A Birthday Cake and Cake Pops for Crystal


En Español
Last Thursday my oldest daughter turned 22! I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. Crystal is a wonderful daughter, and I thank God each day for that. I am very proud of her. May God continue to bless her, guide her and help her in her in med school so that she can graduate on time and become the best she can be in that field.


At home we always say we are skipping the birthday cake or that we want something light, but I always end up baking something. There is always room for cake, especially a delicious chocolate cake! Diets can start some other day, right? This time I made a cake and strawberry cake pops decorated with purple details.


Since Crystal loves sprinkles and glitter in baked goods, I decorated some of the cake pops with lilac and also rainbow color disco dust. Apply the disco dust to the chocolate while it is still a bit wet with a soft brush smeared with a tiny bit of dust and gently  flick it to drop the glitter over the cake pops.


For the inside of the cake pops I mixed the strawberry cake with light blue buttercream to make it light purple to match the fondant flowers.

The chocolate cake, is covered with Italian meringue and filled with strawberry jam. This cake recipe is delectable and it is one of the recipes included in my eBook Holiday Cakes.


How-to's of decorating the cake:
I frosted the cake as usual making it as even as possible. Use a flat spatula to press gently the sides of the cake from the bottom up and as straight as possible. Keep doing this until the technique is applied throughout all the sides of the cake.

Even out any protruding edge of meringue on the top edge by using a flat spatula or scrapper and leveling it towards the center. Use a pastry bag with tip  #855 or #1M to make the small swirls on the top edge. Apply fondant flowers and voila!



In the previous posts, this one and this one I mentioned that Crystal favors chocolate chip cookies; therefore, something with chocolate chips had to be present and that is why her sisters gave her chocolate chip cookies and chocolates. They also made her handmade cards! I loved that fact that they took time for details in a busy school day, especially for the handmade cards in these days where everything is made electronically lacking the personal effort in creating something nice from scratch.


Before making the swirls, I sprinkled some cocoa powder on top. I loved how it looked in addition to the flavor it added. These were a few of my baking projects this week, I hope you like and share it as usual. 




Have a blessed week!

Young people can live a clean life by obeying your word. I worship you with all my heart. Don’t let me walk away from your commands. - Psalm 119:9-10 

November is for Apples and Spices

En Español
November is a month to enjoy apples and to flavor spices! I have gathered luscious recipes that have either one or both of these ingredients in their recipes. Happy Autumn! :)

Popular apple recipes and spiced drink this month:


Apples and or spiced recipes:

Apple Almond Galette
Apple Cupcakes
French Apple Tart
Ginger Tea
Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread Cupcakes
Pear Spice Bundt Cake and Cream Cheese Glaze
Potato Salad (with Apples)
Sweet Beans ( Habichuelas con Dulce)
Torta di Mele ( Italian apple cake)
Vermont Apple Pie


FREE!! Download a PDF document with the featured recipes in the photo above. Get your free copy now here: November is for Apples and Spices.





My friends, don’t say cruel things about others! If you do, or if you condemn others, you are condemning God’s Law. And if you condemn the Law, you put yourself above the Law and refuse to obey either it 12 or God who gave it. God is our judge, and he can save or destroy us. What right do you have to condemn anyone? - James 4:11-12

Mari´s Cakes new eBook!!!

Hi! I am so happy to announce that finally I have accomplished my project to embody all the ideas I have had saved in the past year in the form of an eBook.

Dear readers and passionate bakers, I present you my new eBook Holiday Cakes!



In Holiday Cakes you can find recipes that you will successfully prepare and will continue to prepare in the future because of their delicacy, versatility, and simplicity. These recipes are great to prepare for the family, guests, special friends, and co-workers. I tried not to overdo it on decorations and details because I wanted to make simple cakes that could be prepared easily and still look beautiful, and with the most important thing in mind, their taste and texture.

This eBook is the perfect gift to give to yourself or a loved one who is passionate about baking!

This eBook includes my favorite recipe for: 
Chocolate Cake
Mari 's Fruit Cake
Chocolate Mousse
I also share my version of Mari 's Autumn Spice that goes well with recipes that call for pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice.
And much more!




For more information and a link to buy the E-book click on the button below.








Have a blessed week, and thank you for stopping by.


Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27