Green Spring Smoothie

I’m enjoying a rare Monday off and I thought it was a great time to try out a new smoothie recipe. With the warm weather, this cold fruity smoothie is a delicious start to the day. I added whey protein powder since this was my breakfast, but you could leave it out if protein powder isn’t your thing. I actually like the texture with the protein powder since it thickens the drink, I haven’t found it grainy at all. I use Tera’s Whey Organic brand, Bourbon Vanilla for this recipe.

 

Adapted from the Vitamix Recipe Booklet

Serves: 1-2

 

1/2 Cup Vanilla Coconut Milk

1 Cup Frozen Grapes

1/2 Cup Fresh Pineapple

2 Scoops Tera’s Whey Vanilla Protein Powder

1 Medium Frozen Banana

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

3 Cups Baby Spinach

 

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Enjoy straight up or with a little granola on top.

Costco had the Vitamix blender in stock about 2 weeks ago. The last time I saw them there was nearly 3 years ago and I didn’t have the cash to pick one up back then which was a bummer. I’ve been duct taping my magic bullet together lately, waiting for it to die, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to score the super blender at a great price.

 

This recipe make one very large smoothie which I use as a meal replacement or 2 smaller smoothies which can compliment a regular meal. I built the recipe in the MyFitnessPal tool and the large smoothie has about 334 calories, 5g fat, 25g protein, 7g fiber, 53g carbs, and 40g sugar.

Easy Lentil & Quinoa Side Dish (Customize With Your Favorite Flavors!)

I have a new toy! Recently I purchased a rice cooker at Target because I wanted a way to make cooking grains easier while I’m at work. I don’t eat rice very often, but I do eat Quinoa, Oatmeal, and Lentils all the time. The Rice Cooker has made the whole lentil/quinoa cooking process so much easier.

I never knew these Green lentils could be so easy, versatile, and delicious!

 

Easy Quinoa & Lentil Side Dish

Makes: 8 Cups

 

1 Cup uncooked green lentils

1 Cup uncooked (rinsed) Quinoa

3.75 Cups Water

dash of salt (you can always add more later, so go easy)

 

This recipe will make the basic Lentil/Quinoa mix. Once cooked you can add anything you want. If you want more flavor to the basic mix, you can use chicken/veggie broth in place of the water.

Add all the ingredients to the rice cooker.

I set my cooker for the ‘Brown Rice’ setting then went back to work. I believe it only cooks for about 45 minutes, but I can’t tell you exactly because the rice cooker takes care of that for me. When it’s done, it switches to a ‘Keep Warm’ mode until I turn it off. I actually left it for a few hours since I had several back to back meetings. It wasn’t overcooked at all when I finally unplugged the machine.

Follow the instructions for your specific machine when deciding what setting to use.

I store it in the fridge and eat it over the course of the week. It goes well with so many things. The flavor is a little nutty, but otherwise very neutral.

• Add salsa and eat it with eggs
• Added cinnamon and mixed it with oatmeal
• Mix with a little feta and roasted veggies for a vegetarian main course or serve along side Fish/Chicken/Steak
• Throw a scoop into your favorite salad or soup for a protein/fiber boost
• Use it as a replacement for rice in a Stir Fry 

Today for lunch I mixed it with some grated parmesan cheese, a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, and some chopped cherry tomatoes. Next time I might even mix in some sausage to add a bit of spice.

Absolutely Delicious!

Nutritional stats are pretty damn awesome too. 1 cup of the Lentil/Quinoa Mix has about 170 calories, 29g carbs, 1g fat, 9g protein, and 9g fiber. I used the MyFitnessPal recipe creator to get these stats and it doesn’t account for any other ingredients you may mix in for flavor.

 

Bon Appétit!

Rustic Wheat Protein Bread [Healthy & Homemade]

Back in November I made my first batch of Rustic Homemade Bread. I’m still quite impressed with myself. Since then, I’ve made two other loaves. One loaf was white cheddar and Jalapeño, and gifted to my parents. I don’t like Jalapeños but I’m told it was delicious. For myself, I recently made a loaf of wheat protein bread as a healthy morning alternative to store bought bread.  I wanted a version that was hearty, and had several grams of protein per slice. I used a mix of All Purpose Flour, Whole Wheat Flour, and Hemp Protein.

I topped it with some old fashioned oats.

Don’t be turned off by the fact that it’s slightly green, the color is from the hemp protein. The basic recipe is from Simply So Good, I just replaced some of the all purpose flour for some whole wheat flour and hemp protein powder. For the protein powder, I used Nutiva – Organic Hemp Protein which I originally found in a single serve packet at Sprouts. You only need 3 Tablespoons per loaf of bread, so the packet has more than enough. Be sure to check out Janet’s blog post for great step by step pictures.

 

The finished loaf is dense and chewy, excellent with almond butter or jam. To preserve the loaf, I froze 2/3 of the loaf after slicing and only kept 1/3 in the pantry at a time. Overall, I love this recipe and plan to make is regularly in the future.

 

 

Healthy Rustic Wheat Protein Bread

Servings: About 14 slices

Adapted from Simply So Good

 

2.5 Cups While Unbleached Flour (remove 3 Tablespoons of flour)

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

3 Tablespoons Nutiva – Organic Hemp Protein

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon Instant Yeast

1 1/2 Cups Water

1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal

 

• In a large bowl combine the first 5 ingredients (both flours, hemp powder, salt, and yeast). Whisk until well mixed. 

 

• Add the water and stir gently to combine with a rubber spatula. I sometimes need to add a little more water if the dough appears too dry. The dough should be slightly sticky and will look like a messy blob.

 

• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set to rest on the counter for 12-18 hours (I always leave it overnight). The dough will rise, mine usually doubles in size.

 

• In the morning (or after the dough has rested for at least 12 hours), preheat the oven to 450 degrees. You’ll need a oven safe pot with lid, big enough to accommodate the the bread. I use a standard stainless steel roasting pan (grill removed), with lid. A large oven safe casserole dish will also work as long as it has a lid.  Once the oven is pre-heated, place the pot, with lid, in the oven for 30 minutes to pre-heat.

 

• Once you put the pot in the oven, place the dough on a heavily floured surface. At this point add the oatmeal to the top and press lightly to help it stick. Cover with the plastic wrap and let it rest for the 30 minutes (until the pot is pre-heated).

 

• After 30 minutes, remove the pot from the oven…CAREFULLY. That sucker will be almost 500 degrees so please be VERY careful.

 

• Place the the dough into the pot and cover with lid. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid, and bake an additional 15 minutes. [Tip: with floured hands, shape the dough slightly before placing in the pot. You can fold the edges under slightly, creating a rounded ball and the finished bread will stay in more of a dome shape. I ‘plopped’ the first batch into the pot and it baked into a very flat loaf.]

 

I was able to slice it into 14 pieces. Nutritional stats are pretty decent at about 103 calories slice, 0 grams of fat, 4 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fiber.  Of course that will vary depending on how many slices you get from your loaf.

 

Enjoy!

Homemade Frosty Dog Treats

A few weeks back I mentioned that I bought some plain Greek yogurt for dog treats and I received an overwhelming amount of email asking me how I was turning the yogurt into dog treats. So here ya go! This is basically my version of those fancy frozen dog treats that you can buy at the grocery store. My pup loves those, but they are expensive and cost about $5 for 4 frozen treats. This homemade version ensures that no additional sugar/additives in the treats, and makes about a dozen that you can keep in your freezer.

This recipe is also very versatile, and you can swap in different ingredients that you might have on hand. For example, pumpkin would be great option instead of the banana. My dog also loves broccoli, I might try that one day and see if he eats it.

 

Homemade Frosty Dog Treats

16oz Plain Greek Yogurt

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

1 banana (or 1/2 cup pumpkin, etc)

The steps are super simple. You’re just going to add everything to a bowl, and mash to combine. 

Don’t worry about getting the mixture completely smooth. It’s perfectly fine to have some banana chunks in it.

You will likely draw a small crowd at this point of fur children begging to lick the bowl. I cave every time and let him lick the bowl when I’m done, he loves it.

To make the treats easy to serve, I use cupcake cups. These are the sturdy cups, not the liners. I bought two different sizes in the baking section at Joann’s for a couple of bucks. I use the bigger, standard cupcake size for my Lab, and the smaller size if I know the beagles will be stopping by. 

Fill each cup about 1/2 way full, and then freeze several hours or overnight to set.

You don’t need cups, you can freeze these in the cupcake pan, but I find that the cupcake cups make it very easy to serve once frozen. If you’re concerned about  your dog eating the cup, then you can rip the cup open and just serve the treat. My dog will tear apart the cup, but he doesn’t eat it, so i just hand him the whole thing to snack on. 

 

Easy, right? These are great cold snacks for your pup and particularly great during the summer when they need a little refreshment.

Easy Rustic Homemade Bread

I have to thank Pinterest for this discovery. While it’s a total time suck (pinterest, not the bread)…I do love looking at the pretty pictures, and I’ve found many of great DIY and recipe ideas. Making homemade (yeast based) bread has always been a bit of a baking pipe dream for me. It always seems too hard to figure out the right temperature to keep the yeast alive…or maybe I was just too lazy.

Yeah, apparently I’ve just been too lazy…because I MADE THIS LOAF OF BREAD!!!

…and ate it all by myself (not as proud of that fact though).

I followed the recipe by Simply So Good, and it was incredibly easy. In fact the hardest part was locating the Instant Yeast. I wasn’t able to find it in any local store, but finally scored some through Amazon. The instant yeast is a baking miracle, since it doesn’t require a special liquid temp. In fact I was sure that I screwed up the recipe since the dough seemed drier than it should be, but it worked!

I didn’t round the ball of dough very well, so the finished product was a bit flat. However, it was crusty, dense and absolutely delicious. I kept it simple and just went with butter most of the time, but I did break out my stash of apple butter and pineapple butter!

Yes, I said PINEAPPLE BUTTER! It’s Amazing.

*Baking yeast link is affiliate, but I was not provided with product or paid for any type of review.

CrockPot Fruit Butter eBook is now Available!

It’s finally here!

I am beyond thrilled to announce that the Crock-Pot Fruit Butter eBook is done and up for sale. After several months of recipe creating and tasting, I’ve collected 17 delicious Fruit Butter recipes. Sixteen of which have NEVER been featured on the blog and will only be offered in this book.

In addition to full color pictures of every single recipe, I’ve included a chapter on serving suggestions which features my super easy favorite dessert (Hawaiian Angel Cake, anyone?).

The eBook is available for download and costs $5. Immediately after payment you will have the opportunity to download the PDF eBook from a third party site [I’ve personally tested the purchasing process, it’s easy, safe, and secure]. The download link will also be emailed to you after purchase.

 

Price/$5 USD

 

The book contains a collection of ‘classic’ flavors including…

• Cider Apple Butter (an easy variation of the original favorite)
• 2 different Pumpkin Butters
• 2 different Peach Butters
• Multiple Berries (Cherry, Blueberry, Raspberry, etc)
• Pineapple Butter [It’s Incredible…My absolute favorite!]

 

…along with some unique and delicious combos, such as…

• Carrot Cake Butter
• Banana Bread Butter
• Gingerbread Butter
• Chile Mango Butter
• …and more!

 

Since I know we don’t all have the luxury of our favorite FRESH fruit available year round, several of the recipes were made using only frozen or dried fruit. I’ve also included a general cooking formula that you can follow if you want to try making fruit butter that isn’t featured in the book. Try making your own creations, I’d love to know the success stories!

 

Questions? Success Stories?

I’ve set up a separate email address from the blog, to ensure I can address any inquires as quickly as possible. If there are multiple questions, I’ll create a FAQ for the book and post it on this page.

CrockPotFruitButter@gmail.com

 

I sincerely hope you enjoy the recipes as much as I do. 

Spaghetti Squash Meatball Bake

A friend was recently raving to me about a stuffed acorn squash recipe. It made me think of how to create something for my favorite type of squash, Spaghetti.

I LOVED this recipe. Not only is it delicious, but it made for a great presentation. It was also really simple, has only 4 ingredients, and is done in less than 30 minutes.

Serves: 2

1 small spaghetti squash

1 Cup Marinara Sauce

1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

8 Turkey Meatballs (I use the frozen type from Trader Joes)

Cut the squash open and remove the seeds.

Fill a large microwaveable dish with about 1/2 inch of water. Place the squash in the dish, cut side down. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and cut several holes to vent.

Microwave for 6-9 minutes (depending on size). I only made one half since this was lunch for me, but I can typically fit both halves in a large dish and microwave the squash for 10 minutes total. The squash is done when a knife inserted into the rind slides out easily.

Once the squash is done, cook the meatballs per package directions. They only take a few minutes in the microwave, so you’re almost done.

While the meatballs warm, use a fork to shred the squash, but leave the strands in the shell.

Chopped the warmed meatballs into quarters (or leave them whole, your choice).

Mix the marinara sauce and and meatballs, pour the mixture into the squash shells.

Top each shell with cheese and broil until the cheese melts. You could sprinkle a little panko on top to give it a nice crunch as well.

DELICIOUS!

Spiced Crockpot Pumpkin Butter

Note: The CrockPot Fruit Butter eBook is NOW AVAILABLE! Click here for more details.

 

FINALLY!

The temperatures have finally started to cool down, the next week should be in the 70’s with possible rain. It’s starting to feel like fall around here. Autumn is by far my favorite season. I love the cooler temps and windy/rainy weather more than I love the 90 degree temps (or more often 105+ in my area).

Also something to be excited about…sugar pumpkins are out!

I may be the last person to realize, but you don’t eat those big pumpkins. I always assumed that you could either carve them or use them for pies. Turns out they are grown specifically for carving and not meant to be eaten (the seeds are the exception). You actually want to purchase Sugar Pumpkins or Pie Pumpkins for baking and pumpkin goodies. They are the smaller pumpkins that typically run about 1-2 lbs.

This year I bought two for the best treat of all…Pumpkin Butter! (Finally, right?! I’ve only been promising you this recipe for a year).

I’ve recently made pumpkin butter out of canned puree and fresh pumpkins. The texture is the same, so you can actually use either type of pumpkin you prefer. I can usually find pumpkin puree year round in the grocery store, so I’d go with the novelty of the Sugar/Pie Pumpkin if they are in season.

In this recipe I chose not to use the standard Pumpkin Pie spice, and measured out separate spices which led to a ‘spicier’ flavor profile, mostly due to the ginger. You can cut back on the ginger if you prefer a less spicy butter. Or add 1/2 up front, then add the rest later on if you’d like.

To add extra flavor, in place of water, I used apple juice. I also threw a few cinnamon sticks into the crock pot while the butter cooked down. I later added a little more cinnamon for taste.

Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves…Smelled like Thanksgiving!

To my knowledge, there is no super easy way to cut up a pumpkin. This is the best way I know how and it works pretty well. It will still be a bit messy, but it’s rather quick. I use the same technique for melons and pineapple.

Cut off the top and bottom of the pumpkin using a sharp knife [insert knife safety discussion here, I don’t want anyone losing a finger!].

Set the gourd on it’s end and start cutting down the side to remove the rind. This takes a little concentration since the pumpkin will start to fold on itself a bit.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL. 

Once you have all the outside cut off, cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Then chop the meat into chunks.

Toss the pumpkin with the sugar and spices.

Don’t throw out those seeds! I was surprised, there were a ton of seeds in those little pumpkins. These would make a great snack when roasted and seasoned!

Makes: About 2 pints

 

• Meat of 2 Sugar/Pie Pumpkins
• 1/2 Cup Apple Juice
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (I used light brown)
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks, plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

 

1. Remove the rind of the pumpkin, and scoop out the seeds. Chop the meat of the pumpkin into 1 inch chunks.

2. Toss the sugar and ground spices with the chopped pumpkin.

3. Add the pumpkin mixture to the Crockpot. Add the apple juice and cinnamon sticks. Set the Crockpot on low and close the lid.

4. Let the pumpkin cook overnight or while your at work (about 8 hours). When soft enough, remove the cinnamon sticks, and use an immersion blender to mash the pumpkin into a puree. You can also use a blender, food process, or even a potato masher for this step. Add the 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and stir to combine.

5. Change the Crockpot temperature to high and vent or remove the lid. Let the mixture cook down until very thick, there should be no visibly liquid/water left. I cooked it on high for about 3 hours, but this step can vary per batch. Your batch may need more or less than 3 hours.

6. Once it’s done, let it cool. Depending on your preference you may want to blend it for a smoother consistency. I used a magic bullet to blend the mixture. I will warn you, since the finished product is so thick (you’ve cooked most of the water out at this point), you may need to add a bit of water to the blender. Add a tablespoon as a time if necessary to help the mixture blend more easily.

 

Test it out right away and spread it on a piece of bread/toast. Absolutely delicious!

Of course you could also spread it on pancakes or waffles, mix into yogurt or pudding, or use it in place of jelly in a PB & J…the possibilities are endless.

My favorite way is to mix it in with some Greek yogurt and walnuts.

 

You can ‘Can’ this recipe and save for a future date, or pour into clean canning jars and keep in your fridge. Fruit butters typically keep for about  a month if closed tightly and kept in the fridge [I bet you eat it long before that!].

Hope you enjoy as much I do.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream Bites

The temps have been in the 100’s lately, apparently I made the ‘good weather’ comment too soon. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do when I’m in the process of melting, is heat up the kitchen. However, I have felt like eating ice cream…but really, when is a bad time for ice cream?

This seemed like the perfect time to try out a recipe I’ve been drooling over since last month. Bakerella created these easy Brownie Sundae Bon Bons which were great inspiration for my take on a tropical ice cream bites. 

One of my absolute favorite candy bars is the Mounds bar. Dark chocolate surrounding gooey coconut…yeah, it’s heaven I tell you. So I paired dark chocolate with Coconut ice cream for a delicious ice cream version.

I found the Peanut Butter candy molds at Michaels for a few bucks and to my complete surprise, SO Coconut Milk makes a Coconut Ice Cream! This was the first time I’ve had coconut milk ice cream and it was amazingly delicious. Creamy coconut ice cream with pieces of shredded coconut. The dark chocolate candy wafers are sold at the craft store for a couple of dollars. They have dozens of colors and a variety of flavors to choose from.

Heaven in the ice cream aisle.

The peanut butter mold was my personal choice, but you can use whichever style you like. Just make sure it’s deep enough to hold some ice cream in the center. Some of the candy molds are rather flat and wouldn’t work as well.

To make the application easier, I used a plastic squirt bottle I had on hand (bought at Cost Plus) and filled it with the candy wafers. In 30 second intervals, I microwaved the chocolate (in the bottle) until melted.

Working one cup at a time, I coated each mold with chocolate. I found that applying a ring around the top of the ring made application easier. Tap the mold slightly and the chocolate will coat the sides, then I could add a bit more at the bottom to cover any blank spaces. This part of the process isn’t as long as it sounds. The melted chocolate will coat the mold rather quickly. The hardest part of this entire process is at the end, waiting for the finished candy to set.

Pop the molds in the freezer for a few minutes to set the chocolate.

Fill each cup with about 1/2 teaspoon of ice cream. It helps if the ice cream is slightly melted.

Freeze the molds again for a few minutes to set the ice cream then add a thin layer of chocolate to the top and pop them back in the freezer. It’s best to let them set for at least 30 minutes before serving so the ice cream is completely solid.

Delicious bites of creamy coconut goodness.

Enjoy!

Easy Patriotic Layered Cake

It may come as a surprise, since this is the second time I’m sharing a cake recipe with you, but I don’t really like cake. Nope, I’m more of a ice cream or cookie girl. However, I’m finding that I really enjoy making cakes for other people. The golf cake was a huge success earlier this year, and this cake was too.

Added bonus, my mom LOVES white cake and vanilla frosting and this cake was going to her house. Although she may have hated me a little for leaving whole cake in her fridge for her to eat. I told her I could take the rest home and throw it out (since I won’t eat it), and I’m pretty sure her heart stopped beating for a moment.

Turns out making those fancy colored layered cakes are not that hard. Granted, I’m far from a good baker/decorator, but with a little help from my dear friends Duncan Hines and Pillsbury, it was a cinch. In fact the hardest part was being patient during the actual baking process. I only had one cake pan, so I had to bake each layer separately. Do as I say and not as I do, and it won’t take you 2 hours to bake a 5 hour layer cake.

It was worth every minute. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Box White Cake mix
• Vanilla Frosting (I ended up using almost 2 tubs)
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 Cups Diet Sprite/Sierra Mist
• Red and Blue Soft Gel Paste Food Color (I learned from the golf cake fiasco, and purchased some more professional colors which were AMAZING. I strongly recommending use paste/gel coloring instead of the liquid you can buy at the grocery store. I purchased the kit via the link above, but you can also buy individual colors through Hobby Lobby and Michaels)
• 8 in cardboard cake ‘plate’ (Optional)

Since I only wanted to use one box of cake mix, I used a 6 inch cake pan. Using the smaller cake pan allowed me to make thinner, smaller layers.

Step 1:

Add 2 egg whites to the boxed cake mix. Tip: Throw a rubber hot pad under you mixing bowls and they won’t budge while you’re whisking.

Step 2:

Add the diet soda. The batter will foam up a bit and give a lighter textural appearance, similar to angel food cake. After baking it may have more ‘holes’ than a traditional cake, but it won’t taste like the soda. In fact, I don’t think anyone would have known, had I not told them I made it with Sierra Mist. Added bonus, it gives you a light and fluffy cake without the added calories of the oil.

Step 3:

Set out a bowl for each layer. Then using an ice cream scoop, evenly split the batter among the bowls. I had about 4 scoops of batter in each bowl, for a 5 layer cake.

It still looks a little lumpy here as I knew I would be whisking it more when I added the coloring.

Step 4:

Oil and flour the cake pan and bake the white layer first. I baked each layer per the boxed instructions. Since my oven tends to run a little hotter than most, I took them out at about 12 minutes.

Step 5:

While the white layer is cooking, color the other layers. I wanted an ombré style cake, so I colored one layer dark blue, and the next a light blue. That soft paste gel is no joke. The dark layer was just one drop of color and the light was about a quarter drop, just a little bit goes a long way with these.

Do the same with the red.

Tip – Don’t feel like you need to buy red and pink gel coloring. I used just the one red to make both colors, you just need to vary how much color you add to the batter to make it lighter or darker. 

I had to bake and cool each layer separately since I had only one 6 inch pan. (I wasn’t opposed to purchasing more, but they only had one left in stock at Michaels, so I was stuck with just the one pan). If you have more than one pan, this process would obviously go much faster. If you are also using just one pan, make sure you wash it and flour it between each layer so the next color doesn’t stick.

After each layer cooled, I’d gently slice off the top with a sharp knife, dipped in flour, to make it flat. If you’re feeling ambitious, turn the remnants into cake pops! In fact I froze the bits I cut off so I can do just that.

 

All the layers are done! Now that wasn’t so hard, right? Think of all the different color variations you could do.

I put the cake in the refrigerator over night, covered with a towel. The next morning, I started assembling.

Step 6:

I built the cake with layers of the plain vanilla frosting.

Then used the same frosting to crumb coat the entire cake. I popped it back in the fridge while I prepped the rest of the frosting.

To take the ‘packaging’ taste away from the store bought frosting, I almost always add vanilla. This time I used a fresh vanilla bean and added it to the frosting. If you don’t have any beans, then vanilla extract will work too. However, I implore you, please don’t waste your money buying 2 vanilla beans at the grocery store for $7, that’s ridiculous. You can purchase a bag of about 50 for $25 from Amazon. Partner up with a few of your friends and split the cost if you want. It’s a great deal. You can use them for dozens of things and I promise adding a fresh vanilla bean to your baking will make everything taste amazing. You can also use a few to make you’re own homemade vanilla or throw the empty pods into sugar for Vanilla Sugar. 

Step 7:

Frost. I added a lot of frosting since that is my moms favorite part. Then I added a little more to the top to make a swirly design.

I used the back of a large spoon to make a circular swirl pattern.

Step 8:

Decorate!

Now that I had a soft swirl on the top, I wanted to add some sparkle. I’m sure there is a much fancier way to do this, but I used a standard funnel to direct the sprinkles. It worked great to keep everything exactly where I wanted it.

Simple, and Sweet.

It really is such an easy effect to create using store brought products. I’m sure homemade cake and frosting may taste better, but it won’t trump the accomplishment I had from making this.

I felt like a cake making ROCKSTAR!

 

*Disclaimer: Product links are affiliate, but all opinions are my own. All items were purchased with my own money and I liked them enough to share them with you.