Heather Baird's Blog, page 73

Mexican Sweet Buns (Conchas)

I am a pastry devotee through and through so I'm not sure why it took me so long to make these delicious Mexican sweet buns. I've had them bookmarked for ages. They have just about everything I want in a pastry. They are soft and cottony at the center with a crunchy sweet coating, and (this is important) they're darn cute, too.

I figure now is a great time to post these because next week we say hello to the month of May and soon after, we'll be planning our courses for Cinco de Mayo. How festive would these look on a dessert table next to churros and fried ice cream cake? Yes, they need to happen.
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Mango Boba (Bubble) Tea

Oh, delicious bubble tea. I could subsist on those sweet, chewy tapioca pearls. This is a problem because the only place that serves it on my side of town has recently decided to use old boba in their tea. Fresh boba is chewy, soft and lightly sweet. Expired boba is rock-hard and nearly unchewable. Clearly, I had to take matters into my own hands (either that or drive 30 minutes across town for good boba tea- and that's not likely when you're a weekday hermit like I am).
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DIY Gelatin Confetti Sprinkles

Hey sprinkle-shakers! I'm so excited to share this new project with you. I love sprinkles of all kinds, but my favorite sprinkles of all are those teeny-tiny edible stars that look like confetti and come with a not so teeny-tiny price tag. I just adore them, and I will probably always keep at least one bottle in my stash, but I've always wanted to try to make my own at home.
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Matcha Chantilly Cakes

I've been pleased to see all the attention matcha tea is getting lately from big-name food magazines and their online counterparts, but as someone who has been using it in sweets since 2010, I take issue when they call it a trend. Why can't we call it the new must-have pantry staple, instead? I can't imagine it ever falling out of favor. I always keep a little container of it in my cupboard right next to the espresso powder.
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Skinny Meyer Lemon Mousse

Here's a friendly little recipe to get your weekend started. It's easy, no-fuss and has been in regular rotation at my house for quite some time now. I can't believe it's taken me this long to tell you about it!

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Tropical Vanilla Sunset Cupcakes

My good friend Christen had a birthday recently so I made her some extra special cupcakes. They were inspired by a name given to her by her sister Stephanie (during a Skype call, involving glasses of wine, I'm told) - vanilla sunset- because Christen is the only blonde sister in the family. I thought that was just the cutest thing, and when I heard those words I immediately thought - vanilla sunset needs to be a cake!

These were so much fun to make. The cake portion is flavored with pineapple juice, and in addition to that, the colorful layers are flavored with pineapple, orange and coconut extracts. See that little pipette sticking out from the side? That's where the magic happens. It's filled with a mixture of coconut rum and grenadine. Just give it a squeeze before you take a bite - yum! Such an easy way to spike a cupcake, and it adds some interactive novelty for parties and special occasions.
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Strawberry Sakura Marshmallows

The trees outside my window are covered in pink blossoms. Soon the petals will release and float on the air like snowflakes, and then the show will be over. This spring spectacle is too brief, so I decided to try to capture it in a confection - and what could be more "springy" than a pink marshmallow?

Preserved sakura (cherry blossom) is a Japanese ingredient that is sparsely available at international markets here in the states. I searched for it locally and came up empty-handed, but luckily it is procurable online. Two of the ingredients - the blossoms and leaves - arrived within a week of ordering (you can find those for purchase here and here), but the tiny bottle of sakura essence took close to a month to arrive. It was well worth the wait. It has crisp, citrusy top notes, floral heart notes, and a faint lingering base note that reminds me of Thai lime leaf.
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Watercolor Graffiti Chocolate Cake

Today's post is extra special because I have some exciting news. My friend and fellow baker Rosie Alyea of Sweetapolita is releasing her first cookbook - The Sweetapolita Bakebook! I recieved an advance copy a few weeks ago and I've been paging through it ever since. It is utterly gorgeous! I feel so honored to be one of the first people to get to bake from it.


One of my favorite cakes in the book is the Watercolor Graffiti Cake. The aesthetic struck me immediately, and the painting-on-fondant technique is something I'm comfortable with. I just had to make it.
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German Fried Egg Cake (Spiegeleierkuchen)

I considered making a prank recipe for April Fool's Day, but honestly, I'm just the worst when it comes to practical jokes. They never work out for me! I can never keep a straight face, or I give up mid-joke because the whole thing feels dishonest. I'm just not a practical joker at heart.  I know - it's all in good fun.  I'm just not great at it. 
Now, playful? That's another thing altogether. I can do playful all day every day, especially where dessert is concerned. That’s why I love this cake.Continued, click to read more...

Easy Bunny Bark

Happy Spring, friends!

Last week was a pantry-organizing, cobweb dusting, and office cleaning kind of week. This time of year has me rearranging things for a fresh perspective - this blog even has a new shine! I usually avoid obsessing over blog analytics, but after having a good look at them last week, I realized that more than half of you view Sprinkle Bakes on a mobile device. I'm happy to report that the site is now optimized for mobile viewing! You'll also find better share buttons and a new recipe printing format. I love it, and I hope you will too!

Easter is this Sunday, and I've got the happiest springtime recipe that takes just minutes to make. This is something that little hands can help with, too. All you need is a package of white almond bark, a bag of colorful candy coating and your favorite Easter candy.

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