This was a cake made for a friend’s birthday party. Coconuts were integral to the cake, filling and of course, decoration. I used finely chopped shredded coconut and coconut milk for the cake batter. The three layer cake filled with two layers of coconut custard made with egg yolks, milk and more coconut, and was frosted with grand marnier buttercream. I was so excited to find large organic coconut flakes at Whole Foods, which I pressed onto the buttercream. Finally, candied violets added a bit of contrast and color.

This was a birthday cake inspired by and created for my brother, who has always loved strawberries. It was very moist chocolate cake, filled and frosted with strawberry grand marnier buttercream. I piped a star pattern throughout the top layer and arranged strawberry halves around the edge. To further enhance the strawberry flavor, I spread strawberry preserves in the middle layer.

The chocolate band was a challenge and not advisable in this hot and humid July northeast weather. I spread melted chocolate onto aluminum foil, waited a bit for it to set, traced a freeform wavy design on the top, and wrapped it around the cake. I did this in two stages, half a band at a time, allowing the chocolate to set in the refrigerator before peeling off the foil.

Despite the difficulties I had working with chocolate, the cake drew oohs and aahs at the party. The taste was a hit, as well. Not terribly sweet and well balanced, according to the host and chef. Pretty and tasty!

I wanted to create a cake using some pistachio nut paste I had purchased. The resulting cake was more dense than I would have liked, so I’ll have to experiment some more. The layer in the middle is the actual paste itself. Perhaps it was the brand I used, or the fact that I incorporated too much paste into the batter itself that resulted in the dense-ness. I’m thinking next time I will incorporate the pistachio flavor into the frosting itself, and/or try a pistachio mousse filling and a more basic chiffon recipe for the cake.

This is a super simple tart I whipped up for a weekend breakfast using fruits I had on hand. It’s a recipe adapted from Sara Moulton’s French Apple Tart recipe on FoodNetwork. When I don’t want to make a crust from scratch, I use puff pastry dough (as shown) or even more better, flatbread. I peeled and cored (using a melon baller) an apple cut in half, sliced the apple thinly, and arranged the slices in a circular pattern along the edge. I then cut some apricots in half and arranged those. I dotted the fruit with butter and sprinkled some sugar over it, and then heated the tart the oven for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, I heated some apricot jam with water for a glaze. After taking the tart out of the oven, I placed fresh strawberries in the center. All the fruit was then brushed with the apricot jam for a glazed finish that makes it look like you bought it from a bakery.

I made this chocolate cake with mocha frangelica buttercream frosting for a party this weekend. The mocha and hazelnut liqueur worked well together. I coated the sides with sliced almonds, to further highlight the nuttiness of this cake. The top is garnished with shaved chocolate and powered espresso, to hint at the contents of the cake.

I wanted to create a light, berry cake for father’s day, so I made this white cake with raspberry buttercream frosting. It’s filled with raspberry jam and ganache, and finished with ganache rosettes and fresh raspberries. Although the color of the cake may not have been the most ideal for father’s day, I achieved an intentionally not-too-sweet cake from using raspberries and bittersweet chocolate.

Here’s the first layer of raspberry jam and then buttercream frosting. The color is achieved by adding raspberry puree to the frosting.

I wasn’t sure if I had made enough ganache or frosting, so for the second of three layers, I used raspberry jam and ganache. I probably should have just made this a two layer, as the layers were rather thin and moist and a bit difficult to work with. Finally, I frosted the entire cake.

For the finishing touches, I piped ganache rosettes and placed a fresh raspberry atop each.

I offered to bring dessert to a friend’s birthday party. It turned out to be the host’s birthday cake, which was a nice surprise. The cake was gone within minutes.

This was a simple, classic cake combination–chocolate with a pillowy frosting of whipped cream, and a filling of whipped cream. I coated the sides with cake crumbs, as is commonly done in black forest cakes, to hint at the chocolate cake within. This is a popular combination that appeals to just about everyone!

My husband got me a gift certificate for class at New York’s Institute of Culinary Education. Last month, I took a birthday cake making class and made this white cake. It’s filled with raspberry jam and a layer of ganache, and frosted with grand marnier buttercream frosting. Sugar coated almonds pressed on the side complete the look. It was a hit with family and co-workers!

I bought these Wilton snowmen molds on clearance at Target. These cakes were mostly an exercise on piping using decorating tips, but the results were cute! I brought them to a party and the only problem was that some people felt guilty cutting into them!