NIH
Are you thinking about Spring like me?
Tasty Tuesday everyone! Are you like me today dreaming of spring? We had some very spring-like weather last week and on Monday it went from being 60 to 30 Brrrrrrrr
For me the thought of Spring and Easter makes me think of LEMON. Lemon-y desserts have a light and refreshing taste to them. I always look forward to making these Lemon cake pops or balls. 
These luscious lemon goodies were made into cake balls, and they were quickly gone!
What flavors remind you of Springtime? If I could post a tutorial what would you want to learn? I want to hear from you guys out there what cake projects have you done lately feel free to email me some pictures.
Have a TASTY day everyone!
Preparing for snow…..
Is it snowing where you are yet? What provisions do you take when your area is calling for a large amount of snow? Here in the DC area we just are not equipped to handle a lot of snow/ice so I had to chuckle a bit when yesterday Virginia declared a State of emergency already………..the snow is expected somewhere around 8-10pm TONIGHT! Now having lived in Maine for a long time we no how to handle snow and unless they are calling for at least a foot (probably more) nothing is declared a state of emergency LOL school are closed that’s about it! Luckily enough the grocery store was not too busy when I went this morning but as I was leaving around 10:30 it was getting to be.
Here is a photo of the dessert table at the Circus Birthday Party. Let Tasty Cake Pop plan your child’s next party. We did everything for this event right down to the custom made Circus dress shown here: 
Here is the cutest Ferris wheel cupcake holder we found
This lucky 6 year old also had a PETTING ZOO! WOW that was fun! Keep checking back for more photos.
Tasty Wednesday everyone and stay safe especially those in the South that are not used to this!
Fondant Fun
Can you believe it is Thursday already? The week is going by quickly and there is still so much to get done for this Circus party. Today I baked up all round cakes in 10″ x 3″ (almost double the thickness of a regular pan) cake, 2 8″ cakes, a 6″ cake and last but not least I have one of those “ball” pans so I cooked up half of that to create the dome on the top of the “Big Top Tent” which will be the topper to our cake. You can’t even imagine HOW many sticks of butter, cups of sugar, sacks of flour goes into making THIS MANY CAKES WOWZA! Oh and don’t forget about all those egg whites to create white cake with sprinkles which is what this little peanut wanted for her cake of as she says VALLILA too cute!
Once all those cakes were finished I started on my fondant lion. I had begun using my plain white Marshamallow fondant or MMF and had to color it. Working in small batches I made a few colors. This is the first time I had done a lion so here he is I think he came out cute.
I also created a seal balancing a ball on his nose, last night however I am going to share when he is ALL done. I need to make his pedestal still.
Tonight I will be busy leveling my cakes (using a in-expensive level from your local hardware store works great!) then getting them all wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled overnight so that tomorrow I can begin the crumb coating and start getting this Circus cake done.
What are you working on? Have you ever played with fondant before? Have some fun pictures you would like to share email them to me.
Have a TASTY night all
Frozen?
So how many of you woke up in a clip from frozen today? It certainly can be pretty to look at but PLEASE drive safely and don’t go out if you do not have to!
Some of you may know that on Sunday my finger left hand ring finger was crunched in my trunk (don’t ask!) and with no time to baby it before the big event Sunday its still quite painful. At least now its not black/purple anymore but still quite swollen.
This morning I have been busy making Marshmallow fondant that will be used to create fun accent pieces and animals for the 3 tier CIRCUS cake for Sunday. Have you ever tried making MMF before? Its really easy……..and STICKY!
Here is the recipe so go ahead give it a try!
In a microwave safe bowl, lightly greased add a 16oz bag of mini marshmallows, 2 Tablespoons of water and 1 tsp of clear vanilla extract. Microwave for 60 seconds, stir, and repeat at 30 second intervals until the marshmallows are melted. Once melted thoroughly remove and add to it 1/4 cup of vegetable shortening stirring until melted. Add a 2lb bag of confectionary sugar a bit at a time. I usually dump half of the bag at first mixing good and then adding more as you go along. I never use the entire bag of conf. sugar. Your MMF consistency should be just thicker than play dough. Once you have the desired consistency lightly grease the outside of your MMF ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place in an air tight container. Let this settle for a few hours or overnight. After settled you can color your MMF using either a gel like Wilton or Americolor which offer a very intense color so start out lightly and add more as needed. This MMF can sit on the counter for a few weeks. If you need to soften you can do so by microwaving it in 5 second intervals until pliable. ENJOY and have fun with it!
Here is a Peppa Pig I made last year for a Peppa Pig “Muddy Puddles” party
Here is a photo of the cake which was a dairy, egg free cake so I’m surprised that it did not crumble under the pressure of the tiers! Covering sugar cones with buttercream NOT EASY!
What exactly IS a cake pop you ask?
This is a question that is often asked by those that have SEEN cake pops but have yet to have a TASTY CAKE POP (like that plug? ) This way of making cake pops came to me after hours upon hours of research online one winter. So this is the ORIGINAL way to make cake pops.
1. Bake a Tasty cake
2. Crumble your cake
3. Mix in frosting/flavorings
4. Roll or shape
5. Insert sticks
6. Dip in chocolate
7. EAT AND ENJOY!
Now some of you may have seen those cake pop makers that you put the cake batter into and it cooks your cake into round balls, this is NOT the original way to make these yummy morsels. Now you CAN make them like that if you like but be forewarned this will result in a dry cake pop and not the yummy truffle like morsel pictured above. Those cake pops look like this: 
If you decide to give it a try have fun with it, don’t stress even the ones that dont look beautiful on your first try will still taste wonderful.
Have a TASTY day everyone
Honoring our healthcare providers
With the Holidays coming it is a time to remember those who do the things that perhaps we take for granted like our newspaper carrier, the coffee shop employees that make that perfect latte daily and our healthcare providers. Since we will be at the Holiday Bazaar at NIH Friday what a great time to grab a few of these cute little “scrubs” We are also working on a Nurses appreciation pop so stay tuned!! Its chillly here so what a great day to play with cake!
