Cake Meets Cricut

A friend of mine asked me to make dessert for her Euchre party last weekend.  Since two of her guests have celiac disease, my standard cupcake fare was off the table (and I wasn't quite ready to experiment with gluten-free flours).  She told me she usually served fresh fruit, but really wanted to serve something chocolatey and sweet, and was thinking about flourless chocolate cake.

I first checked my Martha Stewart Baking Handbook, but couldn't find a recipe.  I then headed over to Smitten Kitchen (http://smittenkitchen.com/), where I found a link to a flourless chocolate cake on Epicurious (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Flourless-Chocolate-Cake-with-Chocolate-Glaze-5872).  The original recipe called for a chocolate glaze, but I opted to skip it.

The caked turned out great, but it looked a little sad sitting there all alone on the cardboard circle.  It needed to be jazzed up a bit, but remain gluten free.  What to do, what to do?  My friend had suggested some sort of card-themed decorations, but I was a bit worried about sprinkles and gluten and cross contamination.  Hmmm... 

Then I remembered that my Old West Cricut cartridge had poker-related shapes.  I found this great hand of aces, that I thought would make a great pattern for the cake.  I cut out the largest possible card my machine would make (5 1/2 inches).  I used this as a stencil, and sprinkled powdered sugar on the cake.  It turned out great...at least I think it did.  If I make it again, I would first brush a very light sugar-water coating on the cake so the powdered sugar would stick a bit better.

New Puppy

No, we didn't get a new puppy....although I think about it sometimes....

Alex's teacher was getting a new puppy, so we decided to make something special for her to help celebrate.  Hmm....new puppy....what to do?

What to do?  Make "People Chow", of course!  I made a big batch of People Chow (so I would have enough left over for the kids to have an after-school snack, too) and put it in a food-safe cellophane bag, tied with a doggie print ribbon.  This was put in an adorable doggie treat canister that I picked up at HomeSense (the Canadian version of HomeGoods) and I added a box of actual doggie treats.  It just so happens that teal is Alex's teacher's favorite color (a fact I didn't know until after this present was assembled), so the fact that the doggie treat canister, treat box and gift bag all sported a teal and brown color scheme was absolutely perfect!

Here's the finished product:

Want to make your own People Chow?  Here's my recipe (from the book Quick Gifts of Good Taste):

People Chow

1 package (6 ounces) chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I leave this out)

8 cups round toasted oat cereal (plain Cheerios - although my sis-in-law uses another cereal that is square-shaped, but I can't remember what it is)

2 to 3 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Stirring constantly, melt chocolate chips and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Remove from heat.  Add peanut butter and cinnamon; stir until smooth.  Place cereal in a large bowl.  Pour chocolate mixture over cereal; stir until evenly coated.  Pour confectioners sugar into a large paper bag; add chocolate-coated cereal.  Gently shake bag until mixture is evenly coated with sugar.  Spread onto waxed paper; allow to cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

Makes about 13 cups of snack mix.

Enjoy and share!  It's yummy and you can eat the whole batch if you aren't careful, so it is best to share with your friends.

Cupcakes for School

Yesterday I was asked to make cupcakes for the boys' principal to take to her monthly principal's meeting. I made both chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, frosted with swirled vanilla frosting, sprinkled in kelly green sprinkles (the Toronto District School Board's logo colors), and topped with TDSB cupcake picks I made myself.

A few weeks ago, I made the same flavor cupcakes for an in-school training session our school hosted.  Since our school colors are red and white, I baked the cupcakes in red cupcake liners and frosted in the white vanilla frosting.  I printed out stickers of our school mascot, Georgie the Dragon, put them on red cardstock and made them into cupcake picks.  One side had a picture of Georgie, the other side said "St. George's Jr. School."

And yes, I know my photos need to get better...the countertop design and the newspaper in the background are a bit distracting - sorry!

Ta Da!

Welcome to my new blog - Confetti & Sprinkles!  I'm finally listening to my friends' suggestions and starting my new cupcake/party planning/loot bag prep business.


For now, I am sticking to what I know and what tastes good:  chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting and red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese-buttercream frosting.  I also make a delicious coconut cake.  My cookie baking skills seem to be lacking, so the only ones I would ever make to serve non-family members are cut-out cookies.  All cupcakes, cakes and cut-out cookies are made to order and baked fresh - never frozen.  They can be customized to suit the occasion.


I have tons of party ideas, so if you are at a loss for how to celebrate your child's birthday, let me know - I can help.  When I lived in Wellesley, Massachusetts, I was a member of the Newcomers' Club of Wellesley, where I served as Children's Activities Chair for two years.  I planned lots of parties and special events for children ranging in age from infants to 'tweens.  


I'm also waging a campaign to end loot bag waste...let's put an end to junky trinkets that end up on the floor of your car or in the trash within a week of the birthday party.  Loot bags can be fun, inexpensive and useful - let me show you how!


In the upcoming weeks, I will be posting some of the cakes and cupcakes I have made in the past, as well as some of the birthday parties and other events I have hosted and/or planned.


Need cupcakes?  Need loot bags?  Need help organizing a party?  Call or email me!