I am not a huge sweets person. Do not get me wrong I do like to have dessert but I could love without them if I had to. that being said I LOVE to make dessert and try new things. I usually try to make everything homemade but since going back to school I have had to rethink that. I mean really if there is a great cake mix why not use it. I do not have to reinvent the wheel  just need to make it my own. so that is what i am trying to do. The things I am listing are not the most original but I liked them and am proud of what I came up with. I hope you enjoy!

MMM......cupcakes!

Anyone can make cupcakes that look "fancy" without being an expert baker or even making them homemade.

 So my little one turned 3 today and we will not be having a party until later in the month but of course we cannot go without some type of sweets so  instead of a cake we made cup cakes to celebrate. These are cute but also super easy. Box mix (duncan hines chocolate made according to box), whipped topping I bought from the grocery store bakery (mixed with a little instant chocolate pudding mix. sounds weird but if you sprinkle some of the powder into the whipped topping and give a good whip by hand until smooth is tastes similar to chocolate mousse)and marshmallows dipped in water(blotted on a towel) then rolled in cake sprinkles. 

This one is a milk chocolate cup cake (duncan hines made according to directions) with whipped topping (again with the chocolate pudding), I made a raspberry compote(fresh berries in a pan with some sugar. heat until berries breakdown. I added a small amount of canning pectin to thicken) and injected it into the cup cake (using a decorating tip)and then placed a fresh berry on top. 

This cup cake is my attempt to recreate an Almond Joy in a cup cake. My friend loves almond Joy and I wanted to make something special for her. This is a boxed white cake mix, instead of the water I used coconut milk. I also added shredded coconut and coconut creme in an effort to infuse as much coconut flavor as possible. I made a test cup cake to see if the coconut was strong enough and then added what I felt was necessary.The frosting is a dark chocolate ganache and of course topped with slivered almonds.