and doh! Those mini cookies were not mini enough for me.

I was thinking they would look something like my Totally Boss Chocolate Malt Macarons, but no such luck, instead they were topped with an empty swirl, still yummy but in my mind not quite what I had expected.

In my defense I had left the bag sealed to ensure maximum freshness which is why I was not forewarned.

As with most minor baking mishaps it worked out deliciously well in the end with Mr Sweet polishing off the mini mint slice cookies and all of us having some refreshingly minti macarons.

Mint Swirl Macarons

Macaron Shells
CLICK HERE for a blog post with my macaron recipe. I made a regular batch coloured half green and half brown with food gel color.

White Chocolate Mint Filling

300g (10 1/2 oz) white chocolate
100g (3 1/2oz) cream
1/2 to 1 tsp peppermint extract/oil
green food colour (I used Wilton gel colours)
30g (1 oz) unsalted butter room temperature and cut into small cubes

Pop the chocolate and cream in a microwave safe bowl and then microwave on high for 2 minutes. Leave for a couple of minutes and then using a whisk stir until smooth and lump free. If necessary reheat further in the microwave for bursts of 30second to 1 minute to remove/melt all lumps.

Whisk in the peppermint extract and green food colour

Cover and allow the ganache to set - I left mine at room temperature overnight.

When set use an electric mixer to mix the ganache and butter at high speed for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy. Make sure all the butter is incorporated and no little lumps are left.

Assembly

Match macarons so that each shell has a matching shell the same size (if you hand pipe the shells there will always be a little variance in size). I matched up green shells on the top to like sized brown shells for the bottom.

Pop the whipped ganache into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip (I used Wilton #22) and pipe a swirl onto half the macaron shells. Press another macaron on top and then pipe a small swirl of ganache onto the top middle.

Refrigerate at least overnight and up to 3 days in an airtight container. Remove from fridge 20 minutes before serving.

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Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores:

Link to Amazon:

Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! 

Or at Fishpond (free shipping Australia)

 

 Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go!

Shabby Chic Raspberry Chocolates

 

I've had an idea for a while that I would like a pretty garden tea party with the kids, we used to do it all the time but lately we seem to be too busy.

So this week we are slowing down.

Taking the time to take deep breaths.

Enjoying each other and simple fun things.

and not spending too long writing long blog posts.

Enjoy these pictures and know that although they look fantastic these little sweets take next to no time to make.

I found the little papers at a discount store they were $2 for 150 even plain papers would work, once you fill them and pop a pretty flower on top. Oh or polka dot papers would be cute too.

Oh did you know I'm on Instagram, as though you can't tell from the picture above ;)

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Raspberry Cream Chocolates makes around 18 mini cups

 200 g (7oz) white chocolate
30g (approx 1oz) cream
1/2 tsp raspberry flavour
pink (or colour of choice the pink I used is Sugarflair dusky pink)
Optional - sugar flowers for decorating

  I use this raspberry essence oil

Place mini cupcake liners onto a flat baking tray.

Place white chocolate and cream in an microwave safe bowl, swirl around so the cream coats the chocolate. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Use a fork or whisk to gently mix until combined and free of lumps. Add the raspberry flavour and any food colour. Spoon evenly into mini cupcake papers. Once all the mixture is in the papers lift and give the tray a few raps on the workbench to help even the tops and reduce any air bubbles.

If you are decorating with sugar flowers place them on now before the mixture has time to set.

EDIT - I now have a tutorial on how to make your own sugar blossoms - CLICK HERE for link

Allow to set before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Remove from fridge 20 minutes prior to serving.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores:

Link to Amazon:

Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! 

Or at Fishpond (free shipping Australia)

 

 Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go!