My Easter Table

Self-isolation and social distancing sucks and I think most people would agree with me on that.  I've been in it for a little over a month at this point, ever since San Francisco issued the shelter in place orders at the beginning of March.  I have my good days and bad days to be sure, but with Easter coming up I was determined to do things that would lift my spirits.  Plus, it gave me a great excuse to do even more baking!

Although I can't host the Easter brunch that I would have liked this year I can still decorate my table, right?  I took advantage of the online promotions at Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn and bought a colony of ceramic bunnies and eggs to use as props.  I also found some really cute paraphernalia and tons of Easter candy at my local Target.
 

I didn't really have any preset idea of what I wanted my table to look like.  My main goal was to create something that was pretty and I think I've accomplished that.  Pastel colors are used throughout the tablescape to evoke spring and renewal.  And who doesn't need that right about now?  

The baked goods I made included iced sugar cookies, mini bundt cakes and gluten-free carrot cupcakes.   At the center of the table was the pièce de résistance, an Easter bunny made of Rice Krispies treats.   Can it get any cuter than that?  It was so simple to make using a Nordicware Easter bunny pan I bought a few years ago (similar pan found here.)

This Easter table is bringing all the good feels for me and I hope it's  sparked a little joy for you.  Happy Easter to anyone who is celebrating and to everyone out there, please stay safe, healthy and STAY HOME!

Resources:

Scalloped Green Plates and Raffia Drinking Glasses: Aerin x Williams-Sonoma 

Placemats: H&M Home

Wooden Egg Placecard Holders, Happy Easter Place Cards, Raffia Carrots, Pastel Egg, Gold Cutlery: Target

Confetti Carrot Cake

I made this cake for Julia, who not only had a baby recently (check out the baby shower cake I made for her here) but was also celebrating a milestone birthday.  I wanted the cake to be something happy, blissful and festive.  I think a Confetti Cake checks all the boxes.   The rainbow of colors can't help but bring cheer to any occasion, no?

Julia's  favorite cake is carrot with cream cheese frosting so I turned to weelicious' awesome recipe.  It's the easiest thing to make and tastes fantastic!  For the cream cheese frosting I turned to my absolute favorite one from Cook's Country which uses a boiled milk paste.  Trust me when I tell you it's AMAZING and probably unlike any cream cheese frosting you've had before...super light, fluffy and not too sweet.

The best thing about this cake is how easy it is to decorate.  Once you fill and frost the cake just press the confetti sprinkles to the sides.  This technique hides a myriad of mistakes so you don't need to be a master decorator at all to get fantastic looking results.   Give it a try, you'll see!

Oh Baby Shower Cake

My friends Claudio and Julia are expecting their first baby this spring, a girl.  For their baby shower they asked if I could make the cake and I was more than happy to oblige.  These are the exact occasions where I love to put my baking skills to good use.  

For the cakes themselves Julia had requested her favorite, carrot, for the bottom tier and I suggested red velvet for the top since it was Claudio's favorite.  As for the theme Julia had in mind something similar to this pink and grey themed creation she found on Pinterest.   Lucky for me it didn't look too complicated once you deconstructed its parts. 

Don't be intimidated by the design because it's a bit easier than you might think.  Once I filled and crumb coated the three layers of carrot cake I simply piped large rosettes all around the outside with pink hued Swiss meringue buttercream.  For even the novice baker this is achievable with beautiful results.  Admittedly, the top tier of red velvet did require a bit more patience and skill in order to get the buttercream perfectly smooth and even.  Once that was achieved I decorated with grey and pink fondant circles and applied a thin fondant ribbon at the bottom.  

One trick I did learn from watching numerous episodes of Ace of Cakes is to use large boba straws as supports when doing a tiered cake.  This provides structure so that the top tier doesn't sink in to the one below.  The straws are so much easier to use than wooden dowels and they're super cheap too.  I picked up a packet of 50 straws from the local restaurant supply store for under $1!

Congratulations Claudio and Julia!

Tropical Carrot Cake

Here's another great recipe from Gretchen's Bakery - Tropical Carrot Cake.   I am a fanatic when it comes to pineapple and the addition of my favorite fruit in this cake really sends it to the next level.  The recipe calls for brown butter which makes the cake very moist and flavorful.   

Everyone loves cream cheese frosting and this version isn't too sweet, another big plus in my book.  I've made this cake twice in the last week and I'm planning to make it again soon for my Mom's birthday.  I have a feeling she's going to love it!

Morning Glory Muffins

Why is it that nowadays some places have the chutzpah to refer to massive un-frosted cupcakes as "muffins"?  Have you stopped by the bakery department of your local Costco lately?  You know which ones I'm talking about.

In search of something more to the core of what a muffin should be I was really happy to find this recipe from Cook's Country.  I'd never heard of Morning Glory Muffins before but with ingredients that included carrots, coconut, walnuts, apples and pineapples it sounded delicious and healthy to boot.  Full disclosure: I'm a sucker for anything with pineapple and coconut!

I made these for Mother's Day breakfast recently and they got the thumbs-up.  How could they not?  They met all of Mom's requirements: not too sweet, moist and super flavorful. 

Carrot Layer Cake

I preface this post by saying it's basically a teaser.  Why?  Because I can't share the recipe for this delicious carrot layer cake with you....just yet!  It's one I'm testing for Cook's Illustrated and they're still tweaking it a bit.  

But I can share with you the technique used to make the cake.  Instead of baking the cake in two round pans it's baked in a half-sheet pan.  Once cooled completely the cake is sliced in to four equal rectangles then layered and frosted.  Pretty cool, huh?  It really does cut your prep time in half.  Now why didn't I think of that?

UPDATE: The recipe for this cake can now be found in Cook's Illustrated May/June 2012 issue.

Ad Hoc Carrot Cupcakes

Since I had success with his rendition of white cupcakes I decided to try another one of Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc At Home cupcake recipes.  This time it was carrot cake and once again I wasn't disappointed.  

These cupcakes are really moist and absolutely delicious.   Just between us...by the time I finished writing this post I had eaten four unfrosted ones!

Instead of frosting them with the recipe included in the cookbook I opted for a cream cheese version of miracle frosting.  The milk-based frosting is so light and fluffy and the addition of cream cheese really sets it apart from the rest.  It tastes just like cream cheese flavored whipped cream...yum!

This batch of cupcakes is in honor of Silja, a fellow avid baker who's been looking for a great carrot cake recipe.   Happy baking my friend!