Chicky Treats | Baking Cake Recipes, Cookies, Cupcakes, Desserts, Pastries.

Oreo Brownies

2012-03-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been making a ton of brownies. They are so easy and the perfect bite of chocolatey goodness. These brownies so happen to have a birthday cake Oreo's mixed in! So yummy! Check out the pic below!

Happy birthday Oreo's! Thanks for making my childhood just a little bit better! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Cherry Almond Cookies

2012-02-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

These delicate cookies resemble a buttery shortbread except they pack so much more flavor. The tart dried cherries and sweet almonds totally compliment one another. I also drizzled a sweet Amaretto glaze for an extra kick. Oh cherry almond cookies, thank you for bringing your deliciousness to my kitchen! Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

COFFEE cake!

2012-02-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

Light? Yes. Crumbly? Yes. Amazing with coffee? Duh! Nothing better than a slice of coffee cake right out of the oven. I made this last weekend for brunch at my grandma's house. My brother and his girlfriend Janice made so much delicious food that I was afraid we wouldn't have room for my cake! :( The good thing is, we did. SO GOOD!!! Check out the pic below!

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

xo,

Daniella :)

Feeling the love

2012-02-15T17:08:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day! Jeff and I had such an awesome night! He totally surprised me with dinner, balloons, flowers and tons of gifts that will be put to good use when I bake.

As a sweet treat, I cut out and baked these adorable sugar cookies. Some were filled with raspberry jam and the others were filled with a dark chocolate ganache. I then melted some red white chocolate discs, drizzled it over the cookies and decorated some with some tiny white pearls. Check out the pics below!

Thank you Jeff for being such an amazing boyfriend! I am so grateful to have you in my life! <3

xo,

Daniella :)

Jammin'

2012-02-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

My coworker Raz introduced me to the most amazing cookie recipe called a jammer. I have never heard of them before but boy, am I glad I know now! They are kind of like a mini pie with a layer of jam that is then topped with a brown sugar streusel. Think about all the endless flavor possibilities! These were a little extra special because I used some fresh fig jam Raz made. So delicious!

In the end, this was pretty much the perfect collaboration. Check out the pic below!

Thanks for the inspiration and especially the jam Raz!

xo,

Daniella :)

Giant Blue

2012-02-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

I will start off by saying that I am not a football fan but, who doesn't like to have a party?! Since the Giants are from New York, it was only right to host a get together and bake these yummy vanilla bean cupcakes. I of course wanted to keep the blue and white theme hence the white vanilla bean cream cheese frosting and blue sugar sprinkles. They totally matched my blue and white table decorations. Yep, I pulled a Sandra Lee.

Check out the pic below and congratulations to the Giants!

xo,

Daniella :)

Hello Scones

2012-02-01T20:24:00.000-08:00

If you haven't had a scone at least once in your life, you are totally missing out. They are probably one of my favorite brunch options since they are so easy to make and so incredibly delicious with coffee or tea. I also love that you can literally add just about anything to your dough and turn out some delicious treats.

I went with a pretty classic combination of cranberry, orange and chocolate chip. The tartness of the cranberries, fresh orange zest and floral notes of the chocolate really pair nicely together. Okay, that's enough fancy foodie talk. In other words, these scones were awesome! Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Petite Puffs

2012-01-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

My baker friend Rita inspired me to make cream puffs. The base consists of flour, water (or milk), eggs and butter that is cooked on the stove top. I watched a few tutorials and gave it my best shot!

I was a little worried at first since the process can be very finicky. You have to be sure you are following the steps exactly especially since you are cooking the dough first and then baking it. After the dough was cooked, I had a piping bag ready with a star tip to pipe these babies out. The key is to work quickly with your warm dough. It becomes nearly impossible to pipe them out once the dough begins to cool. So if you're like me with barley any arm strength, remember to pipe like you've never piped before!

Once they were baked, I cut each one in half and filled them with a raspberry whipped creme. Aren't they cute?! Check the pic below! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Banana Pudding Please!

2012-01-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

What do you do with leftover bananas? Make pudding! Well, I guess you can make cupcakes, or a loaf too but pudding is a little more exciting.

Sometimes, believe it or not, I just don't want to wait for something to bake in the oven. I just want something fast, easy to make and delicious. Honestly, who doesn't like pudding or bananas and why not combine them?

I started out by making a basic vanilla pudding. As it cooled, I sliced some ripe bananas and sauteed them with some brown sugar and butter. To give them a little something extra special, I added some amaretto liquor. Talk about yummy! I then mixed the fancy bananas with the pudding and that was it! Banana Pudding with an upgrade. Check out the pic below! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Happy Birthday Bryan...DUH!

2012-01-20T18:02:00.000-08:00

My California bestie Bryan loves any desserts that have lemon. Naturally, I would make him my lemon cake for his birthday! DUH!

Since I've made it before, I knew I wanted to tweak a few things this time around. I decided to cut the two layers of cake in half and spread a thin layer of lemon curd in between. I also wanted to get a little more creative with the meringue frosting and thought I should swirl it on to the cake instead of piping it. After it was torched, I was really happy with the unique design! Check out the pic below!

Happy birthday Bryan and thanks for being such an amazing friend!

xo,

Daniella :)

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

2012-01-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

It really doesn't get better than having a red velvet whoopie pie! It's like having a sandwich cookie but a million times better. I honestly made them because I had some leftover buttermilk I didn't want to waste. I totally hate when that happens.

Check out the pic below! If you haven't tried these, please do!

xo,

Daniella :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Deliciousness

2012-01-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to take on this order for my friend (more like a little sister) Sarah! Her boyfriend loves Reese's and she wanted me to bake him the ultimate peanut butter chocolate cupcake for his birthday. I decided on a basic chocolate buttermilk cake and added a mini Reese's in the center. For the frosting, I made a chocolate ganche, mixed in some peanut butter and of course, added BUTTER! Lots and lots of delicious butter. I then topped them with some cut up mini Reese's pieces. Check out the pic below and Happy Birthday Mario!

xo,

Daniella :)

2012 = 2 yummy cakes!

2012-01-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had an amazing time with their loved ones. Here are two delicious cakes I made.

The first is a Lemon cake filled with a lemon curd and frosted with a meringue. I added some candied lemon and fresh lemon for decoration. The bottom is a fabulous German Chocolate cake filled with a toasted coconut and pecan custard and frosted with a semi sweet chocolate ganache. Check out the pics below! :)

Here's to another amazing year!

xo,

Daniella :)

Christmas Celebration

2011-12-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

This year's celebrations were absolutely amazing! I celebrated in San Francisco with my coworkers for our company's holiday party, I got inspired to throw my own party, and of course, I spent Christmas eve with my family.

Here are some pics from my own party and I can finally introduce my new and improved product pics with my new logo (Chicky Treats) thanks to Jeff!

Here is the holiday spread! I made 3 types of cookies (Coconut chocolate chip, Molasses, and Chocolate crinkle) and a Butter Pecan cake.

Delicious and oh yeah, really buttery!

Here is some store bought rustic bread with cream cheese and a raspberry chipotle sauce. Together, it's pretty yummy.

Coconut chocolate chip and molasses cookies ready for their close up!

Pumpkin spiced cake with a coated and filled with toasted pecans and a cinnamon cream cheese butter cream. It is also decorated with Reindeer corn and a festive Santa chocolate pop (minus the stick).

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with their loved ones and that Santa was extra generous!

xo,

Daniella :)

Strawberries and Cream

2011-12-20T20:17:00.000-08:00

It feels like forever since I last blogged! Well, actually it has been since I've been sick and traveled to San Francisco for my company holiday party (which was AMAZING!). Now that the holidays are literally right around the corner, here is a non holiday related post to ease your mind from all of the madness!

My hair stylist in Chinatown asked me to bake her two cakes 2 weekends ago. May is Malaysian and I know first hand that Asians aren't into things that are too sweet (at least the older generations). Asian pastries are a lot more delicate in flavor and tend to consist of a spongy cake, a bun filled with a creamy center, or a really bizarre combination of dried pork and cream (trust me it's pretty awesome). Knowing this, I wanted to take a safer route and not get too adventurous or make something that was overpowering.

I made a vanilla sponge cake with a whipped cream, cream cheese frosting filled and decorated with fresh strawberries. It's kind of like a mock strawberry shortcake but better. It turned out great and I was really please with the results. It was also nice to know that May and her coworkers really enjoyed it too! Check out the pic below!

Thank you May for putting me up for the challenge!

xo,

Daniella :)

Pretty and Pink

2011-12-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

I made this cake for Amanda's cousin Christina who was in town for her birthday! Christina's mom wanted a full on chocolate cake and I was more than happy to make her something special for her daughter. She loves pink so I decided to keep everything very feminine and pretty.

The cake is a basic chocolate buttermilk cake (my favorite). I then poked lots of holes in both cakes with a toothpick and poured a rich milk chocolate ganache to keep the cake moist and decadent. With the leftover ganache, I made a delicious chocolate frosting. I then made a separate batch of buttercream which I dyed pink and decorated the cake.

I love how simple and delicate the cake looked in the end. This definitely has to be one of my favorites. Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

For R and A

2011-12-10T04:35:00.000-08:00

My childhood friend Rebekka surprised me when she told me that she was getting married to her French love, now husband, Anthony! Since they had a low key ceremony and are waiting to have their reception, I though I should make them a mini cake to celebrate. It's a red velvet cake, Bekka's favorite, with a vanilla bean cream cheese buttercream. I decorated it very simply with their initials and some cute little flowers. Voila! C'est magnifique! (and yes I had to google this to make sure lol). Check out the pic below and congratulations again to the newlyweds!

xo,

Daniella :)

Amanda's 25th Birthday Cake

2011-12-06T18:21:00.000-08:00

My best friend Amanda turned 25 this year and I obviously wanted to make her something light but with tons of chocolate. I made her a chocolate cake with a salted caramel whipped cream frosting and added some milk chocolate shards to coat the sides. It was absolutely indulgent but we didn't feel too guilty considering we were going out clubbing afterwards.

Check out the pics below and cheers to Amanda! We are getting older but will always be fabulous! XOXO :D

xo,

Daniella :)

Birthday Cake

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick picture of a cake I baked for my best friend's mom. It's a red velvet cake with a vanilla bean cream cheese buttercream decorated with hot pink white chocolate. Cute, girlie and totally delicious!

xo,

Daniella :)

Did you say 6 layers?!

2011-11-30T17:35:00.000-08:00

This year was my brother's 30th birthday and I thought I should make something really special. For months, Danny has been talking about a Coconut Passion Fruit Cake. He loved the idea of a sweet fluffy cake that had a tangy bite. After much research, I found a recipe and modified it to his liking, minus the coconut sorbet (sorry Danny).

I made this gigantic over the top cake that had 6, yes I said 6, layers of coconut cake with a delicious, creamy passion fruit filling. I frosted the entire cake with vanilla meringue and coated it with toasted unsweetened coconut flakes. I then made another batch of meringue and tried to make it look extra fancy by torching it (the best part). Did I mention this was supposed to feed 7 people? Let's just say it was a mutual agreement that we should share with the rest of the building after barely eating half. Check out the pics below!

Here's to Danny and the start of a new decade! <3

xo,

Daniella :)

Thanksgiving madness

2011-11-28T16:48:00.000-08:00

I am still recovering from our Thanksgiving gathering. There was so much of everything that we easily had leftovers for days. I, of course, was in charge of desserts and let me just say, it was a week long affair of prepping. I made 4 pies, a mini wedding cake, 2 types of cookies (around 75), cupcakes, biscuits and sweet potato mash. I unfortunately don't have any pictures of the biscuits and mash since we devoured it before I could snap a shot.

I enjoyed every second of it and I especially had such an awesome time with all of my loved ones! :)

Check out the pics below with their descriptions!

Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Pie (I made two of these from scratch, crust included).

Orange Bourbon Pecan Pie ( two of these too!)

White Chocolate, Cranberry, Pecan Cookies and Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Walnut Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting topped with Walnuts

Vanilla Bean Meringue Wedding Cake

I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday!

xo,

Daniella :)

White and Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

2011-11-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I decided to make some cookies at my grandmas house for the family. I followed a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe and added some white and dark chocolate chips and tart dried cranberries to the mix. They were perfectly crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Talk about delicious! Check out the pics below courtesy of my cellphone!

xo,

Daniella :)

Blue Velvet

2011-11-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

My friend Toyin (who is an amazing model...duh) asked me to bake blue velvet cupcakes a while ago. I had no idea what she was talking about. I've obviously baked red velvet cupcakes but blue velvet?! I guess it was worth a shot!

After a little research, I found a recipe I then modified with a little more chocolate. I decorated them with a vanilla bean cream cheese buttercream frosting by making tiny swirls. The patter kind of reminds me of Thai architecture.

The end result was a fun cupcake that was tender, delicious and left your whole mouth blue! Check out the pics below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Forgotten

2011-11-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

Since Jeff takes pictures of virtually everything I bake, I tend to forget a few images since I want to blog about something in the moment. Lucky for me, I found them! The first image is blueberry streusel muffin. If you aren't familiar with streusel, it's a mixture of brown or white sugar, flour and butter. I made mine with brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, butter and a pinch of salt. Let's just say there is only one on the plate because everyone inhaled them!

Lastly, I made these adorable little star shaped sugar cookies for work. They are filled with a white chocolate fresh strawberry ganache and dusted with a little powdered sugar!

Hopefully I wont forget anymore pics! :)

xo,

Daniella

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Halloween! I mean, how could you not? The parties and treats are enough for me.

This year, Jeff and I spent it with my best friend Amanda and her awesome family. Halloween is not a joke in this household. They had a haunted woods theme with a fog machine and all. Absolutely incredible.

I decided to bake a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting which served a dual purpose since it was also Sofie's (Amanda's cousin) birthday! I also made pumpkin cookies with various white chocolate decorations. Check out the pics below!

Have a happy and safe Halloween! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

xo,

Daniella :)

Breast Cancer Awareness Trunk Show Treats

2011-10-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

My coworker's wife Jen asked me to bake 240 minis for her Breast Cancer Awareness Charity trunk show! (Check out Great Shapes awesome swimsuits, cover ups and lingerie here) It was not only a challenge but an amazing opportunity.

Jen and I decided that we should do an assortment of muffins for breakfast (blueberry lemon, banana nut, and chocolate chip), rice krispie pops (Jen's amazing idea), sugar cookies, and raspberry vanilla cupcakes. The pops and cookies were decorated with a pink white chocolate ribbon. Check out the pics below!

Thank you so much Zach and Jen for giving me such an awesome opportunity! And of course, thank you mom for all of your help!

xo,

Daniella :)

Cell Phone cakes

2011-10-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been on a baking spree. I guess that tends to happen since it seems to be everyone's birthday and then before you know it, the holidays are here! These two cakes were taken with my cellphone camera so I'll apologize if they aren't the greatest :)

The first is a chocolate chip cookie cake I made for my coworkers Zach and Cristina. I remember Cristina mentioned that she loves a good chocolate chip cookie. I decided, why not make a cookie cake! I knew they would both love it.

To make it more decadent, I whipped up a bittersweet chocolate ganache that I used to fill and decorate the cake. After two minutes, let's just say look at the picture below!

Before

After

I made this last cake at my mom's house since we were all craving chocolate. It was definitely different for me to bake outside of my own kitchen but I had awesome help (thanks mom and Sarah)! This is a chocolate buttermilk cake with a caramel pecan cream cheese buttercream frosting. It was surprisingly light and not too sweet.

It was a total hit and a new learning experience for me. Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Breakfast

2011-10-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, my family got together for Sunday morning breakfast. I knew I had to bake something so I decided to go with chocolate chip muffins and biscuits! I always love having something a little sweet in the morning, so these muffins were a fantastic idea. The biscuits were fluffy, toasty, and amazing with some eggs and sausage gravy (by yours truly).

Breakfast was delicious and it's always a nice way to get the family together to eat, laugh, and gain a pound or two. Check out the pics below! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Little Peanut treats

2011-10-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to make dog treats for my family dog Othello. He tends to be the picky type so I knew he would probably just smell them and walk away. Peanut, on the other hand, loves everything! I knew I had to at least try to whip up some treats since he has been learning so many tricks. What a good boy!!

These are peanut butter, banana, honey dog biscuits made with organic whole milk and whole wheat flour. I cut little bones and stars for my baby Peanut because he only eats smaller treats. Yep, I know, he's spoiled.

The were a hit and lasted for almost tree weeks (they store well in the fridge). If you're wondering if I tried them, well yes. I did. They weren't half as bad. Check out the pics below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Oatmeal Cream Pie

2011-10-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Childhood treats are totally unforgettable. I remember getting out after school and getting a dollar worth of Little Debbie snacks. That's when my fascination when baked goods really began. I used to love those cakey chocolate cookies that had a chocolate filling. I could eat 4 of those easily and now, not so much since there's something called calories. I have to watch my figure :)

I made these oatmeal cream pie cookies for my coworker Adam since these were his favorite. They turned out a little crispier but still had a chewy center. I also added some cinnamon and made a vanilla bean marshmallow buttercream which made everything come together. They were really a hit so I can officially say, "Little Debbie, eat your heart out!" Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Whoopie Pies

2011-10-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

I've been curious about baking whoopie pies for some time now. There is something about the cake like cookie filled with a creamy center that just sounds like the perfect dessert (which it is). These are chocolate whoopie pies filled with a vanilla bean marshmallow buttercream. Talk about deliciousness! Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Black and White

2011-09-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

My brother's girlfriend Janice wanted me to make her a vanilla bean cake with a dulce de leche filling. She absolutely loved the flavor combination when she tried it the first time I made it.

I whipped up a vanilla bean Swiss meringue buttercream and piped some black flowers with a 18 Wilton star tip. To add a little contrast, I added my favorite little white pearls. The colors are very Chanel, duh. Check out the pics below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Spiced Fig Cake

2011-09-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

I've recently become a huge fan of figs. They are earthy and have such a unique sweetness. I bought a box of fresh black mission figs at wholefoods and decided it was cake time.

After searching for inspiration, I found this amazing spiced fig cake with pecans. I didn't have any pecans on hand so I substituted almonds. I also used whole wheat pastry flour and spices (cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon) which made the cake super flavorful and tender. For the frosting, I made a maple cream cheese buttercream. I wanted the frosting to melt over the cake and seep into every nook. SO GOOD! Check out the pics below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Spongebob Cake!

2011-09-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?! SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!

I made this cake for my good friends Michelle and Bill. Bill's brother wanted to surprise his girlfriend's daughter with a Spongebob cake for her birthday. What an awesome idea!

This is a vanilla bean cake filled with a vanilla whipped cream buttercream and iced with a vanilla frosting. I will admit that I cheated and bought a Wilton black frosting tube for the outlines for 2 reasons. One, black frosting is hard to make considering how much food coloring you have to use and two, the tube saved me sometime and a pastry bag! I used some dark brown sugar for the sand and added some blue food coloring to some piping gel for the ocean effect. Other than that, the cake was 99% home made! Check out the pics below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Minis and a Birthday Cake

2011-09-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

My coworker Zach wanted to give his wife Jen an awesome birthday surprise. Since he has sampled some of my baked goods, he asked me to make an assortment of mini treats. I was totally honored and flattered that he chose me over Crumbs! :)

I baked chocolate brownies, blondies (with mixed nuts, milk, dark, extra dark and white chocolate, and butterscotch chips topped with sea salt), chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and red velvet cupcakes! I also made him a chocolate cake filled with a chocolate ganache whipped cream and frosted with a chocolate ganache buttercream! Check out the pics below and thanks for everything Zach and Jen!

xo,

Daniella :)

Chocolate Lava Cake

2011-09-05T05:52:00.000-07:00

I baked chocolate lava cakes during the second hurricane lock down. I wanted something that was easy to make, fudgey, cakey, and delicious. These turned out to be the simplest and most decadent desserts I've made thus far. The cake barely set and the middle was oozing with chocolaty goodness. I used a mix of milk and extra dark chocolate to get that perfect balance of creamy and flowery notes. Check out the pic of the last lava cake topped with fresh whipped cream!

Enjoy!

xo,

Daniella :)

Blueberry Lemon Tart

2011-09-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

I survived the hurricane by baking! There was seriously not much else to do since all New Yorkers had to stay home. Luckily, the hurricane wasn't as bad as predicted.

I bought this tart pan (which was insanely sharp) at the NJ chef store a while ago. I had a few pints of blueberries and a ton of lemons on hand and I thought, why not. Blueberries and lemon work perfectly together and adding them into a buttery tart crust makes the perfect union. Check out the pics below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Apple Pie!

2011-08-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

I love traditional recipes and this apple pie is a classic! I decided to use some organic apples I bought in NJ and turn them into a delicious treat.

I made my favorite buttery crust with a touch a cinnamon since it pairs so nicely with apples. I then sliced a few Granny Smith (since they hold together well during baking) and some New Zealand apples (for flavor) paper thin and sprinkled them with some brown sugar, cinnamon, flour (to thicken the juices), butter and salt. After adding base dough in the pan and slicing the rest of the dough for the lattice cover, I added the apples and all of their goodness into the pie pan and baked it at 350 degrees for about an hour. Forty five minutes into baking, I brushed some warm honey on top to get the crust golden brown. You can also easily substitute milk or a lightly beaten egg. Here are the before and after pics!

P.S. I still need to work on my lattice design but it's not so bad for my first try! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Vanilla Bean Nutella Sandwich Cookies

2011-08-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

Vanilla and Chocolate. It doesn't get more classic and simpler than that.

I baked these cookies during my vanilla bean paste phase. I love how a few quality ingredients turned these cookies into pure deliciousness! Since I am a chocoholic, I added some Nutella in between two of the buttery cookies. For photo purposes (well not really), I sprinkled some powder sugar over the cookies. Check out the pic below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Vanilla Bean Birthday

2011-08-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

Last week was my aunt's birthday and I wanted to use some of the great ingredients I bought at a NJ Chef store (thanks to Michelle and Bill). I found, and have now fallen in love with, vanilla bean paste. It is so versatile and it's much easier to use than a vanilla bean (it's also less expensive).

I also decided to try a new type of buttercream with meringue. It is similar to an Italian or Swiss buttercream which is typically used in wedding cakes. The process takes a while considering you have to cook the egg whites over simmering water to ensure they are safe to eat. You then have to whip the whites into a meringue and slowly add chunks of soften butter into the mix. I was lucky that the buttercream did not get soupy like most recipes warn. In any case, if it does, continue to whip it until it comes together.

I made a buttermilk vanilla bean cake iced with a meringue vanilla bean buttercream and filled with dulce de leche cream. I also used the dulce de leche cream to pipe some decorations and "Happy Birthday!" It was all sorts of delicious and I was pretty proud with the results. In case you're wondering, those tiny pearls were added individually (just saying). Check out the pics below!

xo,

Daniella :)

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

2011-08-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

Jeff has been asking me to bake these cookies for such a long time now. I would have baked them a lot sooner but I didn't realize that macadamia nuts are pretty expensive! I finally bought some at this awesome little place in NJ (thanks to Michelle and Bill) which sells mostly organic goods and they made all the difference! Check out these yummy cookies below! Oh and Jeff, you're welcome <3

xo,

Daniella :)

Banana Cream Pie

2011-08-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Oh pie, how I love you!

This was my first time making an entire pie from scratch. It's a long waiting process but totally worth it. First, I had to look up an all butter pie crust recipe since I'm not a huge fan of shortening. I ended up finding a pretty decent one I wanted to try and now I'm hooked. The crust was light, flaky and full of buttery goodness. The key to get a nice crust is to not overwork the dough and let it rest. It has to just barely come together when mixing and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Since I had to bake my pie crust first, I placed the pie dish with the dough (rolled and crimped) into the freezer for 30 minutes. This helps with preventing the dough from loosing its shape in the oven. As it baked, I worked on the other components aka the good stuff!

I sliced 3 ripe bananas and whipped some heavy cream which I folded into some leftover pastry cream I made earlier in the week. I also chopped up some bittersweet chocolate and made a ganache to layer over the bananas and on top of the pie. Once the pie crust was cool, I started to layer beginning with bananas on the bottom (this helps the bottom crust stay crisp), chocolate, and ending with pastry cream. What's the end result? Check it out below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Feeling Peachy

2011-08-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

What do I do with left over puff pastry? Bake an easy tart!

The great thing about summer are all of the delicious fruits. I love peaches and I wanted to pay homage to them since I had a ton on hand. I sliced a few of them and sprinkled some brown sugar and spices (cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon) on top. Now you may be thinking, spiced peaches? Well yes, it actually works really well. Apples are the obvious choice but I was really curious to try something different.

I then lined the slices on top of a thawed sheet of puff pastry. To add a little more richness and make the tart glisten, I brushed some melted butter and warm honey. Check out the pic below!

Enjoy!

xo,

Daniella

Chocolate Heaven!

2011-08-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I went to MD and discovered the best local supermarket named ROOTS! Not only is everything organic and fresh, it's also way cheaper than NYC. I, of course, fell in love with their baking section and was amazed by their chocolate selection. No Hershey's here!

I stocked up on really great quality chocolate and that was the inspiration for this cake. This is a chocolate buttermilk cake filled and covered with a chocolate ganache whipped cream and coated with bittersweet dark chocolate shavings. Talk about chocolate overload! Surprisingly, it was pretty light due to the layers of chocolate ganache whipped cream sandwiched in between the delicate chocolate cake. Check out the pics below!

NYC needs a Roots market. Or at least my neighborhood does. Until next time!

xo,

Daniella:)

Panna Cotta

2011-07-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

On those summer days when it's too hot to turn on my oven, I turn to cool desserts that are simple and easy to make! Panna cotta has to be one of my favorites and I have actually made it more times than I can count. It's a delicious creamy Italian dessert that is really refreshing and even better when topped with fresh berries.

I used half and half instead of heavy cream for the base and fresh sliced strawberries as a decorative touch. Although most panna cotta desserts are taken out of their molds, I think it's nice to have a personal dessert. I can guarantee you won't want to share. Check out the pics below!

Stay cool everyone and enjoy the rest of the summer!

xo,

Daniella :)

White Chocolate Coconut Blondies

2011-07-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

I made these blondies for my new friend Eddie when I helped out at the Club Monaco Sample sale! By the way, the sale was pretty intense but so worth it!

Eddie is a fan of brownies so why not treat him to something a little special! These blondies were made with brown sugar which makes them chewy and very rich. I then melted some white chocolate, mixed with some heavy cream, and spread a layer over the warm brownies while they were still in the pan. Next, I toasted some sweetened coconut flakes to really intensify the coconut flavor. To top it all off, I drizzled the rest of the white chocolate over the entire coconut layer and let me tell you, it was pretty hard not to dig in. My patience was really tested. Check out the pic below! :)

Thanks for everything Eddie!

xo,

Daniella :)

Salted Caramel + Chocolate Cookies= DELICIOUS!

2011-07-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

I baked these cookies for my good friend Michelle and her husband Bill. It was his birthday and I figured this would be the best present! These cookies were so simple to make and delicious on their own but I knew I wanted to go a step further. I made some salted caramel and added it in between two cookies. To make it even more decadent, I melted some bittersweet and dark chocolate and spread that around the outside edges. Talk about AMAZING! If you don't believe me, I'm sure Michelle and Bill will be more than happy let you know! These were by far my favorite cookies that I've made. I guess you really can't go wrong with something a little sweet and salty! Check out the pic below and it's okay if you want to eat your screen (I'm not responsible for any damages or hungry tummies)! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Butterfly Cake

2011-07-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

My mom's friend Martha found a Betty Crocker video which showed you how to cut, ice, and decorate a butterfly cake. She asked me if I could make one for her since her relatives were coming to visit. I, of course, jumped on the opportunity because I have never made anything like this especially considering that there are shaped cake pans that do most of the labor for you. Martha wanted a one layer chocolate cake with a fresh strawberry filling and vanilla buttercream frosting. She let me use my imagination when it came to the decorating.

For the most part, the cake itself was easy to make. However, it did require a lot of labor. Cutting a one layer cake is not the easiest but thanks to my cake cutter, I was able to do that easily. After that, I had to cut the butterfly shape, fill, and ice each individual piece. Icing the parts was definitely the hardest. Since I cut the layer in half and then into pieces, there were a lot of crumbs. Since I was using vanilla frosting, it was pretty difficult to keep the crumbs from spreading all over the icing. The trick that I found helped was to have a crumb coat and then ice it again once the crumb coat was set. That ended up being a great help and although the cake still had a few crumbs, it was definitely less noticeable.

After the base was ready, I piped stars and circles and added little pearls for decoration. I also added some shredded coconut around the cake to make it a little more special. Overall, it was a great learning experience and I would totally do it again! Check out the pics!

Thanks for the idea and inspiration Martha!

xo,

Daniella :)

Thank You!

2011-07-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported me the last few months on my new journey! I've had a lot of positive responses that have definitely kept me motivated to push myself a little more each day. Whether it's my baking or illustration work, I have had such an amazing experience and I hope to continue to do this for the rest of my life! Thanks again and stay tuned for more updates! :)

xo,

Daniella

Celebration Cakes!

2011-07-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday my family and I celebrated my mom's birthday and my cousin's high school graduation! In honor of both occasions, I wanted to bake their favorite cakes.

My mom, like me, is a chocoholic. So anything with dark chocolate is always a good choice. I decided to get a little fancy and I baked her a fresh raspberry dark chocolate truffle cake! I filled it with a fresh raspberry filling and used the rest of the filling to make the chocolate frosting. The flavors were awesome and it was just right in terms of sweetness.

My cousin loves tres leches so I didn't have to get that creative. I made him a traditional tres leches cake with fresh whipped cream and decorated it with a gel pen! I think the next time I make it, I won't use the whole can of condensed milk and add more whole and evaporated milk. Other than that, everyone loved it!

Xo,

Daniella :)

Say hello to my little Peanut!

2011-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

A little over a week ago, Jeff and I became parents to this little puppy whom we named Peanut! I wanted to take a mini break from blogging about my baked goodies and show you my new source of inspiration. Peanut is only 8 weeks old and we love having him at home. People were not kidding when they said having a puppy is like having a baby. We have not had a solid night of sleep since we got him but it is all worth it.

In case you are wondering, he is a mix between a pug and Japanese chin. Not much information is out there about this mixed breed but I can tell you that he craves a lot of attention and love. How can you not love this little face?! :)

I will be posting more about the adventures with Peanut soon! Stay tuned! :)

xo,

Daniella

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

2011-07-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Jeff dad's birthday! Since he doesn't like things that are too sweet, I decided to make this really simple, delicate buttermilk cake. The recipe originally called for fresh raspberries and I didn't have any on hand. I cut up a few strawberries instead and added them to the top of the batter. I then sprinkled some sugar over the entire cake. As it baked, the strawberries started to slightly sink into the cake and the sugar developed a sweet crust. I loved how rustic it looked and of course, how delicious it tasted. Check out the pic!

Here is to another year! :)

xo,

Daniella

Cupcakes for grandma

2011-06-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was my grandma's 78th birthday! We took her out to Mama Mexico to celebrate. Although we had dessert at the restaurant, I still wanted to bake her some cupcakes. I made cinnamon banana cupcakes with a dulce de leche buttercream and then added two whole almonds on the top as a decorative touch. While these cupcakes were really yummy, I think I'll add some toasted crushed almonds into the batter next time for some more texture. Other than that, they were still a huge hit! Check out the pics!

Here is to another year grandma!

xo,

Daniella :)

Fudgy Yummy Brownies

2011-06-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, I went to visit my best friend Dustin and his brother at their apartment in Brooklyn. I figured I should make something sweet since they were making dinner. These fudge brownies have 3 kinds of chocolate (unsweetened, bittersweet and dark chocolate) and have the rest of my homemade salted caramel drizzled on top. They were not too sweet which was nice and definitely rich. Delicious! Check out the pictures below!

Well, I'm off to celebrate my grandma's 78th birthday! I baked her some cupcakes but stayed tuned for the next blog post to see what kind. :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Red Velvet Cupcakes and Nutella Cookies

2011-06-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I had some friends over and I wanted make a new version of a red velvet cupcake recipe. The recipe I was using before made the cake a little too spongy and lacked flavor. To me, red velvet cupcakes are supposed to be, well, cakey. It should be moist, have a slight crumble, and definitely taste good on its own. It should compliment the frosting and not the other way around. Long story short, these were awesome! I also made a vanilla cream cheese frosting and piped it, with you guessed it, my star tip! I also baked some nutella cookies with dark chocolate chips and walnuts. These were like mini brownies and delicious! Check out the pics below!

xo,

Daniella :)

Father's Day Cake!

2011-06-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day! In celebration of this special day, I baked a yummy carrot cake! I substituted some of the ingredients with healthier alternatives. I have actually done this before for my good friend Michelle when I went to visit. Her family is a lot more health conscious and I wanted to bake with better ingredients so they didn't feel guilty indulging.

For this cake, I used whole wheat flour and brown sugar instead of all purpose flour and white sugar. I also added a lot more spices to give the cake a nicer flavor and a lot more nuts, raisins and carrots to give it really great texture. The frosting is a cinnamon cream cheese buttercream with way less confectioners sugar than the recipe originally called for. I tend to like my frosting and cakes less sweet. To make it a little more decorative, I toasted some coconut and added it to the sides of the cake and piped stars (with mini pearls added on top) with my favorite Wilton 21 star tip. To add a little more contrast, I added whole almonds in between the the piped stars. Finally, I dusted some confectioners sugar in the middle of the cake! Check out the pics and you'll see what I mean!

I hope you all enjoy your Father's Day with all of the special dads and moms in your life!

xo,

Daniella :)

Peanut butter and Chocolate chip cookies

2011-06-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm on a baking spree! Yesterday's cupcakes were amazing and today I decided to bake peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. The thing I love about these cookies is that they are nice and toasty on the outside and really soft on the inside. You can't go wrong with that! I also used white and dark chocolate chips to make them a little more special. Check them out! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Sweet and Salty

2011-06-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

I decided to make these egg less chocolate cupcakes and to my surprise they were AMAZING! They turned out to be really moist and were not too sweet. To top them off and make them a little more sophisticated, I made a vanilla buttercream (of course) and drizzled a home made salted caramel sauce! The flavors made my new favorite combination of sweet and salty. Check them out and yes it's okay to drool a little! :)

xo,

Daniella :)

Summer cupcakes

2011-06-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

The summer is officially here and it is hot!!! Regardless of the heat, I am still going to bake! Below are my chocolate cupcakes decorated with a vanilla frosting (out of my Wilton tub). I used this frosting because it holds together really well in the heat. Even though I am not fond of the taste, it's a great way to practice decorating my cupcakes!

Enjoy and stay cool!

Daniella :)

Strawberry Cake!

2011-05-30T05:58:00.000-07:00

I baked this cake for my best friend's boyfriend on Saturday. I originally promised him a strawberry cheesecake but I didn't have enough time to prep and bake it. Instead, I went for a vanilla cake filled with a fresh strawberry filling and smothered in a fresh strawberry cream cheese buttercream. It was probably one of the best cakes to date by far. It was a perfect balance between a soft cake, sweet and sour filling and a creamy smooth frosting. YUM! The only bad thing is that the frosting was sort of melting since my apartment gets so hot during the summer. Melting frosting and all, everyone gobbled it up and that for me is my stamp of approval :)

Hope everyone is having an awesome Memorial Day weekend!

xo,

Daniella :)

Chicky Cake

2011-05-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest cake and it's dedicated to my Little Chicky! I experimented with different techniques this time around to see how they all play together. I think I'm becoming a little obsessed with my star tips and for good reason. You can literally make anything with it and it always looks great. In this case, I used it to decorate Chicky, the pink balloons (and the white balloon decoration) and the shells that border the cake. I used a round tip for the white balloon, the white polka dots that are all over the cake and also to accent Chicky's dress and hat. For her beak, I used a leaf tip since it makes a triangular shape (clever, clever).

In case you're wondering, I bake a basic vanilla cake and the frosting is out of a 5lb tub of Wilton icing ( I know, I'm cheating). But hey, it works great for experimental purposes! Enjoy the pics!

xo,

Daniella :)

Chocolate shells

2011-05-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I've been on a piping craze. I'm becoming a little obsessed with learning how to use all of the different tips that I have in my Wilton Ultimate Cake Decorating kit (try saying that a few times in a row)! This past Sunday my best friend Roberta stopped by to visit so I baked a vanilla chocolate chip cake with a chocolate buttercream. I piped shells with my Wilton #18 tip as borders on the top and bottom of the cake. It's not perfect but I'm kind of proud of the work I've done. Of course with time it will all get better!

In Chicky news, I'm currently working on some new illustrations for my site which should be up this week! Stay tuned!

xo,

Daniella :)

It's my birthday!!

2011-05-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me!!! :)

This year, I wanted to stay home and bake. To some, that may not be the most exciting thing but I really enjoyed it! I made this awesome giant Cupcake cake and yes, it's the one from the infomercials. I made a chocolate cake (my favorite kind of cake) with a vanilla buttercream! Here is the picture along with what we had for dinner (home made BBQ sauce over baked brisket, Chinese veggies and garlic mash!)! Overall, it was my kind of birthday!

One last thing, thanks for all of the birthday wishes!

xo,

Daniella :)

It's a Cupcake Cake!

2011-05-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

During yesterday's cake decorating class, I learned how to pipe elongated shapes and dots with a Wilton 12 tip. We transferred the image of a cupcake to our iced cakes by tracing the image with piping gel on a piece of wax paper. From there, we used our colored icing to fill in the image. The dots around the cake were my little touch to make it look complete! In case you are wondering, it's a chocolate cake underneath that frosting! Enjoy!

xo,

Daniella :)

Mother's Day treats

2011-05-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed Mother's Day with all the fabulous moms in your life! Saturday night I baked these cupcakes for our mother's day gathering!

These are lemon cupcakes filled with a 4 berry filling and a lemon cream cheese butter cream!

YUM!

xo,

Daniella :)

Cookie and Truffles

2011-05-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Here is a picture of my favorite cookie I decorated yesterday and some truffles I made last week! The cookie is decorated with a Wilton 18 star tip. It's definitely something that requires a lot of practice and patience to get the stars even. As I was taught, the key is to hover a little over your cookie, squeeze the piping bag and then release before you lift the bag. That will avoid bigger peaks. I will be posting some more pictures of my progress soon since I am definitely baking something for Mother's Day this Sunday!

This is a home baked shortbread cookie with almond extract decorated with vanilla frosting.

These are semi sweet chocolate truffles. The one at the top is dipped in white chocolate, below that the truffles are rolled in toasted coconut (left) and toasted almonds (right).

Have an awesome day!

xo,

Daniella :)

Decorating!

2011-05-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I am starting my first cake decorating class today! I'm totally excited to learn all of the ins and outs of piping since I think that is my biggest challenge. I will be posting pictures of my finished decorated cookies later on tonight! Until then, wish me luck!

xo,

Daniella :)

Coming soon!!

2011-04-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Pretty soon I will have my first book, "Little Chicky Bakes" ready to view (or at least part of it) on allthelittelones! Be sure to check in to preview it within the next few days!

xo,

Daniella :)

New updates!

2011-04-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! I have been working really hard on some new illustrations and they are now up on allthelittleones and ready to be viewed! I hope you all enjoy it and in the mean time, check out this cake I baked for Easter! It's my chocolate vanilla layer cake with a vanilla butter cream. YUM!!

xo,

Daniella :)

Where is Chicky heading?

2011-04-20T04:24:00.000-07:00

Many people have asked me what direction I want to focus on with Chicky. To be honest, it is something that I have given a lot of thought to and am still trying to figure out. What I do know is that I really love illustrating different everyday situations for Chicky. One day, she will be a baker. The next, she we will be strolling in the park or celebrating different holidays. Recently, I finished my first book titled, "Little Chicky Bakes." I submitted this book to Utales which is a site for digital children's books. This was the first sign that maybe I should incorporate my love for baking and illustration into one! While I have many ideas, I am still trying to discover Chicky's voice. It may come to me sooner than I think but in the mean time, I'm going to continue to do what I love!

xo,

Daniella

P.S. Stay tuned for more illustrations on allthelittleones and for the launch of Utales!

Hello and Welcome

2011-04-18T04:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Allthelittleones blog! I'm so excited to share my journey with Chicky and her new friends! Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for new updates!

xo,

Daniella