Dessert Recipes

Linda took another two square cake pans out of the oven and started to pour cake mix into them. She already had two white cakes baking in the oven. These two would be chocolate. Putting alternating white and chocolate layers would give her a checkerboard pattern when the cake was finished. She planned vanilla frosting but with red food coloring and a miniature flag on top.

Then she had a sheet cake that was double chocolate with chocolate chunks in the batter. They’ll love that one she mused. She loved to bake and had to stop herself before she made enough cake to overshadow all the other food she was preparing

They expected a large group of people to spend the afternoon and evening here. When the doorbell rang, she planned to serve snacks and a punch she had chilled. Kids would drink soda and she’d use paper cups for them. She mentally went over the list of food. Chips and dip, cheese and crackers, pretzels and nachos. She hoped they wouldn’t stuff so much that they didn’t eat the grilled food.

For those strictly healthy-food people she had a ton of veggies and dip. The house would be filled to the brim with both food and guests. Out on the patio the umbrella was up and the table and chair patio set washed clean. There were odd lawn chairs scattered on the patio and some on the grass. There was a redwood picnic table for the kids to sit at.

They would all have a lot of fun. Babies would cry, toddlers would fight over the picnic table and her sister’s new baby would arrive, cuddled in her little graco snugride infant car seat. She hadn’t seen the baby yet. She was only four weeks old. Her name was Ruba and she was said to sleep a lot of the time. She put out plastic toys for the kids.

The men would play a little basketball and drink a little beer. She secured the ladder to the above ground pool for the last time. Well maybe she’d do it once more before the day was over. Can’t be too careful about safety she thought.

Meanwhile Todd was preparing the grill and taking out all the cooking tools. They’d have burgers and brats and of course the traditional hot dogs. It made sense to serve easy-to-eat food to such a large group. She had potato salad and macaroni salad in four large bowls in the refrigerator. The tray of pickles and olives was chilling in there too.

She rushed up the stairs and went in to make sure her daughter’s loft bed was made. Then she showered and put on a new summer dress and sandals. Later she might change into shorts and join the basketball game. She knew the day would be fun for everyone. Well Aunt Bertha might grumble about something, but that was to be expected at any of their gatherings.

If you are looking to an alternative to a traditional cake, cupcakes can be a quick and easy alternative. Cupcakes can be transformed into animals and faces as well as simple ones like frosting with sprinkles. Cupcakes are also suitable for all sorts of occasions including birthday parties, weddings or garden parties. Cupcakes can fit into to any special occasion and the following will list a variety of ideas for your next cupcake event.

Flavours- One of the advantages of having cupcakes at your event is the fact that you can offer a variety of flavours to your guests. Cupcakes can be made in plain vanilla or chocolate to the more adventuresome flavours like banana, lemon, or spicy carrot. You can provide a little of everything for your guests.

Shape- although you may think that cupcakes can only baked to be round, you should realize that baking pans are now made so that they can be baked in a variety of shapes including stars, hearts, or flowers.

Frosting Flavours- A great way to add another layer of flavour and interest to your cupcake is by adding frosting to the top. Frosting can be made in a variety of different flavours to compliment the cake underneath. Some examples of frosting flavours are chocolate, cream cheese,, lemon or strawberry. It is easy to pick one that will suit your cupcake.

Frosting Colour- there are limitless number of colours that can transform your frosting. Pick a colour that goes with the theme of your party. From subtle pastels to bold bright primary colours, the colour of your frosting should reflex the theme of your event and the flavour of the cake it covers.

Frosting Style- As you can imagine there are a number of ways to apply frosting to any cupcake. from smooth butter cream to poured fondant the way you choose to apply the frosting to your cupcake can transform the entire look. Dipping a cupcake in butter cream frosting is a quick and easy way of decorating the top, a more elaborate method is to encase the entire cake in fondant, it is also a nice effect when you apply frosting to the top of the cake through a piping bag with a star tip. Whichever method you choose, the application of frosting is sure to make your cupcakes unique and mouth watering.

Filling- Another way to surprise your guests is to add a filling to the top of the cupcake. Like the flavour of the cupcake and frosting, filling can come in a number of different flavours to suit your taste. Lemon, chocolate and strawberry are just some of the flavours you can make your filing out of.

Decorating- Now we get to the step in the process where you can really let your creativity shine. If you feels like you want or need some guidance you can pick up a variety of different books and magazines that will suggest ways to decorate the top of your cupcakes. There are instructions on how to transform the top of the cupcake into a clowns face or a flower or animals. Whatever the theme of your party is, get toppings that will compliment that theme. Try to pick a design that will impress your guest. There is no limit when it comes to decorating the top of a cupcake.

As you have seen the cupcake is a great way to add a personal touch to your party. Don’t be afraid to try something different on your cupcakes, because if something doesn’t work, or doesn’t look great, you can always eat the mistake and no one will ever know. Good Luck!