I’m guest blogging over on Hostess With the Mostess today!  I’m sharing a new recipe just in time for your upcoming Memorial Day celebrations.  A festive update on an all-American classic… s’mores!  What BBQ is complete without some s’more goodness?  And since it is a holiday, these little guys are all dressed up and showing off their patriotic pride!  They’re not just any old s’more bar… they’re Star Spangled S’more Bars!

A graham cracker crust is topped with a silky smooth chocolate cream and then finished with star-shaped marshmallows.  In red, white and blue, of course.

Be sure to come join me over on Hostess With the Mostess!  You can find my recipe HERE. Enjoy!

	Carrie Sellman is the Founder & Editor of The Cake Blog. Her work has been published in BRIDES Magazine, The Bride and Bloom, on DIYnetwork.com, TLC’s Parentables and more. Read more about Carrie on her bio page.

Hold on to your hats because today’s featured party is SO ridiculously adorable!  A dessert display oozing with vintage charm and delicious treats.  Including not one, but two incredible cakes!  Cupcakes, whoopie pies, sugar cookies, macarons, s’mores on a stick, homemade strawberry marshmallows… the dessert list goes on and on!  This is what happens when two talented bakers join forces!  With classic backyard games and a ‘country store’ of prizes, this party has a rustic flair fit for the most precious of cowgirls.  Created by Erin Schaefgen of Three Little Blackbirds and Avalon Yarnes of Avalon Cakes, saddle up for this delightfully Vintage Cowgirl Birthday Party! 

As if this display isn’t darling enough with its antique dresser and wooden milk crates, just wait until you see all of the delicious details!

Whimsical sugar cookies mimic with the incredible boot cake (more on the cake in a moment) while girly pink and brown take center stage in the Neapolitan macarons, cupcakes and whoopie pies.  And wait… I spy s’mores, on a stick!  Made with homemade strawberry marshmallows!

Okay, let’s stop for a moment and really take a good look at this cake!  No, they are not real boots.  YES, it is cake!  Continue on with the swooning…

And as promised, cake #2!  An elegant beauty perched on it’s own milk crate.  Complete with a pink cake stand and flirty flower topper!

Guests were entertained with classic cowgirl games like horseshoes, ring toss and sack racing.  Their game tickets were redeemable for candy and other goodies available at the ‘country store’.  How cute is that?

Erin from Three Little Blackbirds gives us the party scoop:

“The party was for a little cowgirl turning 8 who loves all things country.  The birthday party featured an organic dessert table with two cakes (a vintage feminine tiered cake, and a cowgirl boots cake), whoopie pies, cupcakes, smores on a stick made with homemade strawberry marshmallows, mini blackberry pies on a stick, flavored gourmet popcorn, macarons, boot sugar cookies, jars of candy, cowgirl cookie mix favors, and homemade organic flavored milks (strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, and rootbeer milk).

There was also a little country store where the kids at the party could use their tickets they earned by playing games (horseshoes, lasso the cow, ring toss, and sack racing) to “buy” scoops of candy and other goodies.”

A very special thank you to Erin Schaefgen and Avalon Yarnes for sharing their Vintage Cowgirl Birthday Party with us today!  It has us kicking up our boots in excitement!

VENDORS & CREDITS:
Vintage Styling and Décor:  Erin Schaefgen and Avalon Yarnes
Boot Cake, Macarons, Decorated Boot Cookies:  Avalon Cakes
Pink and Yellow Tiered Cake, Cupcakes, Flavored Milks, Whoopie Pies, Lollipies, Cowgirl Cookie Mix Favors, Strawberry Marshmallows and Smores on a Stick:  Three Little Blackbirds
Gourmet Popcorn:  Too Haute Cowgirls
DIY Printables:  Sour Punch Studio
Polka Dot Baking Cups and Striped Milk Straws:  Dime Store Buddy
Photography:  Erin Schaefgen Photography

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, so I thought we’d squeeze in one last treat today!  All decked out in green coffee mugs and topped with glimmering shamrocks, these cupcakes are a big drink of Irish fun!  Chocolate cake is baked right in the mug and then topped with layers of whiskey-infused ganache and espresso buttercream.  Chocolate drizzle and a glittering candy shamrock finish the look!  Grab your apron because we’re whipping up some Irish Coffee Cupakes!

Funny thing is… I had an actual Irish Coffee once.  While it looks like a fluffy cocktail, the Irish whiskey is actually quite strong!  So let me assure you.  This “Irish Coffee” cupcake looks fluffy and fun and tastes equally delicious.  It’s really all about the coffee and chocolate flavors with a little Irish flair.

I have to admit… I think these would be even cuter if baked in the clear, tall coffee mugs traditionally used for Irish Coffee.  A clear glass would let you see all of the layers inside and look more like the original cocktail.  But sometimes budgets win over style!  The Irish Coffee mugs were $4 a piece while these green mugs were only $1.25 a piece.  I also think this would be adorable baked up in a mini espresso cup and saucer!  Maybe next year!

Since I went with the green mugs, here’s a peek at what’s inside.  Chocolate cake.  Chocolate Whiskey Ganache.  Espresso Buttercream….

Even if you don’t have the chance to make these for St. Patty’s Day, I still hope you give this recipe a try!  Simply swap out the color of the mug and trade the shamrock for a chocolate covered espresso been…. you’ll have delicious Cafe Mocha Cupcakes!  Yum!  Let’s grab a spoon…

Irish Coffee Cupcakes
Chocolate Cake (baked from scratch or made from a mix)
Oven Safe Coffee Mugs
Espresso Buttercream
Chocolate Whiskey Ganache
Glittering Shamrocks (find my DIY here)

Chocolate Cake:
Make your favorite chocolate cake recipe as normal.  Place coffee mugs on a lined baking sheet and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Fill half way with batter.  Bake at regular heat for slightly longer than normal for a cupcake.  I baked mine at 350 for 25 – 30 minutes.  Total baking time will vary based on the size of your mug.  Cupcakes are done when a toothpick comes out almost clean.  Let cool but do not remove cake from mugs.

Espresso Buttercream
2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cooled espresso
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups powdered sugar

1. In a measuring cup, mix together vanilla extract, espresso and salt.  Stir to dissolve salt.
2. Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, liquid mixture and roughly 1 cup of powdered sugar.  Beat on medium until well blended with no visible lumps.  (I always error on more mixing than less, to avoid grainy icing.)  Scrape down sides of bowl.
3. Add another cup of sugar and beat well.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Repeat until all remaining sugar has been added.  Beat until well combined.

Chocolate Whiskey Ganache
1 cup heavy whipping cream
12 oz chocolate chips
1 T whiskey (optional – substitute espresso or omit, if desired)

1. Heat cream in saucepan on stove on med-high until almost boiling.  Remove from heat.
2. Pour cream over chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl.  Let rest for a few minutes while the hot cream melts the chocolate.
3. Stir, stir, stir until all chocolate has melted and ganache is smooth and shiny.  (If small bits of unmelted chocolate remain, pop bowl into microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power.  Stir and repeat until completely melted and smooth.)
4. Add whiskey and stir, if using.
5. Let cool slightly before assembling cupcakes.

To Assemble

1. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, spoon a layer of chocolate ganache into each mug.
2. Pipe espresso buttercream on top, using a pastry bag fitted with a #1M tip.  Start in the center and swirl outward in a circle to cover cup.  Do a second swirl, this time, starting on the outside and moving upward and in, to create a nice mound.
3. Drizzle additional chocolate ganache on top of buttercream.  I used a pastry bag fitted with a #1 tip and followed with swirl of the buttercream.
4. Place candy shamrock on top.  Enjoy with a spoon!

Whether you bake these up tonight to add something sweet and green to your St. Patty’s Day… or give these a try later in the year without the green flair, I hope you enjoy my Irish Coffee Cupcakes!  Wishing you the Luck of the Irish and a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Happy Friday everyone!

	Carrie Sellman is the Founder & Editor of The Cake Blog. Her work has been published in BRIDES Magazine and featured on TLC, DIY Network, The Cooking Channel, Glamour and more. Read more about Carrie on her bio page.

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner… this Saturday to be exact.  To help you celebrate, I’ve created a new DIY treat full of sweet goodness and glittering shamrocks!  I shared it over on the fabulous Hostess Blog and will share it here as well!  So whether you’re planning a big green bash or simply want a treat to enjoy at home, these are festive and magically delicious.  They’re my Leprechaun Hat S’mores!

Delicious as they are cute, these little hats would be the perfect addition to any St. Patty’s Day dessert table.  A Fudge Stripe Cookie base is topped with a marshmallow and then coated in chocolate to create one delicious little s’more hat!  Easy enough for your little leprechauns to help make too (if you don’t mind gooey hands!).

Let’s take a peek inside, shall we?

In a few simple steps, you’ll be kicking up your heels and dancing the jig, wishing that every rainbow ended in a plate of these adorable s’mores!  So let’s get to it… here’s how to make them!

LEPRECHAUN HAT S’MORES
a DIY by Carrie Sellman

Ingredients:

•  Keebler® Fudge Stripes™ Cookies
•  Large Marshmallows
•  Dark Chocolate Candy Melts
•  Green Candy Melts
•  Green Sprinkles or Cake Sparkles

STEP 1 :   Melt dark chocolate candy in the microwave, in 30 second intervals on 50% power.  Stir after each heating.  Repeat until completely melted.  Dip Fudge Stripe Cookies into chocolate, coating completely.  Shake off any excess.  Set on parchment paper, top side down, until candy coating is completely set.

STEP 2 :  Using a toothpick, dip marshmallow into chocolate and coat almost entirely.  Shake off any excess.  Set on parchment paper, until candy coating is completely set.  Remove toothpick.

STEP 3 :  Melt green candy just as you did the chocolate.  Flip marshmallow upside down and insert new toothpick in top.  Dip into green candy, just barely, to create a small band of green around the bottom.

STEP 4 :  Coat green candy band with sprinkles or sparkles. Shake off excess.

STEP 5 :  Place marshmallow in center of chocolate covered cookie.  Carefully remove toothpick.  Touch up the toothpick hole with a small dab of melted chocolate, if desired.

STEP 6 :  Spoon some of the remaining melted green candy into a piping bag, ziplock bag or squeeze bottle.  On parchment paper, make three small dots of candy in the shape of a triangle.  Each dot should be about the size of a chocolate chip.  Using a toothpick, swirl the three dots together to form a shamrock shape.  Swirl the bottom two dots together first, then the top dot.  Pull toothpick straight down to form the stem.  Before candy hardens, cover with sprinkles or crushed cake sparkles.  Once shamrocks have set up, dust off excess sparkle.

STEP 7 :  To finish the hat, attach a glittering shamrock with a small dab of melted green.

Your finished treats can be stored for several days in an airtight container, at room temperature. Whether your family heritage goes back to Ireland or not… we’re all Irish on March 17th!  So get your green on and whip up some of these yummy Leprechaun Hat S’mores for your little munchkins! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

	Carrie Sellman is the Founder & Editor of The Cake Blog. Her work has been published in BRIDES Magazine and featured on TLC, DIY Network, The Cooking Channel, Glamour and more. Read more about Carrie on her bio page.

Our cupcake contributor, Lauren of Crave. Indulge. Satisfy, is back with another tempting recipe….

This month’s cupcake recipe was inspired after a recent camping trip my husband and I took to celebrate our 5 year anniversary!  We pitched a tent, started a fire and roasted marshmallows to create the perfect camping treat…S’mores!  I can’t think of a better way to enjoy a night outside under the stars than with this gooey, sticky and messy sandwich cookie.  So I have transformed this graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate combination into a S’mores Cupcake that is super easy and no roasting is involved.

The base of the cupcake is a simple one-bowl chocolate cake.  Who doesn’t love a chocolate cupcake?  The S’mores factor comes into play with the Marshmallow Cream frosting and graham cracker garnish.  Instead of using actual marshmallows in this recipe I decided on a jar of marshmallow cream, which creates a light and fluffy texture.  This icing is not overly sweet and pairs nicely with the chocolate and graham crackers.  Top off the cupcake with a chocolate square from a Hershey’s bar and you have the ultimate S’mores in cake form!

S’more cupcakes are the pefect treat for a picnic or camping themed party. They are low maintenance and super easy to make so grab your kids and get them involved. I guarantee they will love being your graham cracker crushers and dipping the cupcakes into the crumbs.

S’mores Cupcakes
(makes 30 cupcakes)

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup hot water
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
2. In bowl of stand mixer combine dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined.
3. Add the wet ingredients: eggs, milk, oil, water and vanilla to the dry ingredients. With mixer on medium speed mix for about 2 minutes scrapping down sides of the bowl as needed. (The batter will be very liquidy, but that is ok.)
4. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. (I use a 4-cup measuring cup with a pour spout to transfer the batter to the cupcake liners so it is easier to control and less mess.)
5. Bake for 16-17 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.
7. Once cupcakes are completely cool, ice with Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting and garnish with graham crackers and chocolate.

For the frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow cream
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In bowl of stand mixer cream butter for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add marshmallow cream and mix until incorporated.
3. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and mix until well combined.
4. Place icing in a piping bag fitted with large round tip (I used 1A) and add a dollop of icing on top of cupcakes.

For the garnish:
1/2 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs
3 Hershey’s Bars, broken into squares

1. Place graham crackers in zip lock bag and crush with your hands until fine crumbs.
2. Take frosted cupcakes and turn upside down into bowl of graham cracker crumbs to cover the frosting.
3. Place a Hershey’s chocolate square on top of each cupcake.

S’mores Cupcakes are best enjoyed on the day they are baked and assembled as the graham cracker crumbs will get a little soft over time.

Hope you enjoy!

	Lauren Kapeluck Lauren is a monthly contributor for The Cake Blog. She is a self-taught baker and lover of all things sugar. Read more about Lauren on her bio page.

We’re continuing on with our summer theme this week, featuring yet another birthday party perfect for summer time.  This charming S’mores Camp Out was created by Lisa from Moore Minutes for her son’s birthday.  We first introduced you to Lisa when we featured her Vintage Picnic back in July.  We loved that picnic and we love this camp out!  Take a look…

A very special thank you to Lisa for submitting this delightful party to us.  To see s’more of this party, be sure to check out this post and this post on Lisa’s blog, Moore Minutes.

Last week we started to get ready for Easter with a casual Easter brunch menu, a creative tablescape and some sparking cocktails.  But a celebration wouldn’t be complete without something sweet.  So today, we take a look at some Easter desserts that are both delightful and delicious.   All of the bunnies, chicks, eggs, butterflies and flowers in soft pastels…. I’m really ready for Spring!

• This stunning butterfly cake from Pink Cake Box is beautifully decorated with delicate hand-painted sugarpaste butterflies and blossoms.  Anne’s work is just gorgeous!
• Learn how to make your own Easter egg cookies and edible bird’s nest on I Am Baker.  I love these!
• Take a short cut and order up some adorable Easter Bunny S’mores from Williams-Sonoma.
• Eleni’s delivers a flurry of spring cookies, including bunnies, peeps and flowers.

Happy Monday everyone!  Be sure to enter our current giveaway for a $50 gift certificate to PlatesAndNapkins.com if you haven’t already done so.

Last week we featured a slew of Valentine’s Sweets, including many great recipes you can make at home.  Look, I realize that not everyone has the time or energy to bake up Valentine’s sweets from scratch.  But that doesn’t mean that you can’t treat your loved ones to something special!  Today’s Valentine’s Treats are as simple as point-and-click.  They’re adorable, delicious and available for delivery by Valentine’s Day!

• Message Heart Cookies are entirely hand made at Two Hearts Bakery.  Each crisp heart-shaped chocolate sugar cookie is topped with royal icing and inscribed with a heartfelt message.
• XOXO S’more “hugs” and “kisses” consist hand-cut marshmallow sandwiched between graham crackers, dipped in Guittard milk or dark couverture chocolate.  Also handmade by Two Hearts Bakery.
• Personalized Chocolate Hearts are hand made by Victoria Pastry Co, requiring three hours to complete.  A truly artistic creation, the hollow heart is molded of Guittard dark chocolate with decorative details and personalization in white and rose colored chocolate.
• Heart Petit Fours are hand made with eight layers of light, moist vanilla sponge cake, then enriched with marzipan and three layers of buttercream. The assortment of twelve diamond-shaped cakes includes four of each flavor: lemon, raspberry and vanilla.
• Mini Cupcakes by Perfect Endings are a sweet as can be in this red heart-shaped box.  Devil’s food cupcakes topped with either chocolate-caramel cream or chocolate truffle cream.
• Sweetie Pies are sophisticated whoopie pies.  Made with local butter and free-range eggs, these individual rich, moist red-velvet cakes are filled with decadent buttercream in three delicious flavors: chocolate, raspberry and classic vanilla. The pies are individually wrapped and packaged in a ribbon-tied box.

All of these delicious treats are available via Williams-Sonoma.  So really, how much easier does it need to be?  You have no excuses…. treat your sweetheart to something sweet this Valentine’s Day.  Order by next Monday, Feb 8th to ensure delivery!  Enjoy!

And remember, Thursday is the last day to enter our Wedding JoJo Website Giveaway!