Sweet Treats: Summer Berry Cool Whip Cake

I am taking a little summer vacation to see family and get crap done, so I leave you with a treat that I like to think is *healthy*, and takes but minutes to make. We have made this cake a few times this summer. The fun thing is, you can play with what fruits and berries (cherries, kiwi, banana, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, mandarin oranges) you want to use and the frosting too. I used chocolate frosting this time, but last time I used pink lemonade frosting and it was amazing!! Plus, you can make it all pretty and festive!!

Mix together some of your cool whip and a frosting flavor of your choice.

  Slice your angel food cake in half and frost the middle. Top that with chopped strawberries.

 I added extra dollups of cool-whip to decorate the top. Then add your berries, sprinkles, chocolate shavings, fresh mint leaves, shredded coconut or whatever. The cake tastes best if you chill it for at least 30 minutes. And enjoy, for a light and fluffy, refreshing summer treat!

Sweet Treats: Perfect and Easy Pumpkin, Chocolate Chip and Blackberry Muffins Recipe

 

The pumpkin muffin bandwagon is hopping this time o' year. So, I made this recipe with my own spin.

The EASIEST method is to mix 1 can of pumpkin with 1 box of spice cake mix and THAT IS IT!!!

If you only have yellow cake mix, (like I did), just spice it up. A mix of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and/or pumpkin pie spice will do the trick and THAT IS IT!!!!

If you want to up the yumminess factor, than go cray-cray with some add ins. My weapons of choice: Chocolate chips and blackberries. (Cranberries, walnuts, raisins, strawberries, mint or white chocolate chips, anything would be good). I mix in about 3 cups of chips, then after the mix is in the muffin tins, I cut the blackberries in half and dot them on the tops of the muffins. Then, bake at 350 degrees till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and the muffins pull away from the sides. Easy, peasy and soOooOOoooOoooo delicious.

Sweet Treats: Mother's Day Blackberry Surprise Cake

My mother, sil and I were all together today with our families to meet my new little Elisabeth Rose, so a Mother's Day cake seemed fitting. I wanted something special, but had little time (due to a plumber showing up at 9:30 am!), so I came up with this recipe using basic cake mix and store bought frosting. You can incorporate it into your favorite yellow cake and cream cheese frosting recipe for something truly special.  This is easily one of the most delicious cakes I have ever tasted!

Ingredients:

Yellow Cake Mix Box, mixed to directions (I used Duncan Hines)...
* replace oil with equal part applesauce for healthier recipe if desired
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp almond extract
lemon juice  (once cake is baked)


2 Layer Filling:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 pint blackberries


Topping:
2 cans cream cheese frosting (I used white, use food coloring if desired)
pearly white Cupacke gem sprinkles
a few blackberries for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven according to cake mix recipe. Prepare cake mix. Add vanilla and almond extracts.
Prepare 2 round cake pans with baking spray. Pour cake mix evenly into both pans. Bake according to directions.

While cakes are baking, prepare filling. Mix sugar and mash blackberries together in bowl. Allow to stand to firm up for 20 mins to 1 hour. (I let it stand only for about 10 mins because I was in a hurry, and that's why it seeped into the lower layer).

Once cake is baked and cool to touch, cut off rounded top of lower cake to create an even layer. Position lower cake layer on cake stand. Poke tops of both cakes multiple times and lightly sprinkle with lemon juice. Place foil or parchment paper strips around bottom of cake layer to prevent icing from getting all over cake stand.

Melt chocolate chips and liberally drizzle on top of the bottom layer.

Add blackberry filling on top of chocolate drizzle.
Place top cake over filling.

Frost cake in large dollops using a 'swirly' motion to create peaks in the icing.
Lightly sprinkle with pearl Cupcake Gem sprinkles and add blackberries to garnish.
Remove the foil/paper layer and clean up any icing on cake stand.

Nursing mommas get to eat bigger slices ;)   ALSO... if making Mother's Day cupcakes, A Fanciful Twist is giving away free downloads of her adorable cupcake toppers here!

 

Sweet Treats: A Mad Tea Party

This is a REPOST of last year's Mad Tea Party. A Fanciful Twist's Tea Party this year is on the 25th. I'm planning on doing it again, so we'll see if it happens. But for now, enjoy... and I hope you have one too!

***

I've followed the white rabbit to join in A Fanciful Twist's Mad Tea Party of 2010.

Please have a cup of marshmallow topped hot chocolate, and a
cherry topped confetti filled cupcake or two.

No matter if you are late to the party, there's plenty to see and join in next year! Dress up in your shabbiest rhinestones, grab a chunky, rusty key and join a magical party filled with sugary sparkles...

 

 ...then make a wish on your magical teapot... saying, "friendship warms the heart"...

 

...and feel yourself be whisked away to the little Wonderland party of sweets...

...where candied cherries are the sweetest you've ever tasted,

and only the the most magical of jellybeans makes it to the table.

Here's a little tiara for you to try on...

...or you can tuck a sweet pink rose in your wild hair.

Now who broke my clock? It doesn't matter, chocolate covered, sprinkled 

pretzels makes all of those worries go away for now.

 

So, that is where that key went! What a lucky cupcake!

Marshmallows for tasting, or soft enough for throwing.

Sparkles everywhere you turn! 

Which is your favorite, the candies, cakes... or the jewels?

Even the glittery pink cake had a fun time dressing up in some sparkly, vintage jewels.

Crystal chandelier prisms hung from the cake stand adds a whimsical touch.

Well, at least the teapot dressed in a rhinestone necklace for the party.

I wonder where the other rhinestone earring has gone? 

 

Who needs earrings, when you can have crystal prisms!

Sweet peaches... for those needing a natural sugar treat.

Hold on to the key and it will take you back home.

Farewell, friends! I hope you had fun with the party!
I will update the grand list of parties to visit once they are all compiled.

But for now, it's time to be magically whisked back to reality and get some rest.

If interested, my handmade Alice inspired jewelry and the vintage dress seen in this post is available
for sale at my Jeweled Ambrosia shop in my Alice Section!

Sweet Treats: Strawberry Banana Streusel Muffins with Strawberry Butter

This is a compilation of about 3 different recipes. This strawberry muffins one (with user suggestions taken into account), and this cran-orange streusel and my banana one. Every recipe I ran into needing strawberries called for lemon or orange zest, and I am fresh out of both (though I do use a tad of lemon juice). So, why not use something else? Because I bought 4 huge packs of strawberries and need to use them before they go yucky.

Muffins:
2 mushy bananas (well mashed)
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c flour
1 squirt lemon juice (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 c chopped strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oil an 8 cup muffin tin, or use paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, lemon juice, bananas and egg. Beat lightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.
3. Fill muffin cups. Top with streusel topping, then lightly sprinkle with sugar.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes, or until the tops bounce back from the touch. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.Serve with Strawberry butter.

Streusel Topping:
2 TB flour
2 TB brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 TB cold butter
2 TB sugar (to sprinkle on afterwards)

* Combine all (except white sugar) in small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Sprinkle white sugar on top.


Strawberry Butter:
3 large strawberries
2 tsp confectioner sugar
stick room temp butter

*Blend and drizzle on muffins. Or maybe you just blend the strawberries and then lightly mix it in the butter for a thicker consistency. I don't know, directions were unclear, so play around with it. It looks disgusting, but I promise you it is not. If you use an awesome food processor unlike my old smoothie half-working blender, it will probably look better.

linked to Remodeliholic's recipe linky

and linked to Sweet as Sugar Cookies' Sweets for Saturday linky.