dessert – Brownie Mischief

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing and Candied Blood Orange Slices

Posted on January 29, 2021February 16, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Every winter, when blood oranges come back in season, I start keeping an eye out for them at grocery stores and farmers markets. This year was different. I’ve been at home, having my groceries delivered instead of perusing the local produce aisles. If you’ve been entrusting strangers to do your shopping like I have, then you know delivery produce selections are hit and miss. So I was elated when a bag of perfectly beautiful, ripe blood oranges landed on my doorstep. This simple joy made my day. There was no choice. I had to make something worthy of the gorgeous red beauties!

I didn’t get enough of gingerbread this holiday season, so I decided to make a gingerbread cupcake recipe that I created a few years ago when I was experimenting with blood oranges. I used blood orange zest in the cupcake batter and brushed the warm cupcakes with the blood orange syrup left over from making the candied oranges. If you don’t make the candied oranges, you can easily make a batch of the syrup* or skip this step altogether. They will still be delicious. I topped the cupcakes with cream cheese icing made with more orange zest and some blood orange juice mixed in. The juice makes the icing turns a soft shade of pink.

Candied blood orange slices are so stunning, that I can’t bring myself to just lay them on top of a dessert. They remind me of stained glass windows. I like to place them on toothpicks so they can stand up in regal style! Many recipes out there will instruct you to boil the orange slices, then let them air dry. This is perfectly fine if you don’t mind floppy candied oranges. For this recipe, boiling the slices, then letting them dry in the oven on low heat will give them enough stiffness to stand up.

If you can’t find blood oranges where you live, here’s a link to get blood oranges shipped to you. This recipe will also work with other types of oranges. You won’t get the deep scarlet color and the flavor will have a bit more tartness, but it will still be beautiful and delicious!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing

by Mari Vasseur

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cupcakes

2 ¼ cups (287g) all purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons blood orange zest or orange zest
¾ cup (245ml) molasses
2 large eggs
¾ cup (174ml) buttermilk

Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing

¾ cup (170g) cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon blood orange zest or orange zest
1 pinch fine sea salt
3 ½ cups (450g) powdered sugar, sifted
3-4 tablespoons (45-59ml) blood orange juice or orange juice

Candied Blood Orange Slices

2 medium blood oranges or oranges
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (177ml) water

Instructions

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray the wells a 12-serving muffin pan with non-stick spray.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking soda and salt until well blended.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and orange zest with an electric mixer at medium speed, until pale and fluffy.
Add the molasses and beat until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat just until combined.
Scoop the batter into prepared the muffin pan, filling the wells 2/3 full.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool in pan for 7 minutes, then remove them from pan and place them upside down on a cooling rack.
Brush the warm cupcakes generously with orange simple syrup. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.

Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, on low speed with an electric mixer, until smooth.
Add the butter, orange zest and salt and beat until smooth and well blended.
Add the powdered sugar. Beat on low speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth.
Beat in the blood orange juice, one tablespoon (15ml) at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Candied Blood Orange Slices

Slice the oranges into thin 1/4 inch slices.
Combine the sugar and water in a shallow saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the orange slices to the saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain the oranges, reserving the syrup.
Preheat the oven to 175ºF (80ºC). Place on a large baking sheet lined with a baking mat in a single layer and bake until the orange slices begin to stiffen, about 2 hours.
Remove the orange slices from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet. If desired, insert toothpicks when the slices are cool enough to handle. The slices will continue to stiffen as they cool.

Notes

*To make orange simple syrup, combine the juice of one orange with enough water to make 1/2 cup. Combine mixture with the zest of one orange and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool and transfer to a glass container. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Keyword blood oranges, candied oranges, cupcakes, gingerbread

Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Brownies

Posted on October 28, 2020February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

It’s Fall 2020. We need chocolate! We need pumpkin spice! And we need it drenched with caramel! These satisfying brownies check all of the boxes with multiple layers of comfort. A rich chocolate brownie is the base. The next layer is heavenly pumpkin cheesecake. The topping is a buttery crumble that rivals the best crumb cake. Finally, as if that isn’t enough, it’s drizzled with caramel sauce!

If it sounds complicated, don’t worry, it’s not. Each layer is super easy to make. You can use your favorite store bought caramel sauce to top it with. Vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream are optional, but highly recommended toppings also. Just saying.

The layers go unexpectedly well together and make the perfect dessert for Halloween or Thanksgiving. I’m even going to add these beauties to my Christmas dessert table this year. Enjoy! You deserve it.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Brownies

Chocolate brownies with pumpkin cheesecake and crumb topping, topped with caramel sauce.

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 12

Ingredients

Crumb Topping

1 ½ cups (6 3/4 ounces) all purpose flour
½ cup (3 1/4 ounces) brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

Pumpkin Cheesecake Layer

¾ cup (6 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) canned pumpkin
2 eggs
6 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Brownie Layer

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 ⅛ cup (8 ounces) granulated sugar
½ cup (2 1/8 ounces) Dutch-Process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
¾ cup (3 3/8 ounces) all purpose flour
½ cup caramel sauce, purchased or homemade warmed if desired

Instructions

Crumb Topping

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Cut in butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until well-combined and crumbles are pea-sized. Press crumbles together to make large quarter-sized chunks.
Set aside in refrigerator.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Layer

Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add pumpkin, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and beat until well combined. Set aside.

Brownie Layer

Melt 1 stick of butter in a large microwaveable bowl.
Stir in sugar until combined
Stir in cocoa powder, vanilla, baking powder and salt.
Add the eggs and beat until smooth
Add the flour and mix until just combined.
Spread brownie batter into prepared baking pan. Smooth with a spatula.
Spread pumpkin cheesecake batter over the top of brownie batter. Smooth with a spatula.
Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the top of pumpkin cheesecake layer.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into pumpkin cheesecake layer comes out clean.
Let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve with caramel sauce.

Purple Berry Cake with Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on June 29, 2017February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Purple is passionate. It’s mystical. It’s regal. Don’t we all know someone whose favorite color is purple? It’s painfully obvious. They can’t hide it. They don’t want to hide it. They can’t just be friends with purple. They’re in a relationship with purple. The first time I made this Purple Berry Cake, a purple lover I know said that when she saw it, it spoke to her soul.

Fresh berry purée is added to the batter, creating a soft, moist cake. The layers are brushed with berry syrup, which helps keeps the cake moist and gives it a nice punch of berry flavor. I used blackberries and blueberries, but you can use any combination of purple berries that you like. After baking, the color of the cake layers will be a brownish gray with a hint of purple, depending on your berries. I think I need to come up with name for this color. How about Silverberry? You can see tiny flecks of the berries in the cake and I think the color is lovely, especially with the lavender frosting. If you want a more purple cake, feel free to add some gel food color to the batter. I used Wilton Violet gel food color to achieve the pretty lavender cream cheese frosting. The extra butter and the addition of heavy cream makes this frosting silky and spreadable.

I’m obsessed with edible flowers lately, so I garnish my baked goods with them whenever I can get my hands on some. I found these pansies in the produce department of my local food market. If you can’t find pansies, pesticide free violets or rose petals would also be pretty. Make sure to apply them to your cake right before serving, since they are delicate and will wilt over time. Brush some of your berries with a little dab of edible gold luster dust for an extra regal touch.

Purple Berry Cake with Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

A soft, moist cake made with berry purée and topped with silky lavender cream cheese icing

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 1 6-inch cake (serves 6)

Ingredients

Purple Berry Cake

12 ounces (340g) fresh berries (plus more to garnish cake) I used blackberries and blueberries
1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ cups (300g) sugar, divided
⅓ cup (75ml) vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup (118ml) buttermilk, room temperature

Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ cup (170g) cream cheese, softened
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 pound (454g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon heavy cream, room temperature
Purple gel food color I used Wilton Violet

Garnishes

Fresh berries
Edible gold luster dust I used Alan Tetreault Edible Hybrid Luster Dust Soft Gold
Edible flowers I used pesticide free pansies

Instructions

Purple Berry Cake

Preheat the oven to 350º F (180ºC). Like the bottoms of two 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper circles. Grease and flour the insides.
Purée the berries in a blender or small food processor. Strain the puréed berries through a sieve. Reserve 2/3 cup (150g) of the berry puree. Set aside the remaining puree for the syrup.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
In a large bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups (250g) of sugar with the oil, eggs and vanilla extract, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Stir in the reserved 2/3 cup berry purée. Add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beating at low speed just until combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from pans and transfer them to cooling racks to cool.
While the cakes are baking, make the berry syrup. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining berry purée with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar (50g) and 1/4 cup (59ml) of water over medium-low heat. Stir together and cook until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Split each cooled cake llayer into two and brush with berry syrup. Fill and frost the cake with Silky Cream Cheese Frosting.

Silky Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on speed or by hand with a spatula, until smooth. Add the butter and beat until smooth and well combined. Add the vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined.
Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat at medium speed until combined. Add the heavy cream and beat at low speed until smooth and creamy.
Add the food color with a toothpick, a little at a time, until the desired shade is reached. Beat at low speed until well blended. Smooth out any air bubbles by stirring slowly by hand with a spatula.

Garnishes

Garnish the top of the cake with fresh berries. Brush a few of the berries with edible gold luster dust. Garnish with fresh flowers immediately before serving.

Notes

*To find my favorite 6-inch cake pans, click here. To find Wilton Violet gel food color, click here. To find Alan Tetreault Edible Hybrid Luster Dust Soft Gold, click here.

Lemon Buttermilk Donuts with Honey Cream Cheese Icing

Posted on May 1, 2017February 18, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

I was seriously happy when I started seeing donuts appearing at weddings, bridal showers and occasions other than work meetings. I’ve always felt those sweet, fluffy rings of dough had a higher calling. They had such potential! And honestly who doesn’t love donuts? They’re delicious, but they can also be beautiful. These Lemon Buttermilk Donuts could certainly win a beauty contest. They would make a gorgeous edition to any breakfast, brunch or dessert table. The fresh lemon zest and the earthy flavor of honey will bring springtime right into your kitchen.

If you’re on the lookout for a Mother’s Day recipe, any mom will love these pretty, fragrant treats. This is a very easy recipe and the donuts bake up quickly, so you’ll have time to fix mom a cup of her favorite tea. If you don’t have a donut pan, and you’ve been reluctant to buy one, I can honestly say I love mine. It was very affordable and I’m pleased with the performance and ease of clean up with the pan I purchased. To find the donut pan click here.

In keeping with the springtime feel, I decorated my donuts with pesticide-free edible flowers. I used pansies, but if you’re unable to find them, you can substitute pesticide-free rose petals. I found these edible pansies at my local food market in the produce department, near the fresh herbs. You can also find edible flowers at farmers’ markets and online. For a list of edible flowers, click here. Note: The above pictured orange ranunculus flowers on the table are not edible.

Lemon Buttermilk Donuts with Honey Cream Cheese Icing

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 7

Total Time 27

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Servings 6

Ingredients

Lemon Buttermilk Donuts

1 cup (113g) cake flour, sifted
½ cup (100g) fine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup (78ml) buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
Zest of 1 medium lemon

Honey Cream Cheese Icing

¼ cup (85g) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch fine sea salt
1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons milk

Finishing Touches

Pesticide-free edible flowers
Sugar pearls*
Nonpareils**

Instructions

Lemon Buttermilk Donuts

Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Spray the wells of a donut pan*** with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well blended.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and lemon zest together until creamy and well combined. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag or plastic zip bag. Snip off the tip of the bag and pipe batter into the prepared donut pan, filling the wells 2/3 full.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into donuts comes out clean, about 7-8 minutes. Let cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, then remove the donuts to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Prepare Honey Cream Cheese Icing while the donuts are cooling. Dip the tops of the donuts into the icing and decorate as desired. Serve immediately.

Honey Cream Cheese Icing

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth and well blended. Do not over beat. Add the vanilla extract and salt. Mix until combined.
On low speed, gradually add powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the honey and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Beat on low speed until smooth.

Notes

*To find sugar pearls, click here. **To find nonpareils, click here. ***To find the donut pan, click here.

Unicorn Rainbow Milkshake

Posted on April 9, 2017February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

I’ve been dying to try one of those over-the-top milkshakes that have been catching my eye on social media for some time now. Also known as freakshakes, some magnificently indulgent ones can be found in Australia, the UK and New York City. It’s certainly on my bucket list to go meet up with one of those glorious creations in person and dig in! In the meantime, I decided to concoct my humble version here at home, in honor of National Unicorn Day. Yup, unicorns have their own day! Whoever invented celebrating national days, I thank you. It gives me a great excuse to indulge in a delicious treat…not that I need an excuse.

There are so many versions of unicorn milkshakes out there and I love every one of them! In fact, anything that’s unicorn related sets my heart aflutter. The current unicorn craze won’t seem to go away and, as you can imagine, that is just fine by me! One of the cutest unicorn things I’ve seen is my adorable cousin Nicole, scooting around in her fluffy unicorn slippers. Unicorn slippers are a must while drinking a Unicorn Rainbow Milkshake!

To make the Unicorn Rainbow Milkshake, you’ll need:

Unicorn Horn Cookie (Recipe below.)
Fondant Rainbow Topper (Click here for instructions.)
3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) candy melts in the color of your choice
vegetable shortening, melted (about 1 tablespoon)
piping bag or squeeze bottle
tall glass (24 ounce)
rainbow sprinkles
8 ounces vanilla ice cream
1/3 cup milk (any kind)
6 ounces rainbow sherbet
cotton candy
whipped cream
edible gold star glitter (Click here to find glitter.)

Place candy melts in a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir. Heat in the microwave for 10 second intervals until melted and smooth. If your melted candy melts are too thick, stir in melted shortening a teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Transfer the melted candy melts to a disposable piping bag or a squeeze bottle. (Alternately, you can use a plastic zip bag.) Place your glass on a rimmed plate or baking sheet. Snip off the tip of the piping bag and drizzle the melted candy along the rim of the glass. Immediately sprinkle on the rainbow sprinkles, before the melted candy sets.

Combine vanilla ice cream and milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Place 3 scoops of rainbow sherbet into your glass. Pour vanilla milkshake over the sherbet scoops in your glass. Top with cotton candy, whipped cream, a Unicorn Horn Cookie, a Fondant Rainbow Topper and a sprinkle of edible gold star glitter. Put on your unicorn slippers and enjoy your unicorn milkshake!

Unicorn Horn Cookies

Sugar cookies shaped like unicorn horns.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 11 30

Course Dessert

Servings 14 cookies (*see note)

Ingredients

1 ⅓ cups (5.75 ounces) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspooon fine sea salt
½ cup (4 ounce stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (2.25 ounces) powdered sugar
1 egg yolk, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
14 4.5-inch skewers or 6-inch lollipop sticks **optional, depending on use
1 can edible gold spray ***I used Wilton Gold Color Mist

Instructions

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the egg yolk and extracts. Beat at medium speed until combined.
Gradually add the flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Do not over mix.
Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Form dough into tablespoon size balls. (I used a tablespoon cookie scoop to make them uniform in size.) Form each ball of dough into a log, tapering at one end.
Twist two logs together to form a horn shape. Repeat with remaining logs. Insert skewers or lollipop sticks, if using. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake until golden brown, about 13-15 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.
When cookies have cooled completely, place them on a parchment paper lined work surface. (You can use the same pieces of parchment paper that you baked them on.) If you are using lollipop sticks, you may want to cover the sticks with plastic wrap to keep them clean. Spray with edible gold spray. Let dry. Apply an additional coat of edible gold spray, if desired.

Notes

*This recipe makes about 14 unicorn horn cookies, but if you only need a few, you can roll out the remaining dough and use your favorite cookie cutter to make cookies. The baking time will be a bit less. You can also make as many unicorn horns as you need and freeze the remaining dough for later use.

**To make toppers as shown, use wooden skewers. To make cookie pops, use lollipop sticks.

***Click here to find Wilton Gold Color Mist

Keyword drinks, milkshake

Mini Chocolate Hand Pies for Pi Day

Posted on March 14, 2017February 16, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Pi Day is a day to celebrate mathematics, or more specifically, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to it’s diameter. While I do appreciate math for it’s precision, I also feel a bit annoyed at math for making my brain hurt! Ok, I’m sorry math. I forgive you. I do need you! How would I bake without you? So today I will celebrate math (and also my love for puns) with these tender, fudgy mini hand pies!

Since pi is all about circles, I used a 2 3/4-inch circle cutter to make round pies, but you can cut them into any shape you like. You could cut larger circles, fold them in half and call them empanadas. Rectangles are very popular with Pop Tart fans and you don’t need a special cutter, but a ruler would be helpful. I think squares would be cute, too! Whatever your shape of choice, math is always there to help!

I used a stencil to add some powdered sugar polka dots to my mini pies. I may have gone a little overboard with my circles, but who’s going to stop me? I think they look pretty cute, but If you don’t have a stencil, a sprinkle or two of powdered sugar will do just fine! Alternately, you could drizzle them with some melted white chocolate. I had a bit of white chocolate on hand, so I can confidently say, that version is yummy too!

Mini Chocolate Hand Pies

by Mari Vasseur

Mini chocolate pies with fudgy filling and a tender chocolate crust.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 25

Total Time 2 10

Course Dessert

Servings 10

Ingredients

Crust

1 ⅛ cup (142g) all purpose flour, sifted plus more for your work surface
3 tablespoons (17g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅛ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (113g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
3 ounces (85g) cold cream cheese, cubed
3 tablespoons (45ml) cold water, divided
½ of 1 whisked egg

Filling

½ cup (85g) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips *see notes
⅓ cup (107ml) sweetened condensed milk

Finishing Touches

2 tablespoons (15g) powdered sugar optional
OR 2 tablespoons (22g) melted white chocolate optional

Instructions

Crust

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking powder until well blended.
Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter and cream cheese into the flour mixture until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.
Add 2 tablespoons (30ml) of the cold water to the mixture. Stir gently just until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times. Form the dough into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Filling

In a small microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together in the microwave. Heat for 10-15 second bursts, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Assembly

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) water.
On lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 20 rounds with a 2 3/4-inch circle cutter (or cut into desired shapes of your choice).
Place 10 dough rounds about 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Top each with 1 tablespoon of filling.
With a small pastry brush or your finger, brush the egg mixture around the perimeter of each of the filled dough circles.
Top each with the 10 remaining dough circles. Crimp the edges together with a fork. Brush the pies with the remaining egg mixture.
Bake until the crust is crisp and browned, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Sprinkle the cooled pies with powdered sugar or drizzle with melted white chocolate.

Notes

*The chocolate chips you use depends on personal preference. Bittersweet chocolate chips give a more intense chocolate flavor, while semi-sweet chocolate chips yield a slightly sweeter finished product.

To find my favorite circle cutters click here. To find the polka-dot stencil click here.

Marshmallow Love

Posted on February 8, 2017February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Dear marshmallows, why are you so sweet and fluffy? I shall call you squishy and you shall be mine! Yes, it’s true, I’m a bit crazy about marshmallows. This post is nothing short of a marshmallow fest! First, my daughter and I made some Sparkly Marshmallow Hearts that are super fun and easy to make. I literally want to put them on everything! How cute do they look on this mini cake? They also make adorable cupcake toppers! To view the Sparkly Marshmallow Hearts tutorial click here.

We also had some fun with Puffy Poles. In case you’re not marshmallow savvy, Puffy Poles are marshmallows that look like chubby barber poles. They’re very popular on dessert tables and candy buffets. We used pink ones, which have a subtle strawberry flavor. We applied them to the pictured 4-inch diameter by 2 1/4 inch tall strawberry cake, which was crumb coated with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream. We used buttercream to adhere them to the sides of the cake. To find Puffy Poles click here.

Next, I made some Billowy Sky Blue Marshmallow Frosting to share with you. One of the things you’re going to love about this frosting, besides being yummy, is it’s natural beauty. You can simply spoon it on, no piping or fancy tricks necessary. Everything it touches becomes an ethereal cloud of deliciousness! The recipe is below.

Billowy Sky Blue Marshmallow Frosting

Fluffy, glossy, sweet marshmallow frosting.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Course Dessert

Servings 3 cups

Ingredients

1 ½ cup (10.5 ounces) ultra fine sugar *see notes below
½ cup egg whites (3-4 large)
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Americolor Sky Blue gel food coloring (or any color of your choice)

Instructions

In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together sugar, egg whites, water and cream of tartar until frothy.
Place bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl. Whisk mixture until temperature reaches 160° and sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove bowl from heat. Add extracts. Beat mixture with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer on high speed until stiff and glossy.
Add a small amount of food color with a toothpick and mix on low speed. Continue adding food color, a little at a time, until desired shade is reached. Use a clean toothpick for each addition.

Notes

*It's important to dissolve all of the sugar when making this frosting. Ultra fine sugar dissolves easier, but if you are unable to find it, you can use regular granulated sugar.

Chocolate Lovers’ Valentine Cake for Two

Posted on February 1, 2017February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

My relationship with Valentine’s Day has transformed over the years. When I was a child, I joyfully skipped home from school with my bounty of tiny Valentine cards, candy hearts and a cupcake someone’s mother baked. As I grew older, I was hot and cold towards Valentine’s Day, depending on the state of my love life at the time. After having kids, Valentine’s Day became about red construction paper, doily hearts and glue sticks. I happily cleaned up sprinkles and kissed chubby, frosting-stained cheeks. Now I think of Valentine’s Day as simply a day to celebrate love. I embrace Valentine’s Day and all the hearts, roses and chocolates that go with it! Show your loved ones that you love them on Valentine’s Day, but more importantly, show them throughout the year, by loving, respecting and accepting them for who they are every day.

If your heart beats for a chocolate lover, then this Valentine cake for two will have them swooning. It’s small in size, but grand in chocolate indulgence. It has three layers of moist chocolate cake, rich, white chocolate buttercream and a silky chocolate glaze. As if that isn’t enough, I loaded the top with chocolate candy! Some of the candy is store bought and some I made with candy melts and chocolate molds. Click here to find the cherub mold. Click here to find the heart mold.

I hope you share this Valentine cake with someone you love! However you celebrate the day and whoever you love, have a happy one!

Chocolate Lovers' Valentine Cake for Two

A mini chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream, topped with chocolate glaze and chocolate Valentine candy. Perfect for sharing!

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Total Time 2 30

Course Dessert

Servings 2

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake for Two

⅔ cup (3 ounces) all purpose flour
⅓ cup (1 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ plus ⅛ teaspoons salt
¾ cup (5.25 ounces) sugar
1 small egg
⅓ cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup hot coffee

White Chocolate Buttercream

6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
⅔ cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted

Chocolate Drip Glaze

3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon corn syrup or honey

Cake Decorating Supplies

cake board
piping bag
chocolate sprinkles
assorted chocolate candy

Instructions

Chocolate Cake for Two

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease & flour three 4-inch cake pans. *See note below.
Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Add sugar and stir to combine.
Combine egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk lightly to combine.
Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix on low speed with a handheld electric mixer, until combined. Stop mixer. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula. Turn mixer up to medium speed and beat for 1 minute.
Add hot coffee and stir until incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared cake pans, dividing batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool.

White Chocolate Buttercream

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler over gently simmering water. (Alternately, you can melt the white chocolate in the microwave. In a small microwaveable bowl, heat the white chocolate for 30 seconds, then stir. Heat again for 10 second intervals, stirring until melted, being very careful not to overheat it.)
Set white chocolate aside to cool until lukewarm and still soft.
In a medium bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and creamy.
Add vanilla extract, salt and melted white chocolate. Beat at low speed until combined. Stop mixer. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula.
Add powdered sugar. Beat at low speed, until powdered sugar is combined. Beat at medium speed until buttercream is smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl occasionally. Keep covered at room temperature until ready to use.

Cake Assembly

When cakes have cooled completely, trim the cake layers to 1-inch tall.
Attach one of the layers to a cake board with some of the white chocolate buttercream. Apply 1/4-inch thick layer of buttercream to the top of the cake layer, followed by the second cake layer, another 1/4-inch thick layer of buttercream, then the final cake layer.
Apply a crumb coat (thin layer) of buttercream to the cake. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream. Apply chocolate sprinkles to the bottom edge of the cake.
Melt chocolate drip glaze ingredients together in a double boiler over gently simmering water. Let cool slightly.
Spoon chocolate glaze into a piping bag. Snip off the end of the bag with kitchen scissors. Drizzle chocolate glaze along the edges of the perimeter of the cake, then fill in the middle. Smooth top with a small offset spatula.
Top cake with assorted chocolate candy. If desired, you can stack some of the candy and adhere them with melted chocolate to give some variation in height.

Notes

*Click here to find 4-inch cake pans.

Sparkling Sweetheart Palmiers

Posted on January 20, 2017February 17, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Crisp, delicate French palmiers, also known as elephant ears, are the perfect ladylike pastries to enjoy with hot cocoa, tea or coffee. There’s certainly no shortage of palmier recipes out there, but if you’re in the mood for simplicity, this is the recipe for you! This version is very easy to make and only requires two ingredients. Puff pastry dough and sparkling sugar, that’s it! Pretty stress-free, right? Since Valentine’s Day is coming soon, I formed the palmiers into hearts, rather than the traditional palm shape. I used some pale pink sparkling sugar that I had on hand, but feel free to use any color you like.

These palmier cookies are as delicious as they are lovely. Wouldn’t they be the perfect addition to a bridal or baby shower sweets table? I also envision them as a simple, but elegant Valentine’s Day breakfast or a sweet, homemade Valentine’s Day gift wrapped in tissue paper and ribbon. Most people love receiving sweet treats, I know I do! (Hint…hint…Hubby if you’re reading this!) I hope this simple recipe provides you with a bit of inspiration. I’ll be sharing more heart-shaped inspiration in the days ahead, so stop by again soon!

Sparkling Sweetheart Palmiers

by Mari Vasseur

Sweet, crisp, flaky puff pastry cookies.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 1

Course Dessert

Servings 28 palmiers

Ingredients

1 1 lb. (454g) package (two sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
½ cup (100g) sparkling sugar, divided

Instructions

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons (25g) of sparkling sugar on your work surface. Place 1 puff pastry sheet on the sugared surface. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons (25g)of sparkling sugar. Roll gently with a rolling pin, pressing the sugar into the dough.
Roll the short ends of the puff pastry sheet in towards the center, jelly roll style, leaving a 1-inch gap in the center. Repeat the steps with the remaining puff pastry sheet. Transfer the puff pastry rolls to a tray. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205ºC). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Slice each roll into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets, cut side down, forming into heart shapes. Sprinkle any remaining sparkling sugar over the hearts.
Bake until 15-17 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool before serving.

Notes

Palmiers are best served the day they are made. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days.