Beyond the Buttercream: Bits & Pieces 4

1. Hello, friends!  After spending the holidays home in NY and then sailing around the Caribbean for a few weeks, I’m finally back!  If you follow along on Instagram, you may have noticed that my days were filled with lots of sunshine, cupcake high teas, and my biggest daily decision was whether to go with a mai tai, margarita, or rum punch?  Can you say all of the above!

Anyway, I got back to Boston just in time for over two feet of snow…  I knew I should have stayed on that boat!  While I could do without the snow, truth is I’m thrilled to be back in the kitchen!  Time off can do wonders, but I’m at my happiest when I’ve got a piping bag in my hand.

2. Speaking of piping bags, it occurred to me that in the chaos of the holidays, I forgot to share some of my custom cakes with you!

I was itching to do a ribbon cake and I have this thing where I have to make a Christmas tree so we ended up with a LOT of cake!  The bottom was my signature cookies and cream layer cake and the tree was all chocolate cake that I carved and frosted with Italian meringue buttercream. Yum!

This gem of a cake below is a caramel chocolate layer cake that I’ve been working on, and I rolled it out for it’s first appearance over the holidays!  This is one of those cakes that’s dangerous to have around because you just may find yourself eating a slice for breakfast!  I speak from experience, people!

3. Are you hungry now?!  Me too!  Let’s move on to my favorite winter cake: Meyer Lemon Mascarpone Cake Roll.  I patiently wait for meyer lemon season to arrive just for this cake!  Absolutely luscious, my friends!

And if cupcakes are more your thing, Meyer Lemon Mascarpone Cupcakes are the way to go!  They have the magical ability to make you forget that there’s 2 feet of snow outside your door.

4. I hear there’s some big game happening this weekend, and as you probably can already tell, I’m only in it for the food!  If you’re looking for a kick-ass recipe that is fantastic for parties, or just for yourself, I recommend my Skinny Taco Cups!

These are easy to make, packed with flavor, and one of my most popular recipes.  I cannot even tell you how many times I’ve made them!

5. I consider officially back when I’m back in the kitchen, and what better way to kick things off than with brownies.  I shared this pic on Facebook yesterday and can now confirm that they turned out even better than I imagined!

Stay tuned…

Also, I want to know what recipes you’d like to see here?  Any special desserts you’d like to see for Valentine’s Day?  Leave me a comment here, or join the conversation on Facebook!

Happy baking!