Pastel Rainbow Ruffle Cake for Easter - sneak peek

 Just a quick sneak peek of the pastel rainbow ruffle cake I made up for an Easter Dessert Party table.

I'll do up a tutorial for it in the next week or so, but I couldn't wait to share a couple of photo's with you.

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Rainbow ruffles :)

The actual cake is the easy one bowl Vanilla recipe from my book Sweets on a Stick. It's really super dooper easy, you just pop all the ingredients into the bowl at once and mix it for a couple of minutes. It's in the cake pop section, but as you can see it's just as good not crumbled up on a stick ;)


UPDATE - I have now popped up instructions on how I made the cake HERE

Sweets on a Stick is available at most online stores including.....

Or here at fishpond (Aus/NZ)

Blue Speckled Robin Egg Cake Truffles (cake pops without the sticks) for Spring or Easter

Ok I'll admit it, I have been making a lot of bird themed stuff lately.

I'm blaming the bird baby shower I made stuff for late last year. 'Cause while I was thinking up stuff to make I came up with lots of other ideas. Like when I made up the speckled 'bird egg' macarons I thought, hmmmm......they sure would make pretty cake pops.

And then once I've thought that it's not like I could stop thinking it. It's like a done deal.

Also I blame the birds, or rather the graphic designers who make birds look so cute. In real life birds aren't really that cute. Well around here anyway, they are pretty swoopy in the spring time. specially when they are nesting, more kinda the Alfred Hitchcock type deal.

But in my mind they are protecting cute little chicks that will grow up to be whimsically pretty with rosy cheeks so I can forgive them all the swooping and still pretend they are adorable.

And this is what their eggs will look like :)

I used blue Wilton Candy melts to make these delicate looking speckled eggs, but you could use any color you like including plain white chocolate, which would give a lovely creamy colored egg.

I mixed Blue and White candy melts together to get a more subtle light blue color for my eggs, and y'all might think, well why didn't you just color your own chocolate.

So I thought I might share my reasoning with you:

• Regular food color can not be used on chocolate - Water is chocolate's nemesis and most regular food color is water based, even those gel colors. You need to buy special oil based food colors or get a special product (like AmeriColor™ Flo-Coat™) which somehow magically allows you to mix in the regular color.

• I prefer to use the candy coating for cake pops for a couple of reasons - it sets way quicker than regular chocolate. Also once set it doesn't leave fingerprints as easily as regular chocolate.

• I actually like the taste of the Candy melts/ coating when paired with the cake truffle. It's not really chocolate and from the name you can tell it's not pretending to be. It has a kind of vanilla flavor which is really sweet and I feel lends the finished treat a bit of a lighter taste.

• Plus that's what I had in my pantry (probably for the reasons listed above).

and in case you missed my earlier post. I noticed Fishpond having a 24 pre-order sale on Peggy Porschen's new book boutique bakery, for $21.97 including free postage in Australia - nice!

Boutique Baking: Delectable Cakes, Cookies and Teatime Treats

Blue Speckled Robin Egg Cake Truffle

1 batch Oreo Cookie Truffle or Cake pop mixture#
Blue candy melts
White candy melts
Chocolate
Copha or Paramount crystals
Toothpicks
Clean brush/ toothbrush

# cake pop mixture is cake crumbled up with buttercream or other frosting mixed in until it is moist enough to hold it's shape.

Line a tray with parchment paper. Take around 3 teaspoons of the cake pop mixture and roll it between your palms to make a smooth ball, then using your fingers and palms turn the ball into an egg/oval shape. I find that shaping the mixture into the ball first makes it easier to get a smooth finish.

Place the egg  shaped truffles on the tray in fridge to chill until firm


Melt the chocolate. To get the color I desired I mixed the Wilton Blue Candy Melts and Wilton White Candy Melts at a ratio of 2 parts white chocolate to each 1 part chocolate (eg 400g Blue to 200g White or 14 oz Blue to 7 oz white). Mix in quite a bit of copha or paramount crystals during the melting process until the mixture is very fluid (but not so much that it is watery). The mixture should be like condensed milk.

This is NOT how the finished melted blue/white candy melt mixture should look - this is just showing how I mixed a couple of colors together. It should be a consistent color and much more fluid than this bowl.

I melt my chocolate in the microwave on medium low, medium is too hot and high is way too hot. If you heat your chocolate at too high a temperature it will burn and not be salvageable for dipping .Remember medium/low for short bursts of 60 to 90 seconds.

Grab a bunch of toothpicks. Holding one end of the stick dip the other end into the melted chocolate/candy coating and insert it into a egg shape so the stick is sitting in the larger rounded bottom side of the egg (see picture) and the stick is parallel to the tray. Repeat for remaining eggs.

Place the tray back into the fridge to chill for 10 minutes or until the sticks are secure.

Make sure the chocolate/candy coating is still melted, if needed remelt in the microwave at medium low. Holding the end of the stick dip the whole egg truffle into the melted chocolate/candy coating. Lift it up and allow as much of the candy/chocolate mixture to fall off as possible. Place upright in a stryofoam block to set.

Once set you can lay the cloud pops back down on a tray to work on.  Holding the toothpick securely twist and pull the toothpick out and repeat for all the eggs.

Make sure you still have some of the melted chocolate. For this step I like the chocolate to be nearly set, but not quite.Make sure your hands are really clean (I know you would be doing that anyway) or pop on gloves and stick your finger into the melted chocolate. Then press the chocolate into the hole left by the toothpick and smooth it around with the tip of you finger.

Next melt up very small amount of the dark chocolate you can add a little copha or paramount crystal if you like.

Place one of the eggs away from the others on a clean workbench (like your kitchen bench). Dip your brush in the chocolate and then holding the brush by one hand, run your fingers through the bristles sot that the chocolate splatters onto the egg.

Yup just like you used to do when you were a kid.

I like to hold the brush down just under the larger rounded bottom side so that the flicks of chocolate are larger down there and graduate up to less at the top of the egg, but that's just my preference.

Repeat for remaining eggs.

Eggs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.

If you enjoy cake pops, my book Sweets on a Stick has lots of recipes for making cake pops from scratch and more fun ideas is a US Release however there is a conversion chart in the back of the book for metric.It's available from bookstores in the US and here online at:

Or here at fishpond (Aus/NZ)

Peggy Porschen Boutique Baking 1 day special deal

OK this post is interrupting your normal reading......

Peggy Porschen's new book due out at the end of May is on super special for $21.97 1 day only preorder offer over at Fishpond with Free Shipping to Australia (different rates apply to other countires)

Boutique Baking: Delectable Cakes, Cookies and Teatime Treats

This new book is apparently filled with lots of lovely baking recipes and has 150 colour photographs. I have added it to my pre order at this fabulous price and I can't wait for it to arrive.

If your not in Australia you might like to pop over to Peggy's website to order directly and see all the other fabulous items she has available.

Bubble and Sweet's normal regular Sunday post will occur at 6pm tonight, but this was too good for me to wait :)

On my wish list - Clara French, Green Gate, Lanterns, Camera Bags and pretty marshmallows

I've been doing a little bit of online browsing lately and here are some things on my wish list.


Clara French Cake Stands.

Are these some of the prettiest cake stands you have seen?

I've had my eye on these Clara French Stands for quite a while, but a word of warning, if you love them as much as me make sure you plan ahead. These stands are hand made and so popular that it's not uncommon to wait quite a few months for your special ceramic masterpiece to arrive.

Pictures from pintrest

Epiphanie Camera Bag

I have a little bit of camera stuff now, a couple of lenses, stacks of accessories I don't know how to use or what they even are for and I've been looking for somewhere to store them.

Pictures from Epiphanie Blog

I love the look of this camera bag. I might not know how to use my camera, but at least I'll look great doing it (or not doing it as the case may be), I'm a bit of a fan of the Clover style, but they all look pretty good.

Check out all the little padded pockets inside, perfect for storing all those little bits and pieces.

Oh and a photography course is pretty high on my wish list as well ;)

Green gate

I am sooo in love with the table wear and linen and pretty much everything else they create and design at Green Gate Denmark. I already have a bit of a collection but this is staying on my wish list.

You can get Green Gate online at a number of UK and European stores. In Brisbane Just Plain Gorgeous at Bulimba stock some items and they have new stock arriving soon.

Pretty Fabric lanterns from TLBC

How sweet are these fabric lanterns from The Little Big Company, I think they would look adorable at the kids next party, or just pretty much anywhere.

Image from The Little Big Company online store

Marshmallow Madness

OK maybe it is a bit of madness to want a whole book on marshmallow.....but it just looks so pretty. I don't have this book yet and so haven't tried any of the recipes but homemade marshmallows are super duper yummy and the cover of this book has me wanting to make them in every color and flavor.



So do tell......is there anything you have on your wish list at the moment?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache Blue French Macarons

What flavor do you think of when you pick up a blue sweet?

I bet it's not Peanut Butter, and you might also think that peanut butter is a strange pairing for a french macaron.

But not so surprisingly when you think about it the filling, which has a touch of saltiness, balances out the sweet almond shells quite nicely.

This is the same peanut butter chocolate ganache that I used to top the If This is Wrong I don't want to be right Peanut Butter Mini Cheesecakes I made up a few weeks ago.

Oh and just in case you missed it, I did a tutorial for some plane cookies over at Polkadot Prints Blog, click over and have a look, they are based on the super lovely Flying High printable range.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache filled French Macarons

Macaron Shells makes around 20 filled macarons

190 gram (6 5/8 oz)almond meal (almond flour)
190 gram pure icing sugar (6 5/8 oz powdered sugar)
190 gram granulated sugar (6 5/8 oz)
48 grams water (1 5/8 oz)
140 gram egg whites aged split into 2 lots of 70grams each (5 oz split into 2 lots of 2 1/2oz each)*
dark blue food colour
*ageing egg whites refers to separating the yolks from whites and then leaving the whites to age for a few days. This can be done on the counter if your countries climate permits or in the fridge, wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and then pop a few holes in the top. Alternately you can pop the egg whites in the microwave on high for 10 seconds or so - I used the microwave method in this batch pictured.

1. Mix the ground almonds and icing sugar together and pulse a few times in food processor to make almond meal finer. Do not over process as the meal can become oily. Sieve into a large bowl. Add colour and 70g (2 1/2 ounce) of the egg whites to the sugar/almond mixture but don’t mix in.

2. Place remaining 70g (2 1/2 ounce) of egg whites in bowl of mixer fitted with the whisk.

Yup - I really use this super old fashioned thermometer I have had for about 20 years to make my macarons

3. Pop granulated sugar and water into saucepan stir to combine and cook without stirring to 118C (245 F). Once the mixture reaches 115C (240 F) start mixing the egg whites on high. Make sure you have a pouring shield on your mixer, when the sugar syrup reaches 118C (245 F)remove from heat and immediately pour in a thin stream down the side of the mixer bowl continuing to whisk on high.

4. Continue to whisk the meringue on high until the side of the bowl is only a little warm to touch, around 50C (120 F).
.

5. Add meringue mixture to almond mixture and using a large spatula fold the mixture together until it starts to shine and forms a ribbon that disappears back into the mixture after about 30 seconds.

6. Add the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip (or just cut the end of a disposable piping bag) and pipe in lines onto parchment lined baking sheets. To make the macarons as even as possible I apply a constant slow pressure to the piping bag and count a few numbers like up to 3 for each one.

7. Set aside for about 30 minutes or until the macarons have formed a skin so that the macaron mixture does not stick to your finger when gently touched.

8. Meanwhile preheat oven to 140C (285 F). Once ready bake the macaroons for around 13 to 15 minutes depending on size, they should not be browned. Remove the baking trays and immediately slide off the macarons and the parchment onto the work surface and let cool completely before removing the shells.

9. Once cooled match disks into like sizes and sandwich together using the ganache.

Peanut Chocolate Ganache

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar) sifted
3 tsp or 15g  unsalted butter (1 US Tbsp or 1/2 oz)
4oz Dark or Semi Sweet Chocolate 
1 oz cream 

 pinch salt
1 Tbsp or 20g (1 1/2 Tbsp US or 3/4 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature

Chop the chocolate into fine pieces. Place in a microwave safe bowl with the cream and heat in the microwave at medium low heat for 1 minute bursts until melted. Make sure you do not overheat the chocolate. 

Cover and allow to set at room temperature until firm.

Place peanut butter, sugar, 3 tsp (1 US Tbsp) unsalted butter and pinch of salt into a bowl and mix until well combined set aside until required.

Beat the chocolate mixture on high for a couple of minutes until it lightens in color. Add the Peanut Butter Filling and mix well at medium speed, add the 1 Tbsp ( 1 1/2 US Tbsp) butter and continue to beat at medium speed until the mixture comes together, do not over mix.

Yogurt Push Pops - and now for something healthy for the kids

 OK - I'm gonna go right out and say it. Push Pops are gimicky.

Yup that's me here calling the kettle black.

I've been playing around with the push pops for a little while now and what I can tell you is that kids like them. Sometimes they don't quite have the fine motor skills to stop pushing in time, but boy oh boy do they like them.

So I'm all for letting that little fact work for me and I've been making up these yogurt, fruit and muesli push pops for the kids to have for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

and there's no guilt, cause it's healthy, fun and these little plastic babies while not great for the environment are washable and reusable.......and dishwasher safe as well.

Now I know your thinking, but can't you just scoop some yogurt into a bowl, and it's true I could, but around here we have a bit of a struggle every school morning to get breakfast eaten. If I say there is yogurt they want cereal, if I offer cereal they want pancakes (which is strictly a weekend thing here)......constant struggle.

Some days when I know that I will be focusing on other stuff this is a perfect breakfast as the kids think they are getting a treat and I can prepare it before hand and have it sitting in the fridge ready to go.

Pretty yellow print Greengate tea towel from - Just Plain Gorgeous Bulimba QLD Australia(07) 3399 2002

Push pops and Push pop stand from Popular Treats (Australia)

Also available here in the US

Yogurt, Seasonal Fruit and Muesli Push Pops -You can make it up any way you like but this is what I did:

Yogurt (I used The Original Greek Yogurt Co Passionfruit and Lemon Curd yogurt)
Muesli (I used cranberry toasted)
Seasonal fruit (peach, blueberries and raspberries)

Spoon in some yogurt until 1/3 way full, sprinkle in a couple tsp muesli, add some finely chopped peach.

Add more yogurt until nearly at the top of pop, sprinkle another tsp of muesli and garnish with some more fruit.

 

Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow cake pops for Saint Patricks Day

I was in the service station waiting to pay for petrol last year and I saw little bags of bubble gum 'nuggets of gold'.

Which I thought were pretty cute, so straight away my sweet obsessed mind started thinking about what I could make with them..........and then I remembered gum + kids = disaster. Shoot that shot down that idea I popped the gum back on the counter.

So I had already thought up these cake pops and I couldn't get the idea out of my mind and I really wanted that gold nugget gum and then luckily the next day I realised that candy nerds would work just as well if not better.

Such a win win situation cause then when I went to pick up the nerds I saw green ones and I realised that they would make great witch cauldron pops (which I posted here last year).


The actual dipping technique for the pops is one I came up with while writing my kids treat decorating book.
I know lots of people, kids especially, have trouble dipping the pops and getting a smooth finish so these ones are great.

Its the upside down method which is really easy and the chocolate pooling makes its own little cauldron shape. How great is that!

If the whole rainbow fondant think is a bit daunting just leave it off and you can still have awesome little pots of gold on a stick.

Pot 'o 'gold Rainbow cake pops

I recommend using the actual candy melt/ coating type of 'chocolate' for this pop (like Wilton) as it really does set much faster than regular chocolate and makes adhering the rainbows much easier.

1 batch cake or cookie pop mixture
Candy Coating (like Wilton candy melts) and copha or paramount crystals
Fondant (in rainbow colors)
sharp knife
cornflour/ cornstarch
small rolling pin
water and brush
lollipop sticks
Yellow nerds
*remember fondant dries very fast. Work quickly and when you are not using it make sure you keep it in air tight containers.

At least one day prior to making pops make the fondant rainbows.Dust a bench lightly with cornflour/ cornstarch roll out some purple fondant and using a sharpe knife (or cutter if you have one) cut out the shape of a rainbow half arc.

Roll out the remaining rainbow colors and cut into thin strips. Attach one strip of each color to the purple arc using a very small amount of water brushed on and then using the rolling pin gently press the colored fondant strips onto the base. Use a sharp knife to trim off any excess colored pieces to make a neat rainbow arc.

Make up a batch of cake pop mixture (that is mush up any cake with some buttercream frosting until moist but still firm). Yellow cake is a great choice for this pop and you may even like to add extra colour.

Line a tray with parchment paper. Roll the mixture between the palms of your hands. I like to weigh my mixture to make sure it is the same size but you can use a small icecream of melon scooper of around 3 tsp. Place each ball onto the parchment paper lined tray and pop into the fridge to chill for at least half an hour.

Melt up a bag of dark chocolate chocolate melts/ candy coating (or black melts if you want). Mix in quite a bit of copha or paramount crystals - now is not the time to be delicate you need a stack - look at the picture about a ratio of 1:7 for the wilton brand to give an example (1 being the copha and 7 being the chocolate/candy melts)

I melt my chocolate in the microwave on medium low, medium is too hot and high is way too hot. If you heat your chocolate at too high a temperature it will burn and not be salvageable for dipping .Remember medium/low for short bursts of 60 to 90 seconds.

Grab a bunch of lollipop sticks. Holding one end of the stick dip the other end into the melted chocolate/candy coating and insert it into the cake ball so the stick is upright like the picture. Pop into the fridge to chill for 10 minutes or so until the sticks are secure.


Make sure the chocolate/candy coating is still melted. Holding the end of the stick dip the whole cake ball into the melted chocolate/candy coating lift it to allow a little to fall off so the edges are smooth and round and then push just the top back into the chocolate/candy coating and quickly put the pop with the stick still upright onto parchment paper lined tray.

Continue with the remaining pops and when you are finished carefully peel off the paper to leave the cauldron shaped pops.

Then using the back of a spoon or a knife, spread on a little bit more melted chocolate/candy coating onto the top/flat section of the cake pop and sprinkle yellow nerds onto the still wet chocolate/candy coating and place a rainbow on top (see picture for placement). You will need to hold the rainbow for 10 - 20 seconds until it is secure and can stand up on it's own.

For more great pop ideas check out my book Sweets on a Stick it has more than 150 kid friendly ideas for decorating and serving sweets on a stick and available online here:

Or here at fishpond (Aus/NZ)