Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Pink Polka Dot Bikini

I love planning events and parties... I love it so much, I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Recreational Event Planning! After this weekend, I think I have met my match...Shelby's mom, Heather is a NATURAL! For her daughter's 4th birthday, she planned a super-fun polka dot pool party. There were chicken fingers and french fries, adorable polka dot serving dishes, and even colorful paper plates attached to the pool's cabana to look like polka dots! Heather is amazing with details, so I wanted to make sure the cake was no exception.

For Shelby's cake, I made a two-tier Chocolate Cake with Fudge Filling and Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd Filling. The entire cake was frosted with White Chocolate Buttercream and decorated with colorful fondant dots.

For Shelby's party favors, I made these adorable polka-dot Bikini Sugar Cookies. They are decorated with royal icing and packaged in cellophane gift bags tied with wire ribbon. Shelby wore a pink polka dot swimsuit of her own... so CUTE!

Finally, here is a picture of Mandi and I with the cookies. Remember Mandi's birthday cake? I just love this girl (and her family too!). Heather, thanks for trusting me with such a fun birthday cake... oh yeah, and tell Eric I mentioned him on the Blog as promised!

My Friend The Marshmallow

Dear Marshmallow Frosting,
Thank you for being the most amazing thing in the world. You can turn any bad day into a great day. I hope to see you again soon.
Sincerely,
Andrea

hahaha! Seriously, this frosting is my FAVORITE. It tastes perfect with chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, and just about any cupcake you put below it. For Kierstyn's 2nd Birthday party, her mommy asked me to make Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes topped with Fudge Frosting and Marshmallow Frosting. I finally got to use those green polka-dot cupcake papers... look how cute!



For her cake, I made a mini Vanilla Butter Cake with Pink Lemonade Frosting & Filling. I added a monogram "K" at the top for her name. I hope the birthday girl loved it!

Be there, or be square.

I adore square-shaped cakes. They look so modern and fresh. A few months ago, my mom and I stopped in a HomeGoods store during my quest to find a square cake platter, and there it was, sitting on the clearance shelf surrounded by broken picture frames and dust-covered vases. This ceramic beauty was in perfect condition and I couldn't wait to use it. Best of all, it cost less than 10 items from the $1 menu at McDonalds!

Remember the Handy Manny cake I made for Brock? Well, it was his big sister's turn to get a special cake of her own this past weekend. I made a four-layer Vanilla Butter Cake with White Chocolate frosting for Bethany's 9th birthday. I topped the cake with tropical yellow flowers made out of fondant.

Bethany came with her dad to pick up the cake... and I am so happy she did because I was able to see the excitement on her face when she first saw it! Priceless!

I Have A Package For You

I love that line from Legally Blonde when the UPS man brings a package into the nail salon and says, "I have a package for you," and Elle repeats exactly what he just said... CLASSIC. Well, I didn't get to see the UPS man, but he did leave a package on my doorstep today. I ordered these fabulous cupcake papers for some upcoming parties and showers.

Lime green polka-dot cupcake papers... yeah, that just happened.

Stay tuned to see pictures of the yummy cupcakes that I am going to make with these little jewels. Happy Friday!

She's got jalapeno hands!

It's not very often that you meet a friend with whom you share so many common passions and goals. I met Jenny while I was in college and we have been getting closer ever since. She loves baking, cooking and watching the food network just as much as I do... if you can believe that. In fact, I think it would be great to own our own cake shop together some day!

Jenny is so much fun and has the rare ability to go-with-the-flow. For her big 25th Birthday Bash, I wanted to make her a unique cake that tasted delicious too. Since Jenny is a cake connoisseur, I figured I couldnt go wrong with a giant S'more-flavored cake! That is why I made this stacked cake with a layer of moist chocolate cake, a layer of graham cracker cake and topped it all off with marshmallow frosting.

In keeping with our tradition that started back in 2006, Jenny and I took this picture doing what we do best... eating CAKE! We have marked every special occasion (friends weddings, baby showers, football games, and even trips to Savannah) by taking a picture with cake (or whatever food we can get our hands on). Jenny, I hope you had the BEST birthday ever... aside from digging out the jalapeno seeds with your hands... thanks for being AMAZING!

Vanilla Ice-Ice-Baby

I never imagined that finding a great vanilla cupcake recipe would actually be difficult. A few weeks ago, I set out on a recipe testing journey (that's sounds pretty exciting, doesnt it?) to find the yummiest vanilla cupcake possible. This wasn't the winner, but it was a really close stop on the road to vanilla perfection. I used Billy's Vanilla Cupcake recipe (you can find it on Google) and topped it with buttercream frosting.

The cupcakes were light and airy,and had a nice texture. I did find that the next day, the cupcakes were already losing that moist texture... not good for my late Friday night baking sessions for Saturday parties! I guess I will have to keep tasting new cupcakes for now :)

One Fish, Two Fish, Pink & Blue Starfish

I love bridal showers. They are a great excuse to get together with your best girlfriends and close family members and just spend time with each other. I will never forget the amazing cupcakes that Mrs. Wiggins made for my bridal shower, and I hope that Monica won't forget these! For Monica's shower, I made Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting. I topped with cupcakes with Tiffany blue and salmon pink white-chocolate starfish. Yum!

Congratulations Monica and Greg... I wish you guys a long and SWEET marriage! Thanks again to Lauren for trusting me with this opportunity. Here is a photo of the cupcakes ready to be picked up. Enjoy!

Perfect Pineapple Wedding Cake

There was a lot of love and do-it-yourself projects that went into our wedding day. We painted wooden table numbers, hand-sewed the ring pillow, made the veil, dug holes for the 10-ft bamboo poles around the dancefloor, and selected each song to be played by our cousin and brother-in-law on the guitar during our ceremony. The entire planning process itself is a wonderful memory.

One of my absolute favorite elements of the day was - of course - our cake. A few people asked me if I made it... and I probably just looked at them with one of those "are you crazy" kind of looks. We selected an island pineapple cake from Cakes by Carie in Eustis. It was simple, elegant and delicious.

My uncle Bill spent hours in his workshop making the special wooden box that our cake was displayed on. I now use the box for wedding keepsakes such as invitations, pressed flowers, etc. I know this sounds cheesy, but I hope my daughter will want to use this cake stand for her wedding one day.

Now, if only our one year anniversary would get here ASAP... I am having trouble staying away from the cake in our freezer!!

PB&Yay!

Alright, I know what you are thinking... what is it with me & peanut butter? Well... taste one of these cupcakes and you will find out!! I was testing recipes a few weeks ago and found this oh-my-goodness-rock-your-world recipe for Peanut Butter Cupcakes. So yummy!

I shared these cupcakes with my mother-in-law and she loved them just as much as I did!

He sure is a handy man...

This weekend, I was asked to make "Handy Manny" themed cupcakes and a cake for a little boy named Brock on his 4th birthday. For the party, I made Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla-Marshmallow Frosting. I topped the cupcakes with handmade fondant "tools," which were characters from the Handy Manny cartoon. So cute!

I also made a Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream frosting...

Here are the cakes ready to be picked up. I wasn't there to see his reaction when he first laid eyes on the cake... but I was so happy to get a phone call from Brock's mom later that day expressing how yummy everything was. Brock even got on the phone to say thank you!

Fight for the cure!

I am a firm believer that every little bit helps. I joined a Relay for Life team at work this year... and we raised almost $2,000 to help find a cure for cancer! To raise money, we had a bake sale (of course!), yard sale, and sold candy bars at the hospital for Doctor's Day.

For the evening of Relay, I made these Strawberry Cake Pops and Chocolate Cake Pops. They turned out really yummy... the strawberry was my favorite! Take a look...

MMMMM... the Strawberry pops were coated in crunchy white candy coating.

The chocolate cake pops were good too... covered in red candy coating.

Did you really make these?

About a week ago, we invited my mom and Mimi over for an evening of dinner and browsing through wedding pictures online. My Mimi is 84 and adores chocolate even more than I do... now that is a true love affair! She is always saying something funny and typically mentions Johnny Depp at least twice a day.

To prepare my house for Mimi's visit, I knew I needed CHOCOLATE. I decided to make these Homemade Peanut Butter Cups... and boy was she happy I did!


After she ate peanut butter cup # 1, she said to me, "Did you really make these?" After she ate peanut butter cup # 2, she told my mom "chocolate is healthy, Shannon." After she ate peanut butter cup # 3, she asked for a ziplock bag to pack a few for the road. Are you inspired? You should be... she still weighs 120 lbs! CRAZY!

They go together like peas & carrots.

Brian and Phil have been attached at the hip for longer than I can remember. They are obsessed with grilling rib-eye steaks, target practice with their bow & arrows and reminiscing about the years-gone-by when they were roommates. They both stood by each others’ side on their wedding days and they share common goals in life.

This year on Phil’s 28th birthday, we celebrated with friends at a local restaurant. I made Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting for dessert. The cakes were light and fluffy, not like a typical carrot cake, which can be very dense.

As with any gathering that includes the Egner family, there was not a crumb left in sight. Here is a picture of the birthday boy with Brian and Kenny. (notice my lovely cupcakes on the table in front of them!)