Tea Party

Last Saturday I hosted a tea party for some of my friends and neighbors. It was a nice and shinny day outside, just perfect for this kind of party.
We had a really good time together, chatting and laughing. 

For this occasion I made a selection of sweets such as cupcakes, tarts, raspberry - lemon bars and a mini rainbow cake. As my mother was also here, she made her delicious choux à la crème and they were the favorite.

To refresh our selves,  I made a special ice tea blend that I bought from London and also I created my own cocktail.  We also had Hugo, Prosecco, Apple Cider and an interesting turquoise cocktail brought as a gift by my friend Andreea, that was the ladies favorite ;)

Here you can see more photos with what I have prepared for the party. Some of the recipes you'll find later on the blog :) Sorry for the quality of some photos, they were taken with my phone :D 
Enjoy!

Romantic Mint Cake

Ladies, I present you the most romantic cake I have ever made so far. 
I  loved making every detail on this cake. 

 This beauty was a birthday surprise from a friend and neighbor of mine for her dear mother for her 66th anniversary. They both felt in love with the result ;)

Find more photos above.
Have a perfect Monday!

  XO XO

Photo credit: Emi Trasnitu

Pink Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Let's start the week with some beautiful and delicious pink velvet cookies.

HAPPY TUESDAY!

 INGREDIENTS:

Cookies:
1 1/2  cup flour
1 cup  fine sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3-4 drops pink dye

Cream Cheese Filling:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 C. powdered sugar


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line pans with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3. To the dry mix add eggs, oil, pink dye and vanilla extract. Mix well.
4. Scoop out pieces of dough that are about 1 tablespoon in size, or a little bigger. (Dough will be gooey.)
5. Give them a nice round and flat shape and then place them on the pan,  a few inches apart.
6. Bake for 7-10 minutes and let cool.

 Filling: 

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and slowly add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

 Pipe the filling  onto the bottom of half the cookies and top with another cookie.

Photo credit: Emi Trasnitu

Angry Birds Cake

I enjoyed so much making this cake and the decorations. 
I think it's one of my favorites so far.

Happy Birthday, Allesandro!

Buon Compleanno, Allesandro!

Photo Credit: Emi Trasnitu

Pound Cake with Berries - Vintage Look

Last Sunday we were invited by our friends for dinner at their place. It was a nice day with the right temperature so we ate outside on the terrace. As usual, I love bringing dessert so I made this delicious pound cake with mixed berries. On top , the light mascarpone frosting added the final and perfect touch to the cake. Everybody was really enjoying it and I must say I was the perfect ending to a great Sunday :)

Here is the recipe that I made.

INGREDIENDS:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lime zest
1 cup frozen/ fresh mixed berries

Mascarpone cream cheese frosting:
4 oz Mascarpone, room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a round  medium pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper as well. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In stand mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, throughly mixing each time. Add vanilla extract and lime zest, mixing until combined.

Pour flour mixture over the batter mixture. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour until it’s completely mixed in and there are no pockets of dry flour. Lastly, gently fold in the berries.

Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit until cool, at least 30 minutes and then remove from pan.

In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Beat in vanilla extract.

Carefully frost on top of the cooled poundcake and store in fridge until ready to serve.

Photo Credit Emi Trasnitu