Happy Friday! This cake screams HAPPY. How could you possibly feel anything else when looking at this rainbow, sprinkle masterpiece! I love, love, love it!

To create this cake: Prepare a vanilla cake {you can use this vanilla chiffon recipe}. Divide the batter into 6 parts.

Using the colors of the rainbow, add a small dollop of food gel to each of the bowls.

Mix until batter is an even color.

Place into pan size of your choice {mine are 8″}. Bake a layer of cake with each color.

Let cool and assemble.

Starting with the purple on the bottom, add a buttercream filling between each layer.

Stack the cake from bottom to top: purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and then finally red on top.

Place a thin coating of buttercream frosting around the entire cake.

Carefully, place an even coating of sprinkles all over the exterior of the cake. It took me 2 full containers of sprinkles to achieve this look.

I can’t get enough of this cake.

I had to take a zillion pictures.

Some with the outside.

Some with the inside.

Some up close and personal.

And some with just a simple, colorful slice.

This HAPPY cake {and many others} are available from Cakery.

xoxo,

Ali

A dear friend recently approached me about gluten free baking. Well actually, about the lack of good gluten free baking. I am always up for a good baking challenge. And so I started experimenting. These chocolate chip cookies are DELISH. You would have no clue that are lacking all those lovely strands of gluten. They are simple to make and the ingredients are readily available at health food stores.

Gather your ingredients.

In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together 1 cup {2 sticks} room temperature butter with 1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of gluten free vanilla extract.

Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions.

Whisk together 2 1/3 cups of gluten free all purpose flour {I used Cup 4 Cup ~ see photo below} with 1 teaspoon of Xantham gum, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, beat the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture.

Finally, add in 2 cups of chocolate chips.  Cover the bowl and place the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop balls of dough onto your baking sheets that have been fitted with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

Bake cookies for 9 – 11 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe click here: Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Baking!

xoxo,

Ali

Tomorrow is Cinco De Mayo. So in honor, we created these adorable Taco Cookies Don’t worry they have just as many calories as a regular taco {if not more}.. A compilation of sugar cookie, Oreo, butter cream, coconut flakes and M & M’s, they are loaded with fun. Just pair with a margarita and you’ll be good to go.

Gather all of the ingredients.

In the bowl of your electric mixer mix together 1 1/4 sticks of unsalted, room temperature butter with 3/4 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in 1 egg, mix until combined. Finally add in 2 cups of all purpose flour. Mix until combined. I added in some yellow food gel to make it look more taco’ish. Place dough in refrigerator and allow to chill completely.

In the meantime, create half moon molds out of aluminum foil.

Remove the dough from fridge. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/4 inch thickness. Using a round cutter {size is up to you, and depending on how large your foil molds are} cut circles out of the dough. Place over the foil.

Bake at 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the foil “molds” carefully.

And for the toppings:

Meatt: combine crushed Oreos with melted chocolate. I left my Oreo’s slightly chunky to give it a “meatier” look. Fill the taco shell with the “meat”.

Sour cream: I piped a small amount of butter cream on top of the “meat”.

Lettuce and mustard: Take coconut flakes and color them with both yellow and green food gel. Sprinkle of top of “sour cream”.

For the tomatoes: Top with red M&M’s.

Enjoy! Ole!

Happy Cinco de Drinko Mayo

xoxo,

Ali