Category Archives: General Sweets

Nov 10 2011

You Might Not Want to Eat These Sweets

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These donuts look yummy, right? Don’t take a bite just yet. They’re made out of foam. That’s right, when I’m not making fun real sweets at home, I’m making these delicious food props at work. I work at a theater and make props for the plays and musicals in production there. This particular batch of donuts was crafted for a production of Sunsets and Margaritas by José Cruz González.

A couple of seasons ago we put on a production of The Baker’s Wife, a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, in which we had to create an entire bakery of pastries, bread, and other delectable treats. Unfortunately I didn’t get very many great pictures of the food props we made for that show, but here’s a picture of a strawberry and cherry tart that didn’t turn out too terrible.

Not too long ago I made a chocolate chip cookie for a lunch tray that was used in a production of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead by Bert V. Royal. If I were to make this one again, I’d do something more pronounced for the chunks of chocolate because it looks a little flat, but it worked for its purpose.

Believe it or not, making real treats is soooo much easier than making ones that have to hold up on stage. Sometimes we use real food, but it’s not as practical since it can attract ants, spoil, and be a mess to clean up. It is gratifying to make a prop replica of food and fool the actors with it, though.
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Oct 21 2011

D.I.Y Dessert Stand

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Dessert stands can be pretty pricy, and finding one that goes with the decor of the events and parties you throw can be difficult. Making one yourself is fairly easy and much cheaper. The tutorial I found over at Decor-ganize Crafts is simple, inexpensive, and totally customizable!

View the tutorial for the Three-tiered Dessert Stand

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Oct 17 2011

Ghost Cake Pops

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Since I don’t share that many cake pops on here I thought these cute little ghost pops would be a nice addition. These ones were made for an About.com article that gives a nice picture tutorial about how to make them.  The one and only time I’ve made cake pops, I found them a bit more difficult than I thought they would be, but I might have made the cake balls a little too big. I think I need to give cake pops a try again, because I keep coming across so many cute designs for them.

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Oct 15 2011

Mini Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecakes {Recipe}

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A friend’s birthday was this week so I decided to make something for him but also keep it a little autumn themed. I searched through all of my recipes, including ones I’d bookmarked on Pinterest, and decided upon Mini Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecakes from Inside BruCrew Life. The recipe is super simple and turned out pretty darn good, especially if you like Oreos (there’s two whole cookies in each one!). The recipe calls for whipped cream for the topping so I used this Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting recipe from Allrecipes.com.

The cheesecake part came out a little paler than I was expecting from the photo on Inside BruCrew Life, so I would probably add a little orange food coloring to it if you want it to have a good bright pumpkin color. Even my picture is a little deceiving. The actual cheesecake part was slightly lighter in color than the pictures would suggest.

For the construction of the whipped frosting, I modified the instructions a little. It says to mix all of the ingredients except the whipping cream first and then add the whipping cream to it and continue to mix. Some people in the comment section said that they were never able to get it to the right consistency this way, so they whipped the cream separately and then folded it into the cream cheese mixture. I chose to do it this way and it seemed to work pretty well.

{Recipe}

For the Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake

via Inside BruCrew Life

INGREDIENTS

  • 2-8 oz pkgs. cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp. sour cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • oreos
  • whipped cream

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350* Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add the sugar and cream again. Add the eggs one at a time beating after each one. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat again. Place one whole oreo in the bottom of the cupcake liners and fill up the liner 3/4 full with the cheesecake batter. Push another whole oreo into the top of the batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool in pan for 15-20 min before removing and placing on a wire rack to finish cooling. Keep refrigerated. Top with whipped cream and oreo sprinkles before serving. Makes 24.

For the whipped topping

via Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 (8 ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
  • 2 cups heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract, if you’re using it, in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream (or do the folding method I explained above). Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a couple of times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak. **Don’t over whip or it will lose all of its air and become the consistency of butter**

If you make these, let me know how it went for you and if you tried anything different. I think if I make these again I’ll add a little pumpkin spice or cinnamon to the cheesecake part.

Tip Junkie handmade projects

Manic Mother

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