DUTCH MASTERS FLORAL INSPIRATION

September 17th, 2018

Holy Bouquet Batman!
I owe you all a serious apology for sitting on this one for so dang long!

My lush, romantic, and textural florals really bloom against the industrial backdrop of The Garage Burbank, and Victoria’s photos are always some of my favorite.

This gorgeous shoot was designed by my pal Jason Lloyd. I love love love how he hand-dyed the gauzy table runner. Swoon!

Now let’s talk about this queen.

She’s large and most definitely in charge, not to mention full of gorgeous premium wedding blooms!

This luxury centerpiece features peonies, dahlias, ranunculus, romantic antike garden roses, astilbe, and some of the best scabiosa I’ve ever got my little florist’s paws on.

Dutch Masters + donuts FTW.

Love his smile, that bowtie, and that bout!
Boutonnieres are always one of my favorite details because each one is a tiny piece of art.

Sorry, this seat’s taken.

Cecile’s Paper Co. strikes again with this fabulous acrylic invitation suite.

See more of Courtney’s beautiful work on her own wedding shower paper goods with floral design by yours truly right here.

Wanna see even more gorgeous french wedding inspiration?
Dutch Masters with Donuts? Suuuuuuper lush luxury blooms?

There’s more to see in our porfolio.
Check out our feature over on Cake and Lace Blog!

Venue: The Garage / Photography: Victoria Gold Photography / Event Design: By Jason Lloyd / Florals: Winston & Main / Invitations & Menu: Cecile’s Paper Co. / Table Top Rentals: diy La Bride / Dress: Kirsten Paige / Accessories: The Blushing Bird / Cocktails: Calicraft Cocktails / Hair & Makeup: Create Facee / Desserts: California Donuts, ‘Lette Macarons / Models: Holly & Martin

Mini Carrot Cake (gluten free…)

July 18th, 2014

BUT STILL DELICIOUS!

Sorry to yell at y’all (6 months in New Orleans!) but I do feel like this is an important disclaimer, because even here in LA (land of gluten free everything) gluten free baked goods aren’t always the most delicious.
Or moist. Gross word, but true.

This little cake, however, is an economy sized vehicle of SUV sized flavor. Wait, that’s a terrible metaphor. This little cake is an economy sized vehicle for mouth-wateringly amazing flavor of Monster Truck magnitude. Okay. I give up. This little cake is just plain delicious- it’s full of flavor (and carrots!) and it’s really easy to make.

It doesn’t require any fancy cake pans or piping bags or dare-I-say baking skills. It’s a winner. And the adorable boyfriend told me it was better than the carrot cake at the bakery across the street. And carrot cake is his favorite, so I actually believe him. High praise. Also, not to harp on the GF thing, but neither of us are gluten free, so if this wasn’t delicious, I’d just throw a shit ton of regular flour in it and be done already.

The candied carrot curls are definitely the most difficult part of this recipe. And they’re really more sticky than difficult. But damn, they’re cute, right?! Not to mention they’re basically carrot candy. Health food I tell you.

You can even make them a few days ahead of time if you like, since besides being sticky, they’re a little time consuming. Or you can skip ’em entirely and get right to the cake eating!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Mini Carrot Cake (gluten free...)

This gluten free carrot cake is cute AND delicious! It looks fancy with all it's layers, and difficult with ALL those directions, but it's really simple to make!

Ingredients

The Cake:

1 cup grated carrots (I used 5 organic, aka puny carrots)
1¼ cups almond flour
½ cup coconut milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon allspice

The Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
1 package cream cheese (8 oz)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

The Candied Carrot Curls

2 carrots
½ cup water
½ cup sugar

Instructions

Grate the carrots- they should be one level above carrot zest or mush, but still pretty fine. (I used our cheese grater)
Mix all ingredients for cake in a bowl and pour into a buttered 9x13 pan.
Bake cake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
While cake bakes, make the frosting: mix softened butter & cream cheese with sugar & vanilla in a stand mixer or by hand until smooth and creamy.
Let cake cool completely, then use a large empty can (29oz) to cut 4 round cake layers.
Cut a round piece of parchment paper by tracing the can and put this under the first cake layer on a flat plate- the parchment makes it easy to move your cake to a clean plate or stand later once you're done frosting.
Now, frost! Add a dollop of frosting to first cake layer and smooth with a butter knife to edges, then add another cake layer, and continue until you get to the top!
Garnish with candied carrot curls! Or eat it as is!

Candied Carrot Curls (can be make a few days ahead of time)

Peel outer layer off carrots, then use peeler to peel long/wide slices of carrot
Add water and sugar to pot over medium heat and when sugar is dissolved add carrots.
Turn heat to low and simmer carrots for 15 minutes.
Drain carrots and allow to cool for 10 minutes
Lay carrots out on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes
Remove carrots from oven and wrap around a straw (I used my handy metal one) or spoon handle to get curls. Gently slide off straw and place back on parchment.
Bake curly carrots for another 20 minutes.
Cool completely and use to garnish cake

Notes

I like to pop my cake in the freezer for 10-15 minutes after frosting to firm it up- I just cover it with an upside down tupperware/jar so the frosting doesn't get messed up AND so the cake doesn't absorb any weird freezer odors. After it comes out of the freezer, I use a metal spatula to transfer it to my cake stand, parchment round and all!

Pickled Strawberry Ice Cream Sauce

June 20th, 2014

I had to eat so much ice cream to get that one picture, you guys.
I know, a real tragedy.

And it’s still not quite what I was after. Photographing ice cream is a difficult, melty mess. Jeez. Dreams of the perfect scoop sitting pretty in a champagne coupe aside, I persevered because pickled strawberry ice cream sauce is amazing.

And if you don’t believe me, it’s insanely easy to make, so just go ahead and try it.

And while we’re on the subject of insanely easy, do you guys know about coring strawberries with a straw? You just shove the straw through the bottom of the strawberry, and off pops the top! Amazing right?

Or maybe I’m just easily entertained…

But if I can pull off this recipe in a cloud of post-Japan pickle withdrawal jet lag, then you can definitely whip up a batch tonight, and be eating pickled strawberry ice cream sundaes this very weekend.

Yep, this weekend. Those beautiful berries need to sit overnight in a red wine/honey marinade to become pretty piquant pickles. So what are you waiting for? To the kitchen!

Jet lag, I salute you for this recipe.

Pickled Strawberry Ice Cream Sauce

This sweet-tart strawberry sauce has just a little bite at the end, making it the perfect partner for ice cream, whipped cream, and creamy cheeses.

Ingredients

1 lb strawberries, cored
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ honey + 1 tablespoon
6 peppercorns
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Heat vinegar, ¼ cup honey, peppercorns, and vanilla on stove, stirring until honey is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
Slice larger berries in halves or quarters and leave smaller berries whole.
Pour vinegar mixture over berries. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Strain strawberries and reserve vinegar mixture.
Heat strawberries, ¼ cup vinegar mixture*, and 1 tablespoon honey in small pot over low heat for 10-20 minutes or until you are happy with the consistency.

Notes

*If you prefer a sweeter sauce, you may want to substitute ¼ water for the vinegar mixture when heating the sauce.