Tiramisu Layer Cake

My Dad loves Tiramisu and since it's one of his favorite desserts, I decided to make him a tiramisu birthday cake! I've had this recipe in my "to make" folder for some time now and thought Daddy's birthday would be the perfect time to try it out! It was a hit, although I didn't have instant coffee powder, only espresso so the coffee flavor was not as strong as I would have liked. Still yummy though!

 

And it looked pretty good too! So chocolatey...mmm 

I even made a monogram out of dark chocolate. Though be careful if you put candles on the cake...the monogram will melt...quickly. Lesson learned. :-)

  

Tiramisu Layer Cake

(Source: All recipes)

• CAKE:
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package moist white cake mix
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
• 1/4 cup (strong) coffee
• 1 tablespoon coffee flavored liqueur
•  
• FILLING:
• 1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur
•  
• FROSTING:
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur
•  
• GARNISH:
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 (9 inch) pans.
2. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions. Divide two thirds of batter between 2 pans. Stir instant coffee into remaining batter; pour into remaining pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. In a measuring cup, combine brewed coffee and 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur; set aside.
4. To make the filling: In a small bowl, using an electric mixer set on low speed, combine mascarpone, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur; beat just until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
5. To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the cream, 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur until stiff. Fold 1/2 cup of cream mixture into filling mixture.
6. To assemble the cake: Place one plain cake layer on a serving plate. Using a thin skewer, poke holes in cake, about 1 inch apart. Pour one third of reserved coffee mixture over cake, then spread with half of the filling mixture. Top with coffee-flavored cake layer; poke holes in cake. Pour another third of the coffee mixture over the second layer and spread with the remaining filling. Top with remaining cake layer; poke holes in cake. Pour remaining coffee mixture on top. Spread sides and top of cake with frosting. Place cocoa in a sieve and lightly dust top of cake. Garnish with chocolate curls. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
7. To make the chocolate curls, use a vegetable peeler and run it down the edge of the chocolate bar.

I've got the blues..and I don't mean Mac and Cheese :)

I have been a crazy person these last few weeks, between moving and switching jobs, I haven't had any time for crafting. 

Boo :-(

Well, now that we're in our new place and I have a few jobs to choose from, I can begin again! Woohoo! I have already made my first peach pie, tried a few new recipes and done a couple crafts...yet I haven't unpacked all my boxes..whoops! hehe Priorities, right? 

Here's a necklace/earring set I made for a giveaway a few months ago, I am trying to catch up on past posts...bad blogger! This set went to a woman in my church, Linda, who correctly guessed where my lost keys were! (In the washer...not great, but they still worked!)

 She loves blue, so I went with a few shades of blue and then some clear glass beads to fill it out. I want to make one for myself now! It can be long or short depending on how you use the toggle...an idea I got from another necklace I have. I liked it because it could very easily be causal or dressy!

 

 

Baked Kale Chips

This year I have tried to focus on healthy eating and so far I've been doing well! (Parties don't count, right??) I'm a snacker, so I've spent a lot of time trying to find healthy, satisfying snacks. I had been wanting to make the Kale Chips for a while now, and finally got around to it! They are definitely not the "chip substitute" they claim to be, but they are an interesting, salty, and munchable snack...that's what I was going for. I'm not a big chip eater, but I love salty pretzels. These were a little bitter, but had a neat texture. Definitely worth trying.

 

Crispy Kale Chips

Recipe by: Melissa d'Arabian

 Ingredients

• 1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I used a Misto so it was quite a bit less oil)
• Sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes. Serve as finger food. 

 * * My only suggestion would be to keep an eye on these little guys..you don't want them to brown or they won't be as tasty.

Hole in one.

 

 

I don't have a lot of time tonight, but I wanted to share these cupcakes I made for my boss' dad's birthday! He's a big golfer so I thought these would be fitting. I'm sure I'm not the first person to make something like this, but I've had the idea in my mind for over a year and finally had a reason to make them! I made my first batch of golf balls using Oreo truffles dipped in white chocolate...but I couldn't make the little indentations. It looked like a ping pong ball. HA. So I ended up making some marshmallow fondant instead. It worked a lot better, but certainly didn't taste as good. I hope he liked them, I certainly had fun making them!

Here is the recipe I used for the fondant. It can be found on Cake Central.

Easy Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients

• 1 16oz tub of Marshmallow fluff
  6-8 cups of confectioners sugar
  2 tsp of flavoring of your choice
  paste colors (Optional)

Instructions

Empty contents of marshmallow fluff in large bowl. add flavoring and stir with spoon. If you desire to color the fondant add your desired color at this stage. Then add confectioners sugar two cups at a time and mix with spoon until no longer sticky, then place on large pastry board or mat lightly rubbed with vegetable shortening and knead until smooth and pliable. Roll out to desired size for covering cake.

Every girl needs a cape

For Easter (Yes, that's how late this post is) I made my cousin's little girl a cape. Avery had been wearing her blanket around her neck as a cape for some time, so her mom asked me to see what I could come up with. I don't have much sewing experience, but I welcomed the practice! I think it came out pretty darn cute! 

I basically just drew out a pattern, almost a tear drop shape, and sewed it together like a pillow. I did add piping...something I had never used before. I think it added a nice detail! I also love using quick release velcro on the ties, you know, for safety and all. The "A" is made from a piece of felt, I just hot glued that on so you wouldn't see stitching on the other side.

Unfortunately, you cannot see it in any of these photos, but I put these sweet little gems on the ties around the neck. They were just so adorable! I couldn't resist. Ave is the girliest girlie girl. (Though her mommy doesn't know where she came from!) I LOVE it. So obviously, bling was a must. You can also see some bling on the "A." The ruffle was an after thought, but a pretty good one I think! I was trying to find a way to cover the stitching from the ties and the ruffle was perfect! I used three different kinds of ribbon, layered on top of one another to create it. Again, just hot glue here with a few hand stitches to make sure it was strong enough.

I think the big girls liked it too. hehe I had my pick of models that day.