Star Wars BB-8 Cake

I had an order for another Star Wars cake but this time it was a break from Darth Vader and Kylo Ren. I was asked to make a BB-8 droid from the newest Star Wars movie. It was such a cute little droid in the movie and super fun to make an edible version of him. 

The cake is chocolate with a raspberry swiss meringue buttercream. I used vanilla buttercream to frost the outside of the cake. And, I used gum paste to make the BB-8 droid. It was super fun to make and I'm definitely getting faster. The whole thing took me around 4-5 hours from start to finish including all the baking and hand molding the droid. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bites

Recipe:

2 cups oats (I prefer old fashioned)
1 cup unsweetened coconut, toasted
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)
1/2 cup honey (you can use a little more but I wanted mine a bit less sweet)
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so. Roll mixture into cookie dough sized balls. I like to place the balls on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer until hardened. Then I place them in a ziploc or airtight containers and store them in my freezer or refrigerator and eat one or two when I have a sugar craving!

Roasted Garlic Chickpeas

These crunchy little chickpeas will kick your salty, crunchy craving to the curb! For real. They are super easy and wonderful for snacking on. I also sprinkle them on top of kale salads with a poached egg or other easy, delicious meals. You can also switch out the garlic powder for a ranch dressing packet, fresh or dried herbs, curry powder, parmesan cheese, etc. etc. .... the sky is the limit!

Recipe:

2 (15 oz.) cans of chickpeas/garbanzo beans
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
A few dashes of cayenne
A few dashes of salt

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Dry them on a towel lined baking sheet. *See Note

Place chickpeas on a non-stick baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the garlic powder, cayenne and salt on top. Toss until evenly coated.

Bake chickpeas for 30 minutes, shaking the pan about half way through. Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container or jar with a tight fitting lid.



*If you have the time, dry the chickpeas overnight. Since they have been completely saturated by liquid in the can for who knows how long it is helpful to dry them out. This will make them crunchier!

Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters

Nuts. Chocolate. Sea Salt. Enough said, right? I want them all.

I'm usually an "eat lots of dessert because life is short" kinda girl. But, I have been participating in a family fitness challenge so I have been cutting back in the dessert department. This is a short term thing, I can assure you! ;)

But, in the mean time I have found that these dark chocolate nut clusters are perfectly satisfying and a much healthier option than other treats. Plus the added sea salt just makes these even tastier.

I like to keep these in an airtight container in my freezer and when I have a strong urge for something sweet I can just munch on one of these clusters. They are seriously so delicious and SO EASY. Which is a must when you are a busy human.

Side note: Next time I will make them a bit smaller. I like my clusters a bit more bite-sized.

Recipe:

2 cups raw almonds
10 oz. dark chocolate
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 300ºF.

Place almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Place chocolate in a metal bowl over a bain marie. * Stir the chocolate until it is completely melted. Remove bowl from bain marie and add the toasted almonds. Stir until all almonds are coated.

Using a spoon or portion scoop, scoop the almonds in clusters on a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on the tops and pop the tray into the refrigerator for 10 or 15 minutes until they are cooled solid. Remove the clusters and place in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.


*Bain marie is another name for a double boiler. You place the metal bowl over a pot that has about an inch of simmering water. The metal bowl should be nestled in the pot but should NOT be touching the water at all. The steam between the simmering water and the metal bowl is the goal!

Coconut Oil Granola

I am a simple granola kinda girl. Of course I love nuts and craisins and all the goodies that are usually included in granola. However, when I want a bowl of greek yogurt and berries with crunchy granola... I prefer the granola to be simple and not overly sweet. If you find yourself agreeing with me then this granola is for you! It is made with a few simple ingredients and comes together really quickly and easily.

Recipe:

3 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 T. honey
2 T. pure maple syrup
Mix-ins of your choice (nuts, toasted coconut, cinnamon, craisins, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 250ºF.

Place the oats and any mix-ins in a large mixing bowl. *If you are using raisins or any other dried fruit, wait to add until the baking process is almost completed.

In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, honey and maple syrup. Pour over the oats and stir to combine. Spread the mixture on a non-stick baking sheet.

Bake for 1 hour (stirring the granola every 20 minutes). Remove pan from oven. Do not stir. Allow granola to cool. Then break into chunks and store in an air-tight container or ziploc.

Garden and Sky Cake

I made a birthday cake for a girl who really, really likes the tv show Cake Boss. She was very excited to email me her pinterest board with all the crazy, colorful, fondant covered cakes that she loved. And, she was also adamant about the cake having two tiers even though it was only going to be served to a family of 4. haha! So, I made her this mini-cake with a 6 inch bottom tier and a 4 inch top tier. The bottom tier was chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream and the top tier was chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream. 

I made the butterfly, lady bugs and flowers out of gumpaste. The rest of the decor is made out of fondant. I brushed the flowers with edible luster dust to give them a little shimmer. 

Instructables Robot Birthday Cake

I was asked to make a birthday cake for a little girl who turned 3. She is basically the coolest girl in the world. She chose "robots" for the theme and black and yellow for her party color scheme. Apparently she has an imaginary robot friend. SO. AWESOME!

They asked me to make an "Instructables Robot" cake... which I had never heard of before. So, below is an image of the instructables robot. I used it as a guide in making the gumpaste robot. I really wanted a kid-friendly cake. So, I covered the cake in gumpaste gears that you could actually spin! It was a tricky process since a lot of the gears broke as I was testing them. But, after some trial and error they turned out really cool and really spin-ny! :) 

I love this picture because it captures one of the gears in action after a good spin!

Thomas the Train Cake

I had the pleasure of making a Thomas the Train birthday cake for a friend's son this week and he loved it! When they originally ordered the cake they had a very specific list of things that he wanted on his birthday cake. I thought it was so cute! He specifically requested a train, train tracks, a big rainbow, trees, clouds, etc. etc. haha! Pretty decisive little dude, huh? Anyway, he basically made my job easy. 

My son is also in love with Thomas, so it made this project extra fun for me! My little guy was right there next to me, watching every detail being cut out and added and giving his advice/opinion throughout the whole process. It was really cute! He felt like he had made the cake by the end.

The 9 inch round is rainbow cake (each of the 6 layers is a different color) with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream filling. The tunnel is a 6 inch chocolate cake with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream filling. I made homemade fondant to cover the cakes and to make all the trees, grass, railroad signs, train tracks, rocks, clouds, etc. The rainbow and the Thomas figurine are made out of gum paste because it dries a little faster and harder. Everything on the cake is 100% edible and delicious.

Daniel Tiger Birthday Cake

Bicycle and Arrows Cake

I was so excited when I was asked to design and make a cake for the Young Women at my church! The Young Women's program had a "New Beginnings" night where they welcome in all the girls who are turning 12 and about to join Young Women. Their theme was "Press Forward with Steadfastness in Christ" and they wanted to focus on bikes and arrows in the decor. 

This cake was SO much fun to design and make. The top tier is lemon cake with cardamom swiss meringue buttercream. It is covered in homemade mint fondant and I used white fondant to make the mountain ranges. 

The bottom tier is chocolate cake with raspberry swiss meringue buttercream. I covered it in coral fondant and I also used fondant to make the colored arrows. I used edible gold luster dust to paint and accent some arrows. 

The bike is made of candy melts. I made the wheels, bike seat and pedal out of fondant that I colored black. Then I piped yellow and white candy melts to make the rest of the bike. I stuck it in the freezer to harden before lifting it off the wax paper. 

Darth Vader Cake

I had the chance to make a birthday cake for a little boy from my church. He turned 10 and his only request was that it be a Darth Vader cake! Pretty easy to please, right? I was excited to try out my new edible luster dust. I used silver to paint the Vader mask and I also dusted all the planets with bronze, gold, white, etc. The cake definitely wasn't perfect in the end. I made a lot of mistakes. But, I am getting better each time and I am learning SO much. Hopefully 100 or so cakes from now I will be a little happier with my end product. :)