Content
That's right....I did it....I made a cupcake that tastes like a twinkie! Don't tell me you don't miss twinkies....maybe even just a little bit. No? It's just me? I will admit it, I took the twinkie for granted. Once a year I would buy that little package of Hostess Twinkies with those two golden twinkie logs. I would open them up and lick all of that yummy marsh
I don't think I have ever been so absent from blogging as I have these last few weeks. Between work and school I have hardly had time to sleep. There is a light at the end of the tunnel...finals next week and then summer break! But I have really missed blogging, I've missed all of you and I've missed all of my blogging friends.This post is special to me.....it is #100!!!!!
I don't like to brag, but I'm a pretty good baker. Ok....fine....I'm an excellent baker! Not everything I bake is perfect but I tend to be pretty successful more times than not. I say all of this because I think you should know......lemon bars do not like me! I absolutely LOVE lemon bars! I especially love them when they are on the tart side and when the lemony custard is still c
Chocolate and caramel and pecans....oh my! I like to call these my "pimped out" brownies. Sure, chocolate brownies are yummy but why not add some caramel and pecans to push them over the top? I am having a "day" (a pretty rough day) and I need some chocolate...badly! We are talking about one of those "stay in your jammies all day, lying on the couch eating cheese puffs" kin
Have you ever heard people say "no thanks, I don't like scones"? This is what I heard from about a dozen people last week when I made these scones. To which I would answer "ok, but they have toffee in them". Of course, this was also followed by them taking a scone and then practically yelling "OH.MY.GOD"....."BEST SCONE EVER"! Nobody took just one either...they were fightin
I can't begin to tell you how excited I am today! Today is a day of firsts and I have my very first guest blogger on Baker Becky today!!!! :) Jess, from On Sugar Mountain, will be sharing one of her fabulous recipes for muffins (I have such muffin envy when I read her blog, she makes the BEST muffins ever).I met Jess and started following her blog a little over a year ago. She wa
So very excited!!!! Today I am a guest blogger on one of my favorite blogs for one of my all time favorite bloggers!!!! On Sugar Mountain was one of my very first blog addictions in this wonderful world of blogging and it is written by the wonderful young woman named Jess. I'm not sure how she fits it into her busy college schedule, but Jess somehow finds the time to bake the yummiest
Remember when I made homemade S'mores pop tarts? I may have mentioned that I don't like them from the box. I may have also mentioned that I'm insane and a push-over and I make almost anything my kids ask me to make. Proof I am a push-over...these brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts. Proof I am insane...made these the same day as my Angelic Brownies and Pizza Spaghetti. The
Been crazy busy with work and school and homework lately and I haven't posted in ages!! So, here is a post...short but sweet! My oldest son found this recipe and decided we had to make it for Valentine's Day for dessert. It goes together easily (but takes a while with all of the freezing necessary) and is delicious! Better than any ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins!!!! &nb
It's celebration time! Someone got an excellent report card this last quarter and showed great improvement! He worked hard to bring those grades up and we needed to celebrate his success!!! When asked what he would like for a celebration dinner, he chose Pizza Spaghetti (recipe on the blog), and even searched the web for a recipe. As for dessert, I thought we should try something
Shortest....post....ever! This one is for Zack! To celebrate his great report card, I offered to make a special meal of his choosing. Zack saw a picture of Pizza Spaghetti on Twitter and went searching the web looking for a recipe. This super easy recipe popped up on myrecipes.com and was originally from Southern Living.Very cute and fun dish to make with the kids! My young
I don't know why it has taken me so long to make German Chocolate Cupcakes. German Chocolate cake is my families all time favorite cake. It is the cake my Mom and siblings request for all of their birthdays. My Mom has been making it from the recipe that has been printed on the back of the Baker's box for all of my life and I have never tasted a recipe for this cake that is bette
Monday night the boys and I headed over to Fenton's Creamery. Fenton's has been in Oakland for over 100 years and has the best ice cream sundaes around! I have been visiting since I was a little girl and continued all through college and now I take my kids there. Both of my boys were born in a hospital down the street from the creamery and my only request after each of their birt
I'm still on the look-out for the perfect vanilla cupcake! I actually don't have a problem with cakes made from a box. I often doctor up box mixes to make cakes and cupcakes. But I LOVE the taste of homemade cakes, especially when you can taste all of that fresh vanilla bean or whatever REAL ingredients you put in there. The only problem I really have is that homemade cakes
The boys and I decided to make the second week of winter break a week of gift card adventures. We had gift cards for movie theaters, starbucks, restaurants, etc. Believe it or not, you can plan entire days around your gift cards. Soooo much fun! On one of these days we went into San Francisco for the day and walked the park, visited an art museum, and drove around site seei
Yes, I know....I disappeared again! I spent the last three weeks of December baking for clients but had no time to do any photographing or blogging. Right now I'm working on baking my New Years Eve specials. For this holiday I offered Snowball Cupcakes (aka my Coconut Cupcakes) and Confetti Cupcakes. I thought these were perfect desserts to offer for winter time celebrating
It has been a frustrating couple of days with blogger but the issue is resolved and I can now upload pictures to my blog again and get my posts out! YAY!!! Now I can share the recipe I have been promising all week.....Caramel Sandwich Cookies! I had a bit of homemade caramel leftover from my Birthday Cupcakes, you know the one..."Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Caramel Filling and Car
One year ago today my blog was born! The blog was an idea I had played around with for a while and one final push from my niece Samantha got me going. She was the one who encouraged me to go to blogspot.com and get this blog started! I did it and I am so happy that I did. This is a place where I can be creative and express myself. I absolutely love baking, I always ha
Happy Monday! Let's start this post by saying that my Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are being featured on Foodie Friends Daily Dish! Yay me!! :) Head on over and check out all of the wonderful cookie recipes!Now on to these fabulous cupcakes! This weekend was filled with TONS of baking! The kind of baking weekend when you think "chocolate, please don't ever let m
Even though I am famous for my cupcakes....cookies are really my favorite. I love them all. Chocolate chip, oatmeal, sugar cookies, snickerdoodles......ALL of them! It's funny that I am so experimental with cupcakes but more of a purist with cookies, so I figured it was time for me to branch out and make a cookie with a little more oompf! This recipe comes straight to you f
This year I am not making Thanksgiving dinner. I know....(gasps loudly)! I am having a wonderful and exciting and special Thanksgiving with my Mom. We are dressing up and heading to San Francisco for a wonderful dinner in a beautiful hotel! Super excited!Even though I'm not cooking, I am still in baking mode! I have put out an offering for all of my clients to purchas
Everyone deals with stress differently. Some people eat, some people drink, some people go shopping, some people hide away listening to music.....I bake! Sometimes I go crazy and clean the house and sometimes I want to sit in my jammies and eat all day but baking is the thing that helps me the most. I don't necessarily want to eat if after I've baked it, I just need to do it for
That's right....you heard me....Magic Bars! These bars have many names - Magic Bars, Seven Layer Bars, Hello Dolly Bars, the list goes on! Call them whatever you like as long as remember two things; 1. these bars are INCREDIBLY addictive 2. they are NOT low fat or low sugar!I love these bars for so many reasons. They are delicious and dreamy and everyone loves them! They ar
Malfatti, when translated from Italian, means "poorly made". I have no idea how anyone could call these delicate, light, fluffy and delicious dumplings "poorly made". They are like little bites of heaven to me! Malfatti are really a Tuscan version of Gnocchi, that are made with flour, ricotta, and spinach (or kale, swiss chard, etc.).I was recently told about these heavenly dumpl
Bourbon Butterscotch Bread Pudding! Yep, you heard me right! Despite our warm California weather, it is fall and time for the comfort food that I think of when I think of fall. I am in the mood for soups and stews and pumpkin breads and bread pudding!This bread pudding is probably the best bread pudding I have ever had....it is certainly the best I have ever made! The custa
The past few weeks have been busy for me with mid-terms at school, deadlines at work and several small catering jobs. Needless to say....I am behind in my posts!!Lucky for all of us I have a guest blogger today, the lovely Rachel Hurley who writes for a UK lifestyles blog called Appliances Online @ Home. Her blog is filled with posts about the home....cooking, decorating, family, etc.
I'm just back from a short-but-sweet trip to one of my favorite places...Carmel! I was in need of a quick de-compression from school, work, etc. and Carmel has everything I love....beaches, wineries, romance, shopping, great restaurants, and hiking! Weekend over :( time to get back to work and prepare for my last two mid-terms....ugh!Before I do, I had to share these fabul
One week ago we were having 100 degrees weather, air conditioners were on, the pool was full of people. Fast forward to today and we are at 70 degrees. Chilly mornings and evenings, sunny days with gentle breeze. Fall is here! The drastic change had me thinking about my favorite fall foods and craving apple pie, pumpkin bread and soup. I love soup! I've been drinking g
I have been wanting to make these cupcakes ever since I first saw them. Naomi from Bakers Royale makes the coolest cupcakes! They are never just a cupcake and frosting, they always have some fun twist to them, and her pictures are fabulous!! I am not so great with the photography but I am always excited to try new recipes and new techniques! Plus....who doesn't love a
This, my friends, is what I like to call a "main dish"! I know, I know, I know....you are not used to such things from Baker Becky, with the rare exception of baked main dishes you primarily see my baked desserts. The blogging world knows me as a baker but believe it or not I make part of my living as a caterer and I really LOVE to cook! I posted this picture on Baker Becky's Fac
Guess what I made....S'mores Cookies!!!! I saw this container filled with mini marshmallow bits at the store and couldn't resist. Once I was home I thought to myself "what the heck am going to make with these"? Then I remembered seeing a post for these cookies by Jess over at "On Sugar Mountain" and I knew I had to try them! So I gathered my ingredients and got my taste testers li
Yes.....I know, I have a problem! I blame my good friend Monica Hobbs (caterer extraordinaire). It's sad when our friends lead us down the path to addiction....but there you have it.....I am addicted to Swiss Meringue Buttercream! I'm sure there isn't a 12 step program for this, but there probably should be. It all started so innocently....I was helping her with an event at her v
I did it, I did it, I did it!!! I have been wanting to make Snickerdoodle cupcakes for the last 3 years, ever since I saw the recipe in a Martha Stewart Cupcake Cookbook. My youngest son, Max, LOVES snickerdoodle cookies and I really wanted to make them into cupcakes for him. These cupcakes have been on my "to do" list for so long that I really thought I would never make th
I love to bake and cook....all the time.....everyday! I am so comfortable in the kitchen working with food, trying new recipes, creating something that makes people happy and excited to eat it! Unfortunately, there are days when I have no idea what I should make. That is why I get so excited when someone approaches me and asks me to make something new. Pull me out of my com
I KNOW....this post is long overdue! My birthday was actually one month ago today and I have been promising to post this recipe ever since. This Vanilla Bean Cupcake with Caramel Filling and Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream (Yes, I know....long name) is my newest, most favorite of all time, CUPCAKE! It was also the signature dessert for my Birthday! I am not much of a cake eate
The boys and I just got back from a trip to see my Sister and her family in Washington. Soooo much fun and sooooo relaxing! We were off the grid for most of the vacation and loving it! It was great to not worry about school, work, facebook, video games, etc. The boys absolutely LOVE spending time with their Aunt and Uncle and especially their cousins (these kids are INSEPAR
"If you like Pina ColadasAnd getting caught in the rain"Ironically it was raining outside as I made these unique and delicious cupcakes! I made them for a wine tasting trip with a group of women I call my "Boat B****es". We came up with the name for our little group while on a weekend cruise to Mexico and I can't think about boats, Mexican food, tequila or pina coladas without thinking
It's time for Vegas baby....I'm feeling lucky!!! I am forever entering contests, buying raffle tickets, throwing my business card into the basket to win a free lunch. Never, and I do mean NEVER do I ever win. But this month is MY month! I entered to win a Moleskin Travel Journal on Christine's blog "Esskunst-Love who you are". I was actually travelling when I got the
Alright, alright, alright....I know I am a baker and this is primarily a baking blog, but occasionally a girl has to have a little fun!Remember last month when I posted my Caribbean Turkey Jerk Sliders? That same, wonderful, group of friends had another themed potluck dinner. This time the theme was "So not paired". We had to bring those crazy recipes that sound like they would n
HAPPY FRIDAY! I am looking forward to a weekend of fun, farmer's market with Mom, potluck dinner party with friends and plenty of time in the sun!! I have been busy with cupcakes this last week. Seems like my house has become a cupcake bakery. All different colors and flavors and fillings....still working on my recipes for the posts but those are coming soon! For now
UPDATE: Ok, I have made these several times now and I can honestly say....FOOLPROOF!! The only changes I have made is to the brightness of the colors based on the request of the client. I LOVE this recipe and so does everyone who tries them. I made them for my Birthday Party the other day and had pictures taken of the most recent batch. The pictures turned out great and I h
Today is my 40th Birthday! I'm 40....I'm 40.....I'm 40......It doesn't matter how many times I say it, it doesn't sound right. I don't feel 40! How does a 40 year old feel? I'm guessing that I should probably feel like more of an adult than I do, because in my mind I am still in my 20's. I can tell you this.....I am not where I thought I would be at 40. I did no
I promise you that I have a recipe to share with you today, but you will have to bear with me for a bit while I go off on a blogging tangent....but in a good way! :)Today I am feeling like a blogger! What is a blogger? According to Dictionary.com a blog is a Web site containing the writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having
Yesterday my boys and I had a Harry Potter movie marathon! We stayed in our pajamas all day long, covered the family room with pillows and blankets and got through as many movies as we possibly could. I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. I love, love, love the books and have read each of them multiple times. I saw every movie in the movie theater and have since re-watched each of
I am not a big fan of candy, with the exception of good chocolate, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Twix, black licorice and hot tamales. For times when I am in the mood, I keep a secret stash! So far the boys have not found this secret stash, even though it is in the kitchen and not all that hard to find. Shhhh....don't tell them but I hide all my good candy behind my baking supplies
4th of July! When I think of 4th of July, I think of parades and BBQs and fireworks! Growing up it was always a special holiday, as I have a very patriotic family and there is no more patriotic holiday than the 4th of July. I remember going to parades and every time an American flag would pass by, Mom would make me stand. Up, down, up, down for the entire parade. It p
Yep...donut time again! This weekend was my son's 13th Birthday Party. Every year I get excited wondering what my kids will want for dessert on their birthdays. I start thinking about unique cakes I can make, or even cupcakes. I can pull the fondant out or get out my piping bags and tips and make some cool characters. But alas, it is never to be so. My youngest
To me summer means warm days, swimming pools, BBQs, 4th of July fireworks, and lots of wonderful, sweet fruit! Especially STRAWBERRIES!! With 4th of July coming upon us soon I have been looking through my recipes for some great ideas and I thought, what could be better than yummy Strawberry Shortcake! This was one of my favorite desserts growing up! My Mom made it every sum
Summer break is here, school is out, teenagers are running wildly through my house, shooting dart guns, hiding each other's things and holding them ransom, making messes and eating every scrap of food in sight! There are always stray kids spending the night and they all stay up super late, watching inappropriate TV and making tons of noise! Basically, I haven't laughed this much
