Crafts

It would seem that lemons are made from sunshine. They soak up the rays until their skins turn a bright cheery shade that radiates warmth and happiness. These delightful pucker-fruits add a bright flavor to every dish. An All-Star pair, lemons and sugar combine to heavenly deliciousness in lemonade and lemon bars to name just a few enjoyable concoctions. There’s no end to their adaptability. Consider them stirred together into yummy cheesecake batter and infused in the crust. They transform this luscious cake with their lemony-sweet goodness into a treat so good you have to share! Yeah, it’s that good! Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s get started…..

Ingredients

Crust

1 box Lemon Cake Mix

½ c. butter, softened

1 t. grated lemon peel

Filling

2 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened

¾ c. sugar

3 (3.5 oz) containers ready to eat lemon pudding (from 4-pack container)

½ c. sour cream

3 eggs

2 c. frozen (thawed) whipped topping

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.

You’ll begin with a lemon cake mix. Before you start, reserve ¼ cup of the mix for later. Now mix in the butter and lemon zest until crumbly.

Spray your pans with cooking spray and then scoop some of the crust mix into each of your pans. We used these fun 3-inch cake pans with a lift out bottom. They’re awesome! Press the crust mix down into the bottom and up the sides a bit. This recipe will make about ten 3-inch cakes. Reserve the remainder of your crust mix in a small bowl while you stir up the cream cheese batter.

Combine reserved cake mix, softened cream cheese, pudding, sugar and sour cream on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until mixed. It will look heavenly and it will taste even better. Resisting the urge to dip your fingers in the batter, spoon the mixture in on top of your crusts, filling each cake up about two-thirds of the way. The filling will rise and then sink back down as it cools.

Bake in a preheated oven for about thirty minutes. Begin checking around 25 minutes. You want each cake to be firm around the edges but still a bit jiggly in the center. Remove from the oven.

Cool on the counter for about twenty minutes and then refrigerate for twenty more before loosening and removing from the pans. You’re going to want to pop them out before then, but trust me, it will only end in tears! Let them firm up completely in the fridge before working your magic. During this time, keep your batter in the fridge, lightly covered until your pans are free to make the remaining cheesecakes. Then repeat the process until you’ve used up all your batter.

Once removed from the pans, cover and refrigerate your cakes 4 hours or overnight…if you trust your husband not to sneak in and “taste test” them for you. It’s your call.

When you’re ready to serve, top with one tablespoon each of lemon curd. Pipe on whipped cream and top with a half slice of lemon. Now call your girlfriends over for lunch and wow them with this little nibble of sunshine that will have them raving! Enjoy!

Alright, I admit it, the girls here at WhipperBerry are mad at work on two super delish new projects and while we are busy little bees, I thought I would share this amazing find with you.

Katie Quinn Davies is from all the way down-under in Sydney, Australia.  She is a foodie AND a photographer!!  A girl after my own heart.  Her photography: inspiring.  Her recipes: magical.  I can’t say enough about her.  Check out some of the amazing photos that I found via Eat Drink Chick.

 

And this is just a little taste.  You must head on over to her blog “What Katie Ate” to get a full helping!

Oh, and don’t forget to head over to Tatertots and Jell-o to enter to win Whitney’s fun Halloween in a box.

I fell in love with Coco Cake via Twig and Thistle not too long ago and thought I would share.  I have to say, I wish I lived in Vancouver B.C. because I would love to try these little beauties!  These fun apple cupcakes were made for a special teacher on her wedding day.  Aren’t they sweet?

The colors alone make me smile.

Check out Coco Cake’s blog, I promise it will make you happy!!

In fun WhipperBerry news: Christene, our resident cupcake skewer girl, won an honorable mention in Pizzazzerie’s Cupcake Skewer contest!  Congratulations Christene!! Jump on over and check out all the fun.

 

Whitney is hosting a fun giveaway on Tatertots & Jell-o this week. Go check it out if you would like the chance to win her genius Halloween-in-a-box. If you don’t win you can always stop by her Etsy shop, WhipperTables and purchase it for your spooky Halloween party!

There’s a lot that goes through my mind when designing a table.  I am constantly changing and tweaking my designs until I feel like it all just “fits”.  I won’t even buy anything until I can visualize the whole table in my mind.

I draw upon the art education I’ve had quite often.  One of the most important lessons I learned involves making sure that the eye flows properly around the “art work”.   Typically there are several ways to accomplish this, but with this table I struggled since every food element on the table was white.  Colors, shades, even the shapes of things are very important in my design process. For example, when I designed my Pea in the Pod table, I not only coordinated the green, white, and accents of yellow, but I also incorporated a lot of round elements in the table. It provided further cohesiveness, and visual stimulation.

This all-white dessert table was designed for a 40th Birthday Party.  When designing a monochromatic table I found that texture was very important to me; it really helped separate the items and give contrast without the use of different colors.  I tried to make sure I incorporated lots of texture in the cake frosting, through the use of popcorn, in the candies, etc. Another element I used in this table, aside from varying textures, was varying heights.  Although this table doesn’t incorporate a lot of taller elements, I used the cake as the focal point and the ferns to help draw the eye up a bit.  Other food items, like the donut holes, candies, and popcorn gave a smaller, but much needed, “lift” as well.

 

This table was so fun to put together and I was really happy with how everything turned out.  I love how a dessert table will take any party to an entirely new level.  I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I did creating it!

Click on this link to check out Whitney’s new Etsy shop.  Her amazing Halloween Party in a Box is now available for purchase!!

 

There’s nothing more enticing than being tickled by the scent of steaming, buttery, cinnamon wafting through your house. Either waking to it’s goodness or at the close of the day, it takes willpower of steel to reject this sinful temptation. 

Cinnamon Rolls

½ c. warm water

2 pkg. dry yeast

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 (3½  oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding

½ c. margarine or butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. salt

8 c. flour

Filling:

½ c. margarine or butter, melted

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. while sugar

¼ c. flour

1 ½ Tbsp. cinnamon

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

½ c. margarine or butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. powdered sugar

About 1 Tbsp. milk (just enough to fluff frosting)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Stir until dissolved. Set aside.

In a large bowl, prepare pudding mix according to directions. Add margarine, eggs, and salt. Mix well, then add the yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour and knead until smooth.

Place in a large, greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down and allow to rise again. Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface to about 34×21 inch size.

Melt butter for filling and brush on rolled dough. Mix sugars, flour, and cinnamon together and sprinkle over buttered dough. Roll dough up tightly. With a knife, put a notch along the roll every 1 to 2 inches. Use thread or a sharp knife to cut roll. Place on greased baking sheet about 1 to 2 inches apart. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min.  Remove when golden brown. *If the rolls start to brown too quickly on top or on the edges, cover loosely with foil to continue baking until the middle is done. Frost while still warm.

Note: You can make the dough the night before. Prepare recipe and allow to rise once. Punch down and cover, putting in the refrigerator overnight to slowly rise. In the morning roll out dough and finish. They also freeze well once they’ve been baked. Warm in the microwave.

I am super excited to introduce you to Jamie our newest contributor to WhipperBerry!  Click on this link to learn more about her and what she has to bring to WhipperBerry.