Birthday Cake Pops

Wow...it's been more than two years since my last post. Much has happened in the past few years since my baking prime of 2010. I have lost and I have gained. I have grieved and I have loved. I have moved and moved on. I have grown. I have also been incredibly busy. That does not mean that I have not baked, but I certainly have not baked as much and I have not taken the time to share what I've baked.

So, here I am...finally getting around to sharing a few highlights of celebrating Miss A's birthday the past few years.

Here are the ice cream cone cake pops for celebrating birthday number 4 with her class. They were made using the bottom portion of sugar cones, filled with jelly beans, topped with a confetti cake ball, drizzled with two different colored candy melts and then topped with sprinkles and candy "cherry."

For birthday number 5, we had a Hello Kitty theme, so I tried to re-create the amazing Bakerella Hello Kitty pops. Some looked more like Hello Kitty than others, but overall they turned out great and were a hit with the birthday girl and her Kindergarten class. 

In addition to the Hello Kitty cake pops for her 5th birthday, we also made these tea cup cupcakes with the extra cake batter to have our very own birthday celebration - complete with a sparkling "A" - in the park.

Cinnamon Rolls on a Winter Day

This past Christmas, we discussed traditions - both in the things we do to celebrate the holiday and also the special foods we make. We decided to start a new tradition of making homemade cinnamon rolls. I asked my mother-in-law for her recipe. However, it wasn't as exact and scientific as I like with baking.  So, since I'm not a practiced baker of breads, I decided to research other recipes to try.

I really need to do this more - baking that requires kneading. It's quite like a form of meditation. Once everything is measured with precision, you can lose yourself in the dough and knead to your heart's desire.

I followed the Cinnamon Roll 101 recipe by The Pioneer Woman.  However, I used brown sugar in the filling for some extra sticky and sugary goodness. One mistake I made though was putting them in a baking dish that was too small.

It all worked out though. They baked just fine, the sugar got nice and gooey and they were lovely and doughy on the inside and golden on top.

Because, when it looks like this outside....

You just want to be inside your warm cozy candlelit home...

...enjoying one of these with a mug of coffee or tea on a cold winter day.

The other change I made from The Pioneer Woman's recipe was to choose a different frosting. I made a cream cheese frosting instead of the maple frosting that she used.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat frosting ingredients until well mixed. Frost warm cinnamon rolls and serve.