Author: Cindy Young

Homemade Sweets

Painted Snowman Cake

OCCASION: Thanksgiving dinner INSPIRATION: Freezing cold temperatures in Chicago in November – AKA a snowman! DESIGN IDEA: A painted cake, that would bring my snowman to life. A snowman cake is on my menu for our Thanksgiving Day family dinner. That is mostly due to the FREEZING temperatures we have […]

Homemade Sweets

Rustic Apple Tart

I had 3 large Honey Crisp apples, and dough for a single pie crust in my frig – with a few additional ingredients, I pulled together this rustic apple tart in 90 minutes! It’s not overly sweet, has a nice crispy crust, and plenty of apple juices. Try a drizzle […]

Homemade Sweets

Chocolate Espresso Mascarpone Tart

This tart is perfect for both a coffee lover, and a chocoholic! A chocolate tart crust, with a chocolate mascarpone filling, sprinkled with chopped chocolate covered espresso beans, then topped with dollups of espresso mascarpone cream, and a dusting of cocoa powder. Chocolatey, creamy, crunchy. and DELICIOUS! CHOCOLATE TART CRUST: […]

Homemade Sweets

Carrot Cake

One recipe, 3 possibilities! Cupcakes, muffins, or cake! This carrot cake recipe was a part of my repertoire during my Elegantly Sweet Shoppe days. This is the exact design I created for the restaurant I used to bake for. It has the perfect moist and fluffy texture that I look […]

Homemade Sweets

Chocolate Mocha Latte Cupcakes

This cupcake was created during my Project Cupcake last weekend. It starts with my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, then I topped it with espresso buttercream, and finally, generous swirls and ribbons of mascarpone whipped topping. Add some chocolate shavings, and a small straw, or a Pirouline wafer stick (available in […]

Homemade Sweets

Project Cupcake

Some days I feel the need to try out a bunch of new cupcake flavors, colors, and combinations. This past Saturday was that day. Once I decided on the flavors I wanted, I dragged out all of my ingredients, pans, and bowls – softened a bunch of butter, and got […]

Homemade Sweets

S’more Cupcakes

I’ve been thinking about the flavors of S’mores – marshmallow, chocolate, and graham crackers – and the possibilities for creating a S’more cupcake. Pretty classic really – I mean who hasn’t had a s’more sandwich treat while sitting around a campfire?? It was my years spent in Girl Scouting that […]