Must Have Baking Products

This blog post will be dedicated to all of the baking products that I can not live without and all bakers' must have.

The first product that is a bakers' must have is either Crisco or Baker's Joy Non-Stick Spray with Flour. This product will save you time and head ache of having to grease a baking pan, then lightly flour it. Out of the two I recommend Baker's Joy, its a little pricey, but it works like magic. Nothing will stick to your cake pans, muffin pans, or cake pan again.

The second baking product is this great silicon baking mold. I use several of these to create the bite size brownie bites that were in my last blog post. This item is wonderful for portioning out small petite sizes of any baking recipe.

The third baking product must have is special occasion or holiday baking molds. There are baking molds in every shape possible for any occasion. The picture above is one of a turkey for Thanksgiving. I mad a rum cake out of this mold and made it the center piece of the table. Baking molds add a special flare to any occasion or holiday.

The fourth and final baking product that is a must have is plenty of Wilton's cake decorating and recipe books. Everything that i am in the check out line at the grocery store, i pick one up. The Wilton;s cake decorating book you can find at any cake supply store or any art sand crafts store . You can find the small dessert recipe book at any grocery store and they are usually only $3.99 or $4.99 But the important thing is where ever you see a recipe at, take it. It can be on a side of a box or on a can of soup, just buy it and collect the recipes.Enjoy!

Bite Size Goodness

One day my hair stylist, Lencola*, called me about an event she was doing. She was hosting a photo shoot to show case her talent as a wonderful beautician. She wanted to know what would be a good food to serve to the hair models during the photo shoot. I asked a couple of questions about the event and how long it was going to last. Since the hair models will be having their makeup done, while their was getting done and also the photo shoot was going to last anywhere between 5hrs to 8hrs, I suggested small bite size foods and desserts.

Small bite size was good for this event, because it will be able to be eaten quickly and if the hair models already were in full makeup, it would not mess up their makeup. The food suggestion that Lencola went with was my brownie bits. These things are bite size goodness. The can be picked up and popped in your mouth in minutes. To add an extra flare I added designs to each on with colored butter cream icing. Enjoy!

Brownie Bites

2/3 cup Unsweetned butter

5 oz Baking chocolate, cut into pieces

1 3/4 cup Sugar

2 Tbsp. Vanilla extract

3 Eggs

1 cup All-purpose flour

Sift flour and set aside. Beat sugar, vanilla, and eggs in electric mixer on low. While this is mixing start preparing a small saucepan. Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan over medium heat. Stir mixture frequently till pieces of chocolate are fully melted. Once melted add chocolate mixture to the electric mixer. Once fully incorporated stop mixer and scrape down the sides. Restart mixer and add in flour. Spoon batter into greased special baking pans with small squares incorporated in them. Bake on 350*F for about 18-20 minutes. It is desirable to have brownies with a muffin like top. Cool on wire completly before decorating. This recepie yeilds about 2 dozen small brownie bites, depending on how you divide out the batter.

*If you would like to get in touch with my hair stylist, she can be found on facebook under Lencola Urhairstylist Mungin. Pictures of her work can be found below. She is located in Jacksonville, Florida.

Cupcakes Fit For A Princess

I love all of my clients, but the ones that hold a special place in my heart is the children clients. The way kids face light up when they see their birthday cake is amazing. This one client had her granddaughter turning 3yrs old. The theme was princess and the colors were pink and white. She wanted me to make 3 dozens cupcakes and tie the theme into the cupcakes.


The result where these beautiful pink and white vanilla cupcakes with butter cream icing. The cupcakes with white icing had pink dots added to them and the cupcakes with pink icing had white dots added to them. To add an extra flare I found these candy rings and adorned the top of each cupcake with one. The client, her granddaughter, and the workers at the daycare center where I delivered the cupcakes to, were in awe of them. I was so happy and over joyed. Enjoy.



Vanilla Cupcake Recipe*

1 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour

2/3 cups Softened Butter

3/4 cups Superfine Sugar

3 Eggs

2 Tbs Vanilla Extract



Sift flour and set aside. Cream butter ans sugar together till nice and fluffy. Start adding in eggs, one at a time. Next add flour and vanilla extract. Spoon batter into cupcake lined muffin tin pan. Bake on 350*F for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely before decorating with icing.

* Recipe yields a dozen cupcakes. Double or triple recipe depending on how many is needed.



It is important when you are coloring icing to use colored piping gel and not regular food coloring. This is important because regular food coloring will water down the icing and make it become loose, instead of keeping it stiff. Colored piping gel can be found at any arts and crafts store and any cake supply store.

Semi-Homemade....Nobody Will Ever Know

I love to get into the kitchen with my favorite CD and slave away. Afterwards my shoulders and feet be hurting, but when I look at the creation I made, it makes the pain a little easier to deal with. Now, I know that not everybody feels the same way about this, like I do! This is one reason why I absolutely love Sandra Lee.


Sandra Lee has a show on the Food Network called 'Semi-Homemade,' where she takes already premade,packaged or canned food and mix them with a homemade recipe. This concept allows working moms or people who don't like to slave away in the kitchen a chance to create a beautiful meal in half the time and work. In spirit of her, I have added a simple lemon pound cake recipe, that is of course semi-homemade! Also encourage you to google Sandra Lee and read her inspirational story of coming from the trailer park, to a bad marriage and now to having her own cooking show. Enjoy.


Lemon Pound Cake
1 box Duncan Hines Lemon cake mix

1 box Lemon Instant Pudding mix or Lemon Jello


1/4 cup Sour cream


1 Tbsp Lemon zest


1 Tbsp Lemon Juice


1 cup Water


1/2 cup Oil


4 Eggs







Lemon/Vanilla Glaze
1 cup Confectioner's Sugar

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice


1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract



Combine all the ingredients together and mix on medium speed till well combined. Pour batter into a floured fluted cake pan or bunt cake pan. Bake at 350*F for 45-55 minutes. Let cake stand for about 15 minutes. While cake is cooling start making the glaze. Once glaze is complete, invert cake, onto a plate or cake stand, right side up. Drizzle glaze onto cake as desired.


For glaze combine all the ingredients together till the mixture is milky in color and then drizzle over top of cake. If you want the glaze all over cake, take a pastry brush and brush inside and outside of cake with the glaze.