My Dudu

Hey guys,

It's been almost one year since I started in this baking/blogging world... and I have to reveal a secret now. Why did I start all this? Well, I love baking but I did all of this for something biggert, the most important person in my life: my son! I'm a proud mommy and I love my son so much! I always dreamed about doing his birthday cakes and this year I baked 2 cakes for him (one for his birthday in school and the other one for his family party).
Also for the family party I did all the candies and cupcakes. I was very happy with everything! He really loved his 2 parties! ;)

His cake for school: vanilla cake filled with dulce de leche and with brigadeiro filling! So Good!! 

His cake: the bottom cake is a vanilla cake filled with dulce de leche and the top tier is chocolate cake with brigadeiro filling.

The cake table! we love Elmo!

Carrot mini-cupcake with brigadeiro frosting. 

Dark chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream.

Happy baking!!

Miguel's Cupcakes

Hey you guys!!

I had a very special order: to make 100 mini-cupcakes for an 1 year old birthday boy. The theme of the party was puppy! His mom ask me for a delicious cupcake so I baked some chocolate with brigadeiro frosting and some vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. So yummy!! And to decorate I made some personalized tags with the birthday boy's name and his age!

 Happy Baking!!

Messy Cake

Hey guys!!


See, I'm updating my blog!! I'm so proud of myself!!! :)
Anyway, I had an order for a messy cake (do you remember my messy cupcakes? No? Here is the link: http://bit.ly/f1FqaU )
The cake was white chocolate with fresh strawberries ad frosted with marshmallow. So good!!! :) I also used some fondant to decorate it. I really wanted to make a fun and colourful cake and I like the way it turned out! :)

Happy Baking!!

Carrot with walnut cupcakes with "brigadeiro" frosting

Hey guys!


Last week I tried a new recipe: Carrot with Walnuts Cupcake.... and oh my... so good!! I loved it! for the frosting I did some semi-sweet "brigadeiro"which is a brazilian traditional candy (looks like a toffee). I promise that I will post the brigadeiro recipe because it is really good to frost cupcakes or even to use as a filling!

Happy Baking!!

First post in brazilian soil...

Hey guys...

Yep, I'm already in Brazil... and I already miss "my kind of town Chicago"... oh, well....
Now that I'm back to my beautiful country I'm already planning how The  Sweet Fairy Cake will be around here... :)
For starters I'm reading all the cookbooks that my mom have from my greatgrandma and my grandma... it is a lot of recipes and it looks like a treasure chest filled of gold... :) I love it!!

My treasure...

I guess by the end of next week (or even sooner) I'll have news about my creations and the only limit will be yours and mine imagination and creativity!
So, stay tuned on the blog!! :)

Happy Baking!!

Tchau Chicago...

Hey guys!
And so it is.... lol... we are almost leaving Chicago and it's sad because we really wanted to stay but there's nothing we can do, we need to go back. But I wanted to do something for my son like a farewell party in the kids club that he goes to. And he knew what was going on because he gave Shannon (the most sweetest person I have ever know in my lie) a lot of big hugs just like goodbye hugs! I really had to control myself for not to cry... the mommy here was very emotional.
I baked it some dark chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream and t was a hit. The kids loved it!
My next post I'll be back in Brazil.... 

Over there in the right corner I see a tiny hand... yep, my son is about to "attack" the cupcakes... lol...

Happy Baking!!

Chocolate-cake box

Hey you guysss!! ;P

Valentine's Day here in the U.S. in on February 14th but in Brazil is in July 12th and my husband is very lucky because this year (just like the year before) he'll get sweet treats for both Valentines Day! :D For the american V-day I made him a very special cake. It's a cake that I saw on Bakerella site a while ago and I always wanted to try. It's a heart- chocolate-box made out of cake and fondant! Super cool!! :) And to get better... the "cake-box" is filled with cake truffles (which are the same thing as cake pops just without the stick).
My hubby loved his gift! The flavour of the cake is dark chocolate and I used cream cheese buttercream (OH MY GOSH, this is so yummy!! I totally recommend!!) that I also got from Mrs. Bakerella and you can find the recipe here.
I hope you like it!! 

And there it is... the "box" of chocolate! yummy!!

Tha cake truffles

More truffles

Oh, oh... a broken heart... ;P

Happy Baking!!

Le Cordon Bleu Truffles & Chocolate

Last Saturday I went to my final class at Le Cordon Bleu here in Chicago. I thought it was a truffle class but when I got there I realized that it was a truffle and chocolate class which made me kinda sad because I was really looking forward to learn how to manipulate chocolate and all. But that's okay, it's Cordon Bleu... so I got the recipes and as fine with that but then the chef started talking to much about her personal life. If she talked to much about baking and patisserie I would have loved it.... 
I have some recipes so if you want just ask for it and I'll post on my blog! :D
I took some pictures of the kitchen that I think you all would like to see it!

Recipe cards

A lot of mixers... I would love to have that! ;)

Huge working place!! Paradise!! 

Lot of ovens, stoves.... :)

Happy Baking!!

Ah, the butterflies...

Hey guys!!


Well, our stay in Chicago is heading to an end and I'm really sad! I'm in love with Chicago!! :) Not so much about the cold though... lol....but after the groundhog said that the spring will come sooner this year I decided to bake a cake to celebrate that! So I decided to make a butterfly cake with some new cutters that I bought from PME. 
The cake is a choco-lime with marshmallow and it was really delicious!! But I had some problem with the Wilton fondant. I don't know why but as soon as I got that fondant in my hands it started to wrinkle... yes, to wrinkle... so weird... Not nice, Wilton, not nice....:(

Happy Baking!!

Cupcake Delicious, NYC e The Sweet Fairy Cake

Hi guys,


So after the Vegas wedding I went to NYC with my family and to met the new Mrs. Cupcake Delicious! We had a blast there, we went to Magnolia Bakery to try their famous cupcakes and also to NY Cakes which is a store for cake decorating! I loved it!!! You can read her post here: http://cupcakedelicious.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-york-new-york.html

@NY Cakes, some shopping spree... :D

@Magnolia Bakery... I really loved the Red Velvet Cupcake!!

Happy Baking!!

My first order.... :D

Hi guys!
Couple weeks ago I had my first order!  It was for a very special boy who is my son's best friend. He wanted a Toy Story b-day cake, so I  accept the challenge and went straight ahead  to start modeling the Woody and Buzz for the first time in my life ... I even can say this: modeling for the first time in my life!! I searched the internet a lot trying to find a lot of inspiration and then I remembered that one of my friends, Chris Parga, from  B de Bolo had done a wonderful cake from Toy Story before. I recommend you stop by her blog! She is a lovely person and I'm super fan of everything she does! And I was inspired on the cake she made. Now I have to say ... modeling characters is not easy, ok?! I spent 3 days to assemble the dolls! I thought the result was pretty cool. But I know I still have a lot to learn!

Happy Baking!!!

"Messy-chic" cupcakes

Hey guys!

For the past weeks I've been testing a new recipe for chocolate buttercream .... and I found one that is absolutely AMAZING! I've never made a buttercream so good (and to be honest I don't care that much for buttercream ...) and my sis Flavia's Delicious Cupcake also tested she loved as well!  The approval was such that we decided that this new flavor of chocolate buttercream will be exclusive flavor from Cupcake Delicious and The Sweet Fairy Cake! :D

To test it with the real cupcake I baked some rich dark chocolate cupcakes and it was so good!! When I was decorating the cups I thought ... a lot of bakeries here  doesn't use tips fo frost the cupcake, they just do with a spatula tanned the result is always so nice.. is a "messy-chic" cupcake… without that aspect more correctly that the tip gives to it. So I did some "messy-chic" ones and more traditional ones…And I thought they were pretty cool... :)

I Hope you enjoy!

The classic one..

The "Messy-chic"...and my lovely Crate and Barrel dessert plate.. :D

This is my apartment view from Chicago... I'm leaving Chicago in a couple of weeks and I already am "homesick"... :( I just wanted to share this marvelous view with y'all.. 

Happy Baking!!

Wedding and "bem-casados"

Happy New Year! Wow, it has been quite a while since I 've been here, huh?! Sorry!! But I was on vacation and enjoying some time with my family that was here.

I have great news! My dear friend Flavia from Cupcake Delicious got married! Yes, she is now Mrs. Cupcake Delicious! And to make this even better her wedding was in Las Vegas! Très chic and of course I went with my husband! In Brazil there's a lovely tradition to give to each guest a "bem-casado" which is basically a cookie (looks like a whoopie pie). There's no wedding without it in Brazil and I was very honored to make them for Flavia's wedding. The filling was white chocolate brigadier (which is another brazilian tradition, it's like a fudge) and the batter was made with a special sugar that I made with vanilla beans. I was very happy with the result and I think that her guests were happy too... 

Honestly that was the best wedding I ever was, no kidding! It was a small wedding because not manny people could come to Vegas but her family was so excited and happy to be there that transformed the place! The party was amazing! 

 I wish all the happiness and love for Mr. and Mrs. Cupcake Delicious! :D


Happy Baking!!

Circle Cake

Hi guys!!
So, my sister-in-law is here visiting us and she celebrated her 31st birthday here with us. And of course I did her cake... ;P. Too bad that I didn't had much time to decorate, so I had to choose something more simple but I kinda like it the result. And I got the chance to use my brand new cake pedestal that I fell in love with... :D
It was a chocolate cake filled with white chocolate buttercream and fresh strawberries! It was sooo Yummy!!

 Happy Baking!!

Cake Pops & Cupcake Bites

Wow, I have so much to tell you guys… so much to post! A lot is happening. Well, as the famous saying goes: I'll start from the beginning ... hahahaha...

So, my sister-in-law Melissa came to visit us here and I already had the idea to make some cake pops again to test a new recipe and a new technique. And nothing better than having the family to test my new cake pop .. hahahahahaha ... The result? I loved it!!! This time my pops did not fall from the sticks and after a week (yeah… I think I did 50 pops, including cupcake bites and cake pops) they are still wonderful and super delicious. It seems that the more time passes the batter gets better and more yummy, the chocolate around them protects the batter.

Mel loved it and my cupcake bites made a big success. For those who do not know, cupcake bite is like a mini cupcake just that it's chocolate covered "head to toe." The baking cups are made out of chocolate and so is the frosting.

It's almost Thanksgiving so I gave some cake pops and bites as a gift for Shannon which is a very special person to us here as thanks for all she does for us.

The batter of the pops and bites is Devil's Food Cake with "brigadier" (a brazilian candy, it's like a toffee). For the recipe just go to my friend's Luciana Blog or click here.

My Cake Pops:

Cake Pops coated with purple sugar and decorated with purple bows.

This I did for my son just for fun… its an owl. It is kinda cute but the next will be better …

Brigadeiro Cake Pops with Chocolate Jimmies and a colorful one... oops, I see a little boy's hand there.. ;P

And here are my Cupcake Bites: aren't they cute? :)

So many of them.... 

Look at it in detail: you can clearly see the chocolate baking cups here...

My inspiration? Bakerella, of course.... ;P

Happy Baking!!

Lemon Ricotta Cookies and my "Artisan" Bread

Hi guys, sorry for the long time without writing to you. But I'm baking a lot and I think you are going to like my posts from now on... :D
So last Thursday on my cake decorating class a dear friend brought some homemade Lemon Ricotta Cookies and I just fell in love with it. I'm not going to lie to you... I even dreamed about those cookies (am I crazy?? Maybe...). She will send me her recipe but I just couldn't wait! I had to have the cookies!! I just felt that I has just like Cookie Monster... lol... Anyway, I searched for the recipe online and I bake them. But my friend's cookies where way better than mine. I'll wait for her recipe. But with you want to check it out here is the recipe that I got from Food Network site.

I also baked some homemade bread. One of my dear friend Luciana just started to blog. She's a sweetheart and is a newlywed brazilian girl who is currently living in the US. She baked some bread and I immediately wanted to bake some too... her pictures where so yummy!! Hmmm.... Check out: 

http://lulussweetsecrets.blogspot.com/  

Beautiful pictures and wonderful food!! :D


Here is my bread:

And my cookies:

Perfect for a chilly day....

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients

Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. 

Happy Baking!!

Splenda Chocolate Cupcakes

Hi guys!! Couple weeks ago I tried to bake some cupcakes for a dear friend of mine that have pregnancy diabetes. So I decided to use granulated Splenda insted of the regular sugar. The result was okay. The actual cupcake turn out good (I guess I prefer with the Sugah... hahahaha) but I also tried to substitute the sugar for the Splenda on the Swiss Merengue Buttercream. And that I didn't like it. I mean the consistency was fine but when I added some food coloring to it I don't know what happened but the frosting became kinda bitter... But I'll continue trying to bake the perfect sugar-free cupcake and frosting! Here's the tutorial.

The Swiss Merengue Buttercream I got on the blog: How to Eat a Cupcake: http://www.howtoeatacupcake.net/2008/02/face-your-smbc-fears.html and I jut substitute the sugar for the Splenda...

Splenda Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from Rose's Heavenly Cakes)

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (sifted before measuring) unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup boiling water

2 large eggs at room temperature

3 tablespoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 2/3 cup cake flour or bleached all purpose flour, sifted into the cup and leveled off

1 cup Splenda granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven 20 minutes before baking to 350F

2. Mix the cocoa and the boiling water: in a small bowl, whisk the cocoa and the boiling water until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation and cool to room temperature or you can place in the refrigerator to speed the cooling process. Just bring to room temperature before proceeding.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, the 3 tablespoons water and the vanilla, just until combined.

4. In a stand mixer with the flat beater, add:
 - the flour, 

- Splenda, 

- baking powder, 

-baking soda 

-and salt 

then mix on low speed for 30 seconds. 

5. Add the butter and chocolate mixture and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

6. Starting on medium-low gradually add the egg mixture in 2 parts. Beating on medium speed after each addition.

7. Pour the batter into the baking cups and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Hint: I like to measure the amount of batter to put exactly the same amount in every the baking cups.

Another thing that I noticed is that they broke on the top but the frosting covered it....

I hope you enjoyed!!

Happy Baking!!