Picnic-Perfect Portable Pies {Recipe}

I set out to make some single-serve pies on a stick. They turned out okay, but I couldn't find food-safe popsicle sticks to save my life, I didn't like these "corn skewers" I tried, then I realized, why do they need to be on sticks?

So, I made them without sticks, and you know what? I like them better as "hand pies." Perfect. Portable. Pies. What could be better?

What You Need:
 For the Filling:
2 cups rhubarb (chopped into small- 1/4-1/2"- chunks)
1 cup strawberries (chopped)
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. vanilla
For the Crust:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp. butter (cut into small pieces)

Yield: 12-15 (3" round) Hand pies or Pies on a stick


Start by making the filling. This is really just a half recipe of my Strawberry-Rhubarb sauce, with a little extra corn starch added to make sure it's thick enough.

In a small saucepan, stir the corn starch and sugar until combined. Add the strawberries and rhubarb, and stir to coat.

Place over medium heat and stir often until the sauce is dark and thick. (Mine usually takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes, depending on how big of a batch I'm making, and how much heat I have going on the stove.) Add the vanilla, and set aside.

For the crust
Yes, you can just use store-bought pie crust. I prefer homemade, though, because I am a vegetarian, and almost every brand of pie crust at my nearest stores have lard in them. I don't eat lard.  Plus, this tastes so much better! This is an easy crust recipe. Try it!!!

Combine the flour, salt & sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a whisk.

Add the shortening an butter, mixing until it forms coarse crumbs. (In the stand mixer, this is about 30-seconds on the lowest speed. Without a stand mixer, use a pastry cutter to make the crumbs.)

Add the cream, and mix until the dough just forms a ball. Turn it out onto a well-floured piece of parchment (or waxed) paper. (I find that this crust dough is a little more "wet" than a lot of crust doughs, so adding extra flour to the rolling surface helps it stay together better, and not stick too badly.)

Knead the dough 5-10 times, just until it holds together well, and roll it out to about 1/8-1/4" thick. (This should be thin or you will have way too much  crust for your filling.)

Cut out the pie shapes, two for each pie. I used a 3" round biscuit cutter. You could do just about any shape you please. I chose round because I wanted to maximize my filling space.

Place the bottom crust piece on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and brush it with beaten egg or egg whites - this will help seal the top crust on.

Place a spoonful of filling in the middle of the crust. I was a little heavy-handed with the filling, but I love the filling. So, if you want yours to all look perfect with no pink/red squishing out... go light on the filling (less than a tablespoon).
Optional: Add the stick,  about halfway in, if you plan to use sticks.

Add the top round of crust dough. I found that pinching the edges a little before setting it on top made the top round a teeny bit bigger, and that made it cover the filling better. Press around the edges to seal the two pieces of crust together.
Optional: If you're using stics, be sure to gently press the crust to the stick as well.

Use a fork to gently press to make a decorative edge. This also serves as a better way to seal the edges to keep the filling from leaking out while it bakes.

Use a sharp knife to add small slits on the top to vent the filling. (I'm not actually 100% sold that you need to do this because I had about as many leak out that had slits as didn't have them, but I think it's really more because of adding too much filling. But I think the slits look cute anyway.)

Brush the top of the pies with egg once more, and sprinkle coarse sugar over the top.

Bake at 400-degrees (F) for 12-17 minutes, or until crusts are golden brown.

You can see in this picture why you want to line your baking sheet with parchment. These are messy to make! If you do make them on sticks, DO NOT try to move them by using the sticks until they are totally cooled. Use a spatula to lift the pie itself off of the tray, if you need to remove it to a cooling rack.

These pies are really versatile. You can put whatever kind of pie filling inside that you want. I was also thinking it would be yummy to put things like chocolate and caramel inside. Yum!
They're also a lot easier than I expected (when you take the sticks out of the equation).

The nice thing, too, is that they don't have to be refrigerated, if the filling doesn't. They really would be perfect to take along for a picnic, or any other kind of activity where finger-foods are best.

Click the Links Below to See:
Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce (or pie filling)
Other Rhubarb Recipes/Tutorials
Spring/Summer Treat Ideas

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Grass, Bees & Ladybugs Cupcakes

These cupcakes are the most popular design for the cake decorating parties and workshops I do. The techniques are all simple, and even young kids can make these look cute and fun. The hardest part is coloring all of that icing! (You could always use the tubes of colored icing, though, if you want.)

What You Need
Cupcakes, baked & cooled
Filling & Tip #230
Green icing - Tip #233
Yellow icing - Tip #12
Black icing - Tip #3 (or 2) & 5
White icing - Tips #3 & 81
Red icing - Tips #5 & 12

The first thing you want to do is fill the cupcake.
Insert tip #230 about halfway into the cupcake, squeeze. The best way to know if anything's getting in there is to hold it in your hand while you do it. You can feel it "puff" a little on the bottom while you do it.
(Here's a link to the complete description of how to use a filling/bismarck tip.)

To make the grass: Hold tip #233 straight up over the cupcake. Starting very near the surface, squeeze. While squeezing, pull straight up. If you pull at an angle or to the side your grass will look weird.

I love decorating things with grass! Isn't it SO cute???

To make the bee, start with the body. Hold tip #12 straight up from the cupcake. Squeeze and let the icing dot get as fat as you want your bee's body. Then slowly move the tip towards you (keeping it straight up). If you move too quickly, the body won't be the same "fatness" all the way through. Stop squeezing before you pull away.

Next, you'll add the stripes. Using black icing, and tip #3, hold the bag so that the back of the bag points to your right (unless you're left-handed, then have it point left). Start on one edge of the bee's body. Squeeze and drag the tip across the body. Stop squeezing when you reach around to the other edge of the bee.

Add a tip #12 yellow head. With the back of the bag pointing at your chest, squeeze, and hold the bag steady. Let the icing get as fat as you want the head. Stop squeezing before you pull away.

Add the whites of the eyes with a tip #3 and white. You'll use the same technique as you did with the head.

Add the facial features with a tip #3 (or 2) and black icing. The eyes and nose are done as you did the head-- with the back of the bag at your chest, and the mouth is done like the lines-- with the back of the bag going to the side.

Add the wings using a tip #81 and white icing. Hold your bag so that the "divot" in the tip faces in towards the center of the bee's body. Begin by touching the surface. Squeeze. Slowly pull up while squeezing. Flip the tip the opposite way to do the other wing.
* If you don't have a tip #81, you can use a small petal tip like tip #101, or you could use a tip #5. The wings will look different, but they'd still work.

Finish the bee off with some antennae on the top of his head. Using a tip #3 (or 2) and black icing, hold the bag straight up from the bee's head. Begin by touching (lightly) the head, squeeze, and pull up while squeezing.

Now for the ladybug. Make the body using tip #12 and red icing. Hold the bag straight up from the surface, just a little bit above the top of the grass. Squeeze and hold the bag steady. Do not raise it up. Let the icing fan out and make a half-ball shape. When the ball is large enough for the ladybug's body, stop squeezing before you pull away.

Next, you'll add the ladybug's stripe, dots and head. I recommend starting with the stripe. Do this stripe just as you did the bee's stripes... with tip #3 and black icing . The bag should point to the right (or left, if you're left-handed).
Add the dots by holding the bag straight up over the ladybug's body. Squeeze. Stop squeezing before you pull away.
Add the head last. You may want to use a tip #5 for this. Add the ladybug's head as you did the bee's. Hold the bag so that the back of the bag points at your chest. The tip will be just off the surface of the ladybug's body. Squeeze. Let it get as big as you want, holding the bag steady. Stop squeezing before you pull away.

Add the whites of the eyes like you did the bee's.

Add the facial features just like you did the bee's, too. But I like to use red for the ladybug's mouth.

Finally, you can make a caterpillar, too, if you wish. Using your tips #12, make alternating dots (just like you did for the ladybug's body & spots) using your colors. 

Add legs, facial features, and antennae using your tip #3 and black icing. The legs are shaped like a backwards letter "L."

That's it! Enjoy your summer-y picnic cupcakes!

Click the Links Below to See:
Simplify icing bag clean-up with Icing Bag Bullets
Other Cupcake Decorating Ideas
Summertime Dessert Recipes and Ideas 

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S'Mores Cake {Recipe}

It is sad that summer is coming to an end... but don't fret. You can have S'Mores all year round with this very sweet, very sticky, very s'mores-y (yes, made that word up myself) cake.

What You Need (for the Crust):
3 cups crushed graham crackers (2 sleeves)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

What You Need (for the Cake):
6 oz. chopped Hershey's milk chocolate
3/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (divided)
2 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk + 1/2 cup water at room temperature

What You Need (for the Icing):
6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. vanilla

Make the Crust:

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter with a fork until coarse crumbs form.

Line two 8" or 9" round cake pans with parchment paper. (Not waxed paper!) Spray the sides of the pan with cooking spray.
Pour one half of the crumbs into each pan.
Use a flat-bottomed glass to press the crumbs into a tight crust.

Set pans aside.

Make the Cake Batter
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees (F).

In a small saucepan, combine the milk, 3/4 cup of brown sugar and chopped chocolate.
Heat over medium-low heat until the chocolate is all melted.
Set aside to cool.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine butter (softened) and remaining 3/4 cup of brown sugar. Mix on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes, or until fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well with each addition.

When the chocolate sauce is lukewarm or cooler, pour that in to the egg mixture, and mix well.
Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until incorporated.
Finally, add the buttermilk, water and vanilla. (I usually combine it all into one measuring cup and pour it all in at once.)
Mix well, on low speed, until the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter between the two pans. (Be careful, if you are using 8"x2" pans, you may want to measure 2 cups of batter into each pan.) Because of the crust on the bottom the pans can't hold as much batter as they usually do.

Bake the cakes in the oven for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Remove the pans to a cooling grid for 10 minutes.
BEFORE removing the cakes from the pans, run a knife around the edge to help keep it from sticking.
Invert the cakes onto the cooling grids, and cool completely.

Make the Icing
*Note: Do not prepare the icing until the cake is cool. If you whip the icing too far in advance, and let it set, it gets all runny and gooey.

In a heatproof bowl, combine egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.
Place over a simmering pot of water, and heat until a candy thermometer reads 160-degrees (F).

Add the vanilla, and whip on high speed for 6-10 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.

Assemble the Cake

Level the cakes. (See my post about using a cake leveler here.)
Place the bottom layer, graham-cracker side down, on your cake plate.Spread a generous amount (about 1/2-1 cup of icing) on the bottom layer. Leave about 1/4" around the edge so that the crumbs don't eek out.

Be aware that this cake is crumbly. This can be a pain when you're icing it (especially because the marshmallow icing is extra sticky). Wipe as many crumbs as possible off of your cake plate before you start icing. It helps minimize crumbs in the icing.
The good thing is that when you toast the icing, it can hide those crumbs, as well.

Spread a thick layer of icing all over the cake. You want the icing thick for two reasons: to help hide the crumbs and to allow you to make lots of pretty peaks all over it when you're decorating.
(Click the link for my complete tutorial on icing a cake.)

To make the peaks, once the cake is fully covered with icing, use the tip of the spatula, and pull straight away.

The peaks can get pretty high... so you just have to decide how you want it to look.

Using a kitchen torch, toast the icing.
If you don't have a torch-- which I don't, this is a friend's-- you could also use the broiler in the oven. However, if you use the broiler, BE SURE the cake plate is oven-safe!

This looks pretty cool just like this, I think.

If you want, you can also add some chocolate shavings or some Hershey segments on top.

Because of the graham cracker crusts, you will need a sharp knife to cut the cake.

One kind of strange thing is that the icing tends to "dry out" a little as it sits out. It is super sticky at first, but if it's not too humid, it will dry out - like a meringue - within 24 hours.
But it is super sweet, and really tasty either way.
Enjoy!

Click the Links Below to See:
Rich Chocolate Cake Recipe (this recipe is for a darker chocolate cake)
How to Ice a Cake
Other Cake Recipes and Ideas
Other Chocolate Recipes and Ideas

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