My boy, for sure

So I was making some frosting the other day and as the egg beaters spun wildly in the bowl, I looked down and saw Milo staring up at me. Actually, he was panting but I couldn't hear him over the hum and the clank. He became impatient. He wanted what I had and he wasn't going to take "no" for an answer! The kid is only 19 months old, but that did not stop him from KNOWING what I was doing. There were freshly made cupcakes on the counter, Ella was dancing around and I was busy with my Kitchen-Aid! Silly was I to think that he would be satisfied with a measly lick of the egg beater. Oh no! This kid wanted his own frosted cupcake. It cracked me up. How could I refuse him? He is just like me and I honor his determination. Buttercream Forever, baby!

Birthday Season

Here are several highlights from our wild and crazy birthday season. Thankfully, it is coming to an end. But we certainly had a great time... ********

Hello Kitty #1: My friend Susan is my hero. A single mom who bakes her heart out and throws the most amazing parties! She made this cake, along with a bunch of cupcakes. So pink and soooooo good!********

Hello Kitty #2... Isabel's party was crazy fun, complete with a DJ and a confetti adorned dance floor. They also served bags of cotton candy, which Ella and I had a hard time resisting!********

Baxter's pirate themed party was Ella's favorite of the bunch. The cake was fantastic! The kids were practically fighting over the edible jewels... which were a brilliant way to decorate the cake, by the way!********

NOTHING compares to Bradley's birthday parties. My friend Andrea throws the most amazing bashes that I have ever been to. Each year has a theme, this year was sports. The "cake" was a giant chocolate chip cookie that she decorated herself. (She is my baking inspiration, everything she does is top notch!) They had Pie 'n Burger cook up some tasty snacks, including a buffet of crazy good pies.

Send me YOUR stuff!

I am looking for all kinds of info to share. If you are a baker and want to strut your stuff, contact me! I am also looking for baking resources that you might love. Recipes and photos are also desired. Send everything to me at Hdecor8@gmail.com! Best, Heidi

Places to Party in LA: The Coop

The Coop is our new favorite place to hang out and party. It is quite near our home and we decided to have Ella's birthday party there, after attending a bash for a friend of hers. We couldn't have been happier. The Coop was designed to be a bit of an oasis from the usual play spot. The color palate is easy on the eyes (yellow, orange and white are the theme colors) and they have a variety of activities for the little ones... a bouncy house, an interactive dance floor, a CLEAN ball pit, a climbing tower with a slide that links to the balls, a pretend play area, an outdoor patio and a craft space. They were so accommodating with our dietary wishes; they let us bring in whatever we wanted. I did all of the table decorations, cupcakes and favors but these are services that they also provide. They are also open during the week for play dates or drop ins. You can order food and have it delivered as you watch your kids burn off their endless energy supplies.

They also are available for adult parties, allowing you to serve cocktails and bring in caterers. The owners were so wonderful and I want to make sure that they get lots and lots of business. I am hoping to take the kids there again soon. Definitely check them out!

Epicurious and their favorite cake recipes.

Epicurious just came out with a list of their favorite cake recipes. Worth a look-see!

Ella Turns 4!

Lots of excitement around here... as birthday season is in full effect. Party after party, weekend after weekend. It is a part of life in the big city. Sort of a carry over from all of the Mommy groups that we were a part of. Now that the kids are getting older, their circle of friends is expanding and so are the number of events we must now attend each year. And we are just as much to blame, when we host our own shin dig. This year was a trifecta; three crazy, fun activities over the course of a week. We went to Disneyland with the Grandparents on Tuesday. Thursday we had a ice cream party at Ella's school. And Friday, we had a big party for all of Ella's buddies, 34 children total. Since Ella has a wheat allergy, I made her cake. And since everyone else is able to eat wheat flour, I made cupcakes for all to enjoy. Ella's cake was Cherry Chip with chocolate chips and cherry butter cream. The cupcakes were dark chocolate with orange cream cheese frosting. And cherry chip (sans chocolate chips) with cherry butter cream frosting. This is what it all looked like...

My Go-To Cake

A friend of mine made this cake for her son's first birthday party and it haunted me. I am usually not a fan of chocolate cake, for some reason. Usually, I am strictly a white cake gal. But this cake was remarkable. Totally flavorful and moist. I had to have the recipe. And to my surprise, she readily handed it over. She got it from a cookbook called "The Cake Mix Doctor" and it is called Darn Good Chocolate Cake. I have made it about 30 times in the past 3 years and that is a conservative estimate. I serve it many different ways. One favorite is with whipped cream frosting with fresh summer berries and a chocolate ganache frosting. (KNOCK OUT!) I also am fond of making it with bananas. The other way that I have enjoyed it is with a marscapone whipped cream frosting and hazzlenut brittle... soooooo good. My husband's favorite is when I use the recipe to make cupcakes and top them with chocolate cream cheese frosting and berries. The secret to this mix is the addition of sour cream and chocolate chips. If you want to knock someone's socks off, this is the cake for you!