Thanksgiving Pies

I had to bake desserts for Thanksgiving this year (BIG surprise!) and got right down to business beginning that Monday. I baked an apple pie, pecan pie, and a pumpkin pie. For the apple pie recipe, I tried googling "apple pie" and went with the first one that popped up. With over 1,000 reviews, I knew it had to be pretty good. It was stuffed with granny smith apples, and topped with a syrupy mixture that was poured all over the top to get a beautiful brown color. I used my handy pie tool that I got from a friend one Christmas to make the pretty lattice top!

- apple pie -

I'm not a huge fan of the jelly-consistency pumpkin pie recipe that is found on the side of the Libby's can, so I went with another brand recipe this year. I wanted the pie to be creamier and spicier, and the Eagle Brand pumpkin pie recipe was just that!

- pumpkin pie -

Pecan pie is the family favorite every single year. It doesn't even matter which recipe I use, because anyway I make it, my family will devour it up. I used the Food Network pecan pie recipe, but omitted the bourbon. Toasting the pecans before adding them to the pie really makes a noticeable difference in the final product!

- pecan pie -

I am extremely thankful for the close family and friends I am surrounded by! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Crepe Cake

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with one of my besties, Joyce, for dinner and dessert. She made me drive all over the city, insisting that I have to try this particular cake! So we drove to Lady M Confections (their actual store front) only to find it closed... Boy, was Joyce upset! Thank goodness she remembered they had a location inside the Plaza Hotel! So after all the driving in circles we did, we finally got our hands on the Lady M Crepe Cake. It was so airy and fluffy, with the perfect amount of sweetness. At $7.50 a slice it's a splurge, but I have never had anything like it!

- chocolate banana and the original -

- look at all them layers -

Cake Truffles

I had some left over cake lying around from this weekend, and God knows I hate wasting cake, so I made some easy-peasy cake truffles! You just take some cake, crumble them up, mix in frosting, and shape into balls. I threw them in the freezer for a little bit so that they won't get all mushy when I dip them in chocolate. Could have popped them onto sticks to make cake pops, but that required another step so I stuck with the truffles. Still good!

Landon's 100 Days

Remember the circus-themed baby shower I baked for earlier this year? Jeannie and Rich had their baby boy, Landon, and asked me to help them celebrate his 100-day birthday! It's a big deal in the Asian culture to celebrate baby's first 100-days, as well as their 1st birthday. I was more than happy to bake for another special occasion for Jeannie and Rich. They wanted a 1-tier red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, and 100 mini cupcakes (1/2 vanilla, 1/2 chocolate). I threw in an extra tier on top as my birthday gift for the family, and also because I really wanted to add this component to complete the design. They gave me creative control and let me pick a theme. I know the parents love baseball (they had a baseball-themed wedding cake topper at their wedding!), so I decided to go with a baseball theme. Perfect for a little boy, right? I had so much fun making things for this event! I used Amy Sedaris' vanilla cake recipe, all others were recipes I had on file.

vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream

chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream + fondant star

vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting

(used #1 tip for stitching, white non pareils)

chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting + fondant baseball

(used the grass tip, red edible marker for stitching)

* * *  and the cake... * * *

red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting 

Tier 1: 2-layer cake (6-inch)

Tier 2: 3-layer cake (10-inch)

everything all laid out

(not going to lie, it felt like cupcake wars for a little bit)

Happy 100 Days, Landon!

Tea Bag Cookies

Remember my cousin, Jayne? The one who is getting married in, oh my gosh, 1 week? She had her bridal shower today at The Plaza Hotel. Her maid of honor asked me to make her some favors for the shower, and since it was a tea party, I set out to make some tea bag-shaped cookies. I googled some ideas and saw lots of cute cookies in the shape of tea bags! That's the design I went with.

For the cookies, I used my go-to sugar cookie recipe. You're going to need a pretty sturdy cookie so that it doesn't break on you when you dip it in chocolate (I used dark chocolate) and also when you add the twine. Some of the cookies I saw online were a shortbread, so you can totally use those, too. I punched out tiny holes near the top using a coffee stirrer, and then added some baker's twine to make it look like a real teabag!

I had the help of my friend, Crafty Song and Haej, who made the adorable tea bag favor boxes. Here they are all wrapped up and ready to go!

I had a great time at my cousin's bridal shower! There were so many yummy things to eat! I felt like I had to share some pictures of the event...

YAY to family time and fancy tea parties!