Fresh fruits always sound so good during the warmest Summer days. One great and easy way to dress up fresh fruits is by turning them into fruit tart (or fruit pie - whatever you want to call it). You can make your own homemade crust if you like, but if pressed on time, you can use Keebler's ReadyCrust like I did. This fruit tart takes very little time to make, looks very pretty and colorful, and tastes so good!

  PREP TIME: 10-15 minutes 

COOKING TIME: none 

INGREDIENTS: 

 - 1 Keebler's Ready Crust 

- 1 can Peach slices, drained and tap dry slightly with paper towel (You can also use mandarin oranges if preferred to get the same color effect) 

- 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced 

- fresh blueberries and raspberries (you can also use strawberries instead of raspberries), rinsed and drained on paper towel 

- 1 (8oz) tub frozen whipped topping, slightly thawed 

- 1 (8oz) cream cheese 

- 1/3 cup powdered sugar 

DIRECTIONS: 

1. In a mixing bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar. Pour into the crust. 

2. Layer with whipped topping. 

3. Arrange fruit slices as shown in picture and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 

That's it! Did I mention it was easy?

Last week I went to an international buffet-style restaurant where they had a crepes station, and saw the entire process of making crepes, from pouring the dough to putting all the good stuff on it. It didn't look too difficult so I decided to give it a try. I was right! Homemade crepes are easy to make and taste just as delicious as the ones served at the restaurant. I used only strawberries and bananas but you can also add peach slices if you like.



COOKING TIME: about 5-10 minutes
SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, melted
8-10 fresh strawberries, sliced
2-3 bananas, sliced
peach slices (optional)
spray can whipped topping
chocolate syrup
powdered sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix flour and egg in a mixing bowl. Gradually add milk and water, mix well.
2. Add salt and butter. Beat until smooth.
3. Heat griddle to 400F.
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of dough onto the preheated griddle, and using a wooden spatula, spread the dough to cover a large circle (about 6-7 inches diameter)
5. Cook about 2 minutes until the bottom is light brown
6. Loosen the sides with a spatula and flip over. Cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Place the crepe on a dessert plate.
8. Add slices of strawberries and bananas (and peach, if desired) onto the crepe, and fold the sides to cover the fruits.
9. Spray whipped topping on top, and drizzle with chocolate syrup. (Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired, optional)
10. Serve hot.

My husband finished his Master's degree this Spring. He's worked really hard, juggling his school, work, and family, and I cannot be prouder of him. Bakerella's candy cup caps inspired me to make these cupcakes to celebrate his achievement.



See my Chocolate Cupcakes recipe

DECORATING

WHAT YOU'LL NEED (see pic below):

- Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares
- Dark chocolate w/ peppermint center (or Reese's peanut butter cups)
- Xtremes sweetly sour belts
- Smarties
- White frosting
- Blue sugar crystals (optional)



DECORATING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut each the sweet sour belts candy into long strips of each color
2. Frost the baked cupcakes with white frosting
3. Sprinkle with blue sugar crystals
4. Place chocolate cups, topped with chocolate squares (using a little bit of frosting to "glue" them together)
5. Place the candy strip and a smarty on top (again, using the frosting as the "glue")

I can't get enough of cupcakes lately. I guess I'm just having too much fun decorating them. What do you think of this lamb on the grass cupcake? She's so cute I could just eat her up! Wait, I already did!



WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
- 1 baked cupcake, see my chocolate cupcake recipe
- White frosting (I used Betty Crocker's fluffy white frosting)
- 2 chocolate chip for the eyes
- Pink star confetti/sprinkles for the tiny nose
- large marshmallows (cut into thin slices using kitchen scissors) for the ears
- mini marshmallows for the hair
- coconut flakes
- green food coloring

MAKING THE GRASS:
Place coconut flakes in a small zip lock bag and add a drop of green food coloring. Mix well.

Nothing says Spring like blooming flowers and beautiful butterflies. These flower cupcake and butterfly cupcake are simply decorated with cut-up marshmallows, star confetti, and pretzel sticks.



WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
- 2 baked cupcakes, see my chocolate cupcake recipe
- White frosting (I used Betty Crocker's fluffy white frosting)
- pink food coloring
- 1 chocolate chip
- star confetti/sprinkles
- large marshmallows
- 2 pretzel sticks

DIRECTIONS:
Using kitchen scissors, cut marshmallows into thin slices. Assemble as shown in picture.

Inspired by my previous Blackforest Cake, I decided to create its mini version and make these blackforest cupcakes. It was super easy to decorate and so yum!



WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
Baked chocolate cupcakes (see my chocolate cupcake recipe)
White frosting
Chocolate shavings (simply made using a chocolate bar and a vegetable peeler)
Cherries with stems, drained

DECORATING INSTRUCTIONS:
Frost the cupcakes with the white frosting. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings and add a cherry on top.

It's that simple, I told you! :D

First of all, please pardon the sloppiness of this cake. I was too impatient waiting for the cake to cool before decorating it and I did not completely drain the cherries before using them. So as you can see in the picture, I had to pay the price! Sloppiness aside, the cake was very yummy and was very easy to make as I used chocolate cake mix, cherry pie filling, and canned frostings. I made it for my husband's birthday and everybody raved. The only tricky part, to me, is making the chocolate curls, which I had never done before. But it was worth it, the curls made the cake instantly fancier, don't they?



1 pkg (18oz) German chocolate cake mix
1 cup strong brewed coffee, (cooled to room temperature)
1/2 can cherry pie filling
2 tbsp Kirch liquor
1 can (12 oz) fluffy white frosting
1 can (12 oz) chocolate frosting
1 jar cherries with stems, drain and tap dry with paper towels
1 dark chocolate bar
chocolate curls to garnish, optional (see video instructions at the bottom of this post)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bake the chocolate cake according to the box instructions, replacing the water with strong brewed coffee, to make two 9-inch round cakes. Cool thoroughly!
2. Using a vegetable peeler, start shaving the chocolate bar to make the chocolate shavings. Set aside in a small bowl to be used later.
3. Place one cake layer on a cake plate and brush the top with Kirsch liquor.
4. Top with a layer of chocolate frosting, then with the cherry pie filling
5. Top with the second cake layer. Brush the top with Kirsch liquor.
6. Spread the side of the cake with chocolate frosting and the top of the cake with white frosting.
7. Sprinkle chocolate shavings around the side of the cake and on the top of the cake
8. Using the star tip, pipe white frosting around the edge of the cake and place the cherries on top.
9. Garnish with chocolate curls.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CURLS:

I love making chocolate chip cookies from scratch, but I stock refrigerated cookie dough in my fridge in case I have a sweet emergency and don't feel like baking. I love the Nestle brand refrigerated cookie dough. It only takes 10 minutes to bake, and they always turn out well! My husband and I are big fans of walnuts so I always add extra chunks of walnuts to it.



I bought the jumbo tub of this dough at Costco the other day and now I can't stop making them.

This burger cupcake looks like the real thing, doesn't it? They make a great dessert to any cookout or outdoor party. Scroll down to see the decorating instructions.



WHAT YOU'LL NEED: (to make 1 cupcake)

- 2 Vanilla cookies
- 1 chocolate covered cookie (I used a thin mint cookie)
- White frosting (I used Betty Crocker's fluffy white frosting)
- 1 baked cupcake, see my chocolate cupcake recipe
- red food coloring (or red icing)
- yellow food coloring (or yellow icing)
- green food coloring
- coconut flakes
- a zip lock bag
- dash of maple syrup or light colored decorating gel
- sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Frost the cupcake with white frosting
2. Place a small amount of frosting in a small bowl and add red food coloring to make a red frosting mix (you can also use store-bought-red icing and skip this step). Repeat this step to make the yellow frosting (or you can use yellow icing)
3. Place some coconut flakes in a small zip lock bag and add a drop of green food coloring. Close the bag and shake well to mix and green-up the flakes.

ASSEMBLING THE CUPCAKE:

1. Place a vanilla cookie on the cupcake, top with a chocolate-covered-cookie (using a little bit of frosting to glue them together)
2. Place the green coconut flakes on top to resemble the lettuce
3. Place a small amount of red and yellow icing/frosting to resemble the ketchup and mustard
4. Place the second vanilla cookie on top
5. Brush the top of the vanilla cookie with the syrup or decorating gel and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Grilled corn on the cobs are delicious! But these corn-on-the-cob cupcakes are even sweeter! Scroll down to see how easy it is to make them.



WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

- Yellow and white jelly beans (I used the pina colada flavor for the yellows, and coconut flavor for the whites, which makes a great tropical-flavor combination!)
- White frosting (I used Betty Crocker's fluffy white frosting)
- 3 baked cupcakes, see my chocolate cupcake recipe
- 1 pretzel stick, cut in halves
- Optional: you can also add a yellow starburst candy and place it on the top of the corn to represent a piece of butter (I unfortunately didn't have one in my pantry or I would have done it)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Frost the cupcakes with white frosting
2. Arrange yellow and white jelly beans as shown in the picture
3. Arrange the 3 cupcakes as shown and attach 2 pretzel stick halves on the side of the third cupcake

After a long, cold winter, I was so excited about the first 80-degree-Saturday of the year! I wanted to celebrate with a cookout-themed-cupcakes. These corn-on-the-cob-cupcakes and burger-cupcakes are so fun and easy to do. And the best thing is: No grilling necessary! I'll tell you how to make these in the next couple of posts. Stay tuned!

I love it when I have these extra ripe bananas on my kitchen counter that look too hideous too eat. That just means I have an excuse to make or bake something out of them. I think the extra ripe bananas have just the perfect amount of sweetness to make banana bread, banana muffins, or banana fritters. This time I chose to make banana bread with extra chunks of walnuts (which is my husband's favorite).



PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
SERVINGS: 1 loaf

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cream sugar and butter
2. Add eggs, flour, baking soda, and bananas. Combine well
3. Stir in the walnuts
4. Grease or spray a loaf pan and pour batter into it
5. Bake at 325F for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

It was raining outside and we were stuck inside the house. Watching the food channel on TV, my husband and I suddenly had a craving for something sweet. I saw a box of Duncan Hines brownie mix in my pantry and decided to make it. I love the Duncan Hines brand because it's not overly sweet. It literally only took me 5 minutes to prepare before throwing it in the oven. And less than an hour later, voila! It was ready to serve with chocolate fudge and our favorite Haagen Daaz coffee ice cream. Yummm!!!

I am a big fan of the Bakerella blog, especially of her brilliant cupcake pops creations. After seeing the irresistable Spring cupcake pops featured on her blog recently, I decided to give them a try for this year's Easter treats while modifying her instructions slightly because I don't have the ingredients that she used, like the pastel color candy corns. So I just used a cookie cutter to make the bunny shapes then drew the faces with an edible pen and used a flower confetti for the nose. I also attempted to make the Spring Chicken pops but I realized at the last minute that I forgot to buy yellow candy melts and I had no yellow food coloring. Oh well, I made those chickens anyway, :D. They don't look nearly as pretty as the ones made by Bakerella but I had so much fun making them.





For complete instructions on how to make these cupcake pops, please visit the Bakerella blog and don't forget to check out her brilliant bunnies and spring chickens.

These delicious banana fritters are always a hit when it comes to dessert. They are so easy to prepare and cook. The key thing is to use RIPE bananas for a natural and delightful sweet taste.



PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10-15 minutes
SERVINGS: 4

1 1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp rum flavoring
4 ripe bananas, sliced
vegetable oil for frying
powdered sugar or chocolate fudge to garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the deep fryer to 375F (You can also use a deep-frying pan filled with vegetable oil)
2. Beat egg in a large bowl. Add flour, granulated sugar, vanilla, milk, melted butter, and rum. Combine well.
2. Fold in banana slices gently
3. Fry until golden brown and crispy (about 10-15 minutes)
4. Drain on paper towel
5. Garnish with powdered sugar or chocolate fudge. Serve hot.

This delicious cheesecake was literally prepared in 10 minutes! I used Graham Cracker Crust, which saved me from the tedious process of chopping up crackers and packing it up tightly at the bottom of the dish. Although it is ready to serve after 3 hours of refrigeration, I think it tastes better after being refrigerated overnight. So plan ahead when having company over for dinner.



BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: OVERNIGHT
SERVINGS: 8-10

1 Graham cracker crust (with 2 extra servings)
2 (8 oz package) cream cheese, softened in microwave 15-20 seconds
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
1. Beat cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy
2. Add sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Combine
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined after each addition
4. Place crust on a baking sheet. Pour cheese mixture into crust
5. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes until the center is almost set
6. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour
7. Spread pie filling over cheesecake
8. Refrigerate at least 3 hours (or overnight for best results)

See my Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

DECORATING:
- Purple spice drops (to make the clusters)
- Green gummy bears (for the leaves)

DIRECTIONS:
Frost the cupcakes with purple frosting and decorate as shown in picture

More cupcake decorating ideas:
- Frogs Cupcakes
- Popcorn Cupcakes
- Christmas Cupcakes
- Classic Sprinkles Cupcakes

See my Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

DECORATING:

- Fruit Rollups (red, blue, or any color)
- Large marshmallows
- Pretzel sticks
- Blue crystal sugar
- 1 jar Fluffy White frosting
- Red and Green M&M's
- chocolate sprinkle

DIRECTIONS

To assemble the snowman:
1. Cut a large marshmallow in half
2. Take one whole large marshmallow and place the marshmallow half on top of it (use the sticky side from the cutting to attach the two marshmallows)
3. Cut a red fruit rollup into a small square piece and fold it to make a triangle (for the nose)
4. Take 5 pieces of chocolate sprinkles, use two for the eyes and three for the buttons
5. Cut colorful fruit rollups to make the scarves and place it around the snowman's neck
6. Break a pretzel stick in half and attach them on each side of the body to make the arms
7. Frost the cooked cupcakes with white frosting and sprinkle with blue crystal sugar
8. Place the snowmen on top of the cupcakes

For the wreath:
Simply arrange red and green M&Ms as shown in picture

More cupcake decorating ideas:
- Frogs Cupcakes
- Popcorn Cupcakes
- Grapes Cupcakes
- Classic Sprinkles Cupcakes

VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes
SERVINGS: makes about 30 cupcakes

1 pkg (18.25 oz) white cake mix
1 pkg (4 oz) choc vanilla pudding mix
8 oz sour cream
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semi sweet white chocolate chips
2 containers (16 oz each) prepared frosting
green food coloring
orange gum drops

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Paper line 30 muffin cups
2. In a large mixer bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil, and water. Beat on low speed until just combined. Then beat on high speed for +/-2 mins.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips
4. Pour mixture into muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full
5. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
6. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely
7. Frost and decorate

Prefer chocolate cupcakes? See my Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

More cupcake decorating ideas:
- Popcorn Cupcakes
- Christmas Cupcakes
- Grapes Cupcakes
- Classic Sprinkles Cupcakes

We threw a Hawaiian themed party for our girls' birthday last year and I wanted to make cupcakes to match the theme. I stumbled upon the Bakerella blog and found just what I was looking for. I had so much fun making it and it was definitely the highlight of the party.

See Chocolate Cupcake Recipe here
For decorating instructions, visit the Bakerella blog here