Sugar Swings! Serve Some: September 2016

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Mini Cereal Bowl Cookies & Cupcakes


I have a problem that I love cereal way too much.  There, it feels good to come clean with that.  I wonder if you can be addicted to cereal? And by cereal I mean pretty much all of them.  The junkie and the so called good for you cereals too.  I don't care what kind it is - add some to milk to a bowl of any kind and I'm a happy camper.  The cereal marketers love me because I'm a sucker for any new cereal or retro cereal box.  

There's just something about the crunchy cereal and milk together and then you get that awesome cereal milk at the end.  

And for those of you who dump your cereal milk - we can't be friends.  You are wasting the best part!


If you are similar to me then you'll love these treats.

Mini cereal cookie bowls - filled with all my fav cereals!


Start with some sugar cookie bowls.  

When I made these mini strawberry and grape cookie cups this summer I thought the base looked a lot like a little mini bowl, which then sparked the idea for these little all edible cereal bowls.


They don't even need to be perfect


Fill them with some "milk" aka cream cheese frosting and top with all your favorite cereals.

You can pretend you don't scarf a bowl of your fav junkie cereal standing up in the kitchen but we all know we've been there done that!


Tiny spoons are made from melted candy wafers sprayed with some silver edible color spray.


Cute on their own... 


or add them to cupcakes as a super special treat! 


And seriously who can resist a mini bowl of fruity pebbles??! I know not me.  

(Please let me know that I'm not the only cereal addict out there!)

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.  Can't wait to see ALL of the Fall and Halloween treats this year!

Mini Cereal Bowl Cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough
  • 1 can of cream cheese frosting or vanilla frosting
  • Various types of cereals
  • Vanilla candy melts/wafers
  • Silver color spray
  • Mini bundt cake pan (you can also use a mini cupcake pan)
Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray mini bundt pan with non stick spray.
  3. Add cookie dough to each section of a mini bundt pan and spread dough slightly to fill bundt section.
  4. Bake for 8 minutes or until cookies just start to brown.  Let cool.
  5. Pop out of pan (freeze for 10 minutes to make this easier)
  6. Spread cookie with frosting.
  7. Add some cereal to each bowl 
  8. Add 10-12 candy wafers to a zip lock freezer bag.  Microwave in 10 second intervals until candy is just melted.  Snip a small corner and pipe spoon shape onto parchment paper.  Let harden 10 minutes.  Spray hardened spoons with silver spray.  Let dry 10 minutes.  Add a spoon to each bowl.
  9. Serve as is or add as cupcake toppers.
Prep time: 40Cook time: Total time: Yield: 12 - 15 mini cereal bowls

Monday, September 5, 2016

Beet Zucchini & Carrot Naked Layer Cake



If you add veggies to cake then that makes it healthy - right? 

If so I have the healthiest cake ever for you.  Its got all these cool vegetables in it: 

beets, carrots AND zucchini


It's pretty much like carrot cake but swap out the carrots and add in either shredded zucchini or beets.  You could add them all into the same layer cake too - but I wanted separate layers.


Why you ask?!! Well since you asked:

1) I wanted to see if you can taste a difference in the veggie layers (you can!)

and 

2) I wanted to have distinct layers and colors when you slice into the cake (because I thought it would look pretty and it does!)


Also I wanted to do one of those minimally frosted naked cakes so you could see some of the layers through the frosting.  I used my new Russian piping tips to add some cream cheese frosting flowers on top.  Nice and simple.


I love these tips!! 

I did another post on them here raving about how easy it is to pipe flowers with them.


I love how the layers came out and that you can see the different veggie layers.  The cake was also so dang tasty.  I made it as a birthday cake for my sister - you know a much more grown up cake now that we're both 40+, I mean 29).  And it's healthy because duh, veggies! 

At least that's what we told ourselves as we ate another slice or 3.  And since its September its a great way to use up all your overflowing zucchini if you grow them - or they are super cheap right now in food stores locally.  


I'm not going to moan about how I can't believe summer is over already since I do that every year but I guess bring on the pumpkin! Actually pumpkin may be another neat layer to add to this cake too!

Beet Zucchini and Carrot Layer Cake
Ingredients
  • 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 cup shredded beets
  • 1 cup shredded zucchini
  • 1-2 drops of orange and green food gel (optional to give the carrot and zucchini layers a little more color)
  • 2-3 cups cream cheese frosting
Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Beat sugar, oil, and eggs in mixer.
  3. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla, and salt.
  4. Separate equal amounts of batter into 3 separate bowls.
  5. Stir in shredded vegetables into each of the bowls and mix until just combined.  Add any extra food color to each bowl (optional).
  6. Spray 6 inch baking pans with floured non-stick spray and pour batter into each pan.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool.
  8. Trim layers until they are even and same sized layers.
  9. Frost with cream cheese icing.
  10. Pipe flowers on top with icing.
Prep time: 30Cook time: Total time: Yield: 1 - 3 layer 6 inch cake