Bridal Shower Cup Cake Wedding Dress

My sister-in-law, Meghan, is getting married next month.  She's Mr. Juggling Act's only sibling and his younger sister by three years.  I've watched her grow up to become a wonderful woman and amazing mother. 

 

For her bridal shower, one of her bridesmaids asked me to help recreate a pretty 'wedding dress cake' made out of cupcakes that she'd seen on Pinterest.  She made up the cupcakes so all I had to do was whip up the frosting, pipe on the swirly design, and decorate it. 

 

For the frosting, I used Mom's Luscious Buttercream, of course.  I wanted something that was smooth and soft enough to pipe, but that was stiff enough to hold the shape after it was on the cupcake.  If you need to, you can play with the amount of liquid in the recipe to get it to be the right consistency.

 

I'm not an expert at cake decorating, so I practiced a few times on a plate until I got it right.  I used a wide star tip and made a large circle on the outside of the cupcake, then piping in the opposite direction, I made a swirl from starting at the center and working my way out.  To give the cupcakes a little sparkle, I sprinkled them with clear sanding sugar.

 

I arranged the cupcakes on a cake board (though I wish it had been a bit larger).  For the sash, I used a pretty ribbon matching the bridesmaid's dresses, and a few embellishments from one of my mom's boxes of floral tidbits.  Finally, the pretty gem in the center is a piece of costume jewelry. 

 

Please excuse the sub-par photography as the lighting wasn't that great.

 

 

 

 

DIY Cake Pop Stand Tutorial & Template

With back-to-back birthday parties this spring, I quickly became pretty good at rolling cake balls for pops, but I hadn't yet mastered how to display them. 

 

There are tons of gorgeous stands on Etsy that I drool over, but Mr. Juggling Act was increasingly becoming agitated with the amount of stuff I was purchasing for the parties - despite my 'we'll use it again and again' excuse.

 

So, it was time to take matters into my own two hands, and so with a little help from a pal, we made two of these cute cake pop stands in no time.  In fact, each stand cost about $5!  I got my supplies at Hobby Lobby, but any craft store should have what you need.



Here's a step by step guide, and even a free template you can download for drilling the holes.

DIY Cake Pop Stand

Materials:
6-3/4" square wood plaque
(4) 1" wooden split ball pieces
Drill with 1/8 drill bit
Hot glue and glue gun
Paint
Sand paper
Template (free download)

Download the Tutorial  here.

Instructions:

Step 1:

Download the free template here.  With this size wood and this template, each stand will hold 9 pops.

  

Step 2:

Carefully tape the template to the board using painter's or washi tape.  Drill the holes as marked, taking care not to go all the way through the wood. 

Step 3:

Gently sand the holes to remove any loose bits of wood.

Step 4:

Turn the piece of wood over and use the hot glue gun to attach the split ball pieces to make little 'feet' on your stand.

 

Step 5:

Paint your stand - I used white so it would be versatile (plus I already had it on hand!)  I used a semi-gloss from Krylon Colormaster, which is a primer and paint in one.

 

That's it, you're done!  The best part about these simple cake pop stand is that they are small, so you can store them without taking up a ton of space, but they look so much more polished than the cheap cardboard ones that fold up. 




 

 

 

I'm lovin' BlogLovin'

There are so many awesome blogs out there, and BlogLovin' is the perfect way to keep track of them all, especially since Google Reader is going away.  (Not so subtle request: Follow my blog with Bloglovin.)

 

You could, like my mom, leave all your favorite blog pages open and just refresh them each day (this is the least effective  method, but you try telling my mom that!)

 

And sure you could sign up for a hundred blogs via email, but then you've got a hundred blogs clogging up your email, you know?

I never much carried for Google Reader, but I adore BlogLovin' - it's super easy to use, and I love that you can see a little snip-it of the blog post before clicking on it. 

And if you're bored and looking for the newest DIY trends or a new recipe, you can view Popular Posts by category and drool all over your keyboard find some new inspiration. 

You can even have a little (or a lot) of blog envy and check out the top blogs by category, too.  (See what good taste I have?)

If you prefer to read your favorite blogs on your phone or iPad in the middle of the night (ahem), here is the Bloglovin' app.

So what are you waiting for?  You can set up a new account in just a few minutes. Hop on over to BlogLovin' and get started.  Be sure to add Juggling Act Mama right away, too, of course!  (If you prefer for me to clutter up your email box, I'm happy to do so.  Just enter your email address on the top left of this page).

First things, first - here's a great tutorial from Jennifer over at Ellison Lane on how to move your RSS Feed from Google Reader over to BlogLovin' - it's literally two steps!


Learn how to change your Bloglovin' URL in 4 Easy Steps with this great tutorial from Stephanie over at The Vintage Modern Wife.  Seriously, it's so easy.

Already have BlogLovin' but need a button or counter for your blog? Click here to download one now. 

That's it, you're all set up and ready to roll!

 

 

 

Apple Snack Cake

 

I don't make everything from scratch. I take a lot of good natured ribbing from friends and family about my blog and it's contents - but the reality is that;

1. I don't sleep much, usually because I'm blogging.
2. My house is (almost) always dirty (sometimes because I'm blogging).
3. I don't make everything from scratch because I just don't have the time (occasionally I do need to clean the house and sleep.

I'm not proud, I'll take a shortcut when I can.  Case in point, this apple snack cake... I wanted to make a cake-like dish without actually making a cake. 

 

Sometimes I'm lazy, too.

 

So I rummaged around and found this box of quick bread mix.  Now, I'm not knocking Pillsbury, but it's always nice when you can make a boxed-anything seem like a homemade something, know what I mean?  Here's my version of Apple Snack Cake, with it's gooey apple filling in the middle, and crispy topping - and just to take it over the top - a cinnamon glaze.   

 

Apple Snack Cake

Adapted from here. 

 

1 package Pillsbury Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread mix

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

 

Crisp Topping

streusel topping packet

1/3 cup flour

1 cup quick oats

1/4 cup butter

 

Cinnamon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons milk

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees, then grease and flour a square baking pan (I used a 9x9 pan).

 

In a large bowl, combine the bread mix and brown sugar.  In another bowl, whisk the eggs, with the sour cream, vanilla and water and beat until smooth.  Pour about half the batter into the baking pan, then squeeze the packet of apple filling over the batter carefully.  Next, spread the remaining batter on top.

 

In a small bowl, mix together the packet of streusel topping, with flour and oats, then cut in the butter until you have a crumb consistency.  If you like nuts (which my family doesn't) you could add a 1/3 of a cup of chopped walnuts of pecans to this mixture.  Sprinkle over the top of the batter.

 

Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  While the cake cools for a moment, make the glaze, then drizzle over the cake and serve warm.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator (it's quite tasty chilled, too!)

 

It's pretty darn good, I tell you. 

 

I know because Ethan ate it, and that's a big deal around here.

 

I hope you'll eat this too, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Speed Date Pinterest & BlogLovin' Link Up

Lucky for me, I met my husband when I was about twelve, and I never had to do any sort of speed dating.  But today, I'm joining  Heather, Jana, Mandee and Helen for a whole other kind of speed date experience - we're inviting you to link up your Blog Lovin' and Pinterest accounts. 

 

With Google shutting down it's reader in just a few weeks, Blog Lovin' has been my go-to reader for keeping up with all my favorite blogs.  And Pinterest?  We'll let's just say I'm an addict for great pins and I can't wait to find some new friends to follow!                       

       

The Rules

Follow your hosts:

They will always be the first few links, and will say {HOST} and {CO-HOST}.

Link-up profiles only:

No tutorials, giveaways etc.

Date:

Go and visit at least 5 of your fellow linkers.

Get linking. We can't wait to come and say Hi!

<center> <a href="http://eatenjoylive.net" target="_blank"><img alt="and then, she {snapped}" src="http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g386/EatEnjoyLive/SpeedDateSaturdayButton_zps928f6492.jpg" /></a></center>

Pick Your Plum Washi Tape

9 Different washi tape designs, coming in at $1.50 a roll, ready to do the dirty work of sprucing up your party or DIY project! Get yours now!

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread is a hot seller in our house - even Ethan clamours to get a slice when I make it! But after awhile, even this Mama gets tired of making the same ole' bread so I thought I'd switch it up a bit and began browsing online for a suitable recipe.

 

Then I stumped upon Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread, and while I wasn't born in Maine and don't live there now, I'll always consider myself a Mainer at heart! I knew I had to give this recipe a try, with a few classic Juggling Act Mama twists!  This bread meets all my must-haves

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread
Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

2/3 cup water

3 cups white sugar

2-1/2 cups white sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Cinnamon Streusel Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350-degress.  Grease and flour three bread pans and set them aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

In another bowl (a large one), beat the eggs, then whisk together the oil, applesauce, water, pumpkin puree, sugar, and spices.  Stir in the flour mixture until well combined.

Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans. 

Then, in a small bowl -

 

Mr. Juggling Act says that I think I need  to use every dish in the house when I cook/bake.  He also says that I inherited this train from my mother. Ahem.  He is a stupid brave man, sometimes.

 

Anyhow, as I was saying, use a fork to combine the butter with the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon until it resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle over the top of your loaves, gently pressing the mixture into the top of the bread.

 

Now, if I plan to freeze some of this bread (three loaves is a lot), then I leave the topping off the extra loaves, as that doesn't freeze as well.

 

Bake for 50-minutes until the loaves are slightly browned on the edges and a toothpick comes out clean.

Gently turn out onto a cooling rack so you don't loose all the yummy topping.  Stroe the cooled bread in a sealed bag or container the fridge for about 7 days, or on the counter for a little less than that.

 

To freeze, wrap the loaf (complately) cooled in plastic wrap and slide into a freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight.