What I've been up to...

It seems like every week 'blog' is on my to-do list, and it never seems to get done!  So I thought I'd just picture dump in one blog post and be done with it :)  Here we go:

Pretty springtime cupcakes for a wedding shower.  Double chocolate cupcakes with a raspberry filling...one of my favorite combos!  Topped with a dainty chocolate flower.  

Canucks hockey puck cake...fairly simple, but so fun and vibrant!

I love getting orders for boy cakes...seems like I do a lot of girly cakes, so it's fun to go out of the box sometimes :)  

Vanilla latte cupcakes for my little sis' birthday...um, yum. Recipe here. I used my regular vanilla buttercream and added some super strong coffee to it.

Mother's Day 'high heeled shoe' cupcakes to honor my wonderful mothers.  So blessed to have them in my life.  Lovely Pinterest inspiration for this idea...a cupcake with a Milano cookie inserted in as the 'sole' of the shoe and a Pirouette cookie as the 'heel'.  Not only are they cute, but the cookies are delicious too :)  Cupcakes and cookies...doesn't get much better than that.

Beesting cake.  Recipe from our church cookbook from one talented lady :)  I didn't use to be a huge coconut fan, but this cake has converted me.  It's my best.

Monster cake pops for 2 cute little boys' birthdays!  Love their little characters.  The eyes were ones you can get in a little package at Michaels or Safeway and made my life so much easier...no fiddling with chocolate or edible pens needed! 

And a cake for a mother-in-law's 60th? birthday!  2 tiered and decorated with royal icing flowers in blue and purple.  Vanilla cake with strawberry preserves and devil's food cake with a pastry cream filling, topped with a vanilla buttercream.  

Thanks for looking!  Have you been creating anything fun in the kitchen lately?
Rianne
PS...check back soon for a post with my girl's birthday party--lots of girly fun!

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Treat yourself!

Only one more sleep and we're off for a week of fun and sun! Jon and I are heading off for a week at Eagle Crest Resort in Oregon with some of his brothers and sisters...we're super excited for a vacation, as this summer has been very busy and we haven't had a chance to get away yet! It's going to be a great time to reconnect, be with family, enjoy the sun, and relax...especially since my mom is taking our girls for the week--such a treat!

So before I head off for a week, I thought I'd leave you with a yummy recipe to try. I know there's a lot of you out there who have extra zucchinis laying around--so try these muffins! They're (fairly) healthy, and your kids will love them too! I've tried them as the recipe states, and they're delicious. If you want to make them a bit healthier, try out my suggestions for substitutions!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*

3/4 cup sugar**

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg lightly beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce)

1/4 cup milk

1 T lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup shredded zucchini (reserve some for garnish)

1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup regular chips)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Combine egg, oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3s full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

*I substituted 1 c. whole wheat flour and 1/2 c. all-purpose flour and they turned out delicious!

**I substitute organic cane sugar for white sugar

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

2 ounces white chocolate

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners sugar

2 T heavy cream (or milk)

In a small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature. In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate and vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream and beat 2-3 minutes. Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish with shredded zucchini!

Have a great week!

Rianne

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