Lakanto Fall Into Baking Party!

 I love fall weather, don't you? Okay, actually I love the idea of fall weather. See, here in Texas, we only have two seasons; Summer and Extreme Heat. Summer is the majority, with Etreme Heat blasting in the peak of summer. But the idea of Fall weather is that the temperatures drop and leaves fall from the trees. Everyone starts baking and curling up with good books. Oh, yeah. That is what I like. Tryazon understands these joys and connects their influencers (like yours truly) with wonderful companies who make it their goal to help us #SweetResponsibly! 

*Disclaimer: I was sent these products in exchange for hosting a party and sharing my honest review. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinions expressed are that of myself and my guests.*

Lakanto has an amazing product line. Take, for instance, their Monkfruit Sweetener. This is a sugar alternative that is healthier for you! Non-caloric and doesn't decay the teeth like sugar does or mess with your blood sugar. It tastes and looks like sugar though. Their Golden version is actually slightly sweeter. I made the mistake of adding a little more than needed into our tea - talk about southern sweet tea! But I use it in my baking and cooking just like normal. 

 

I've made coffee cake with it.

Why should you make the switch?

The main ingredient is a chemical compound called erythritol. I had to look it up. It comes naturally. The formula that Lakanto uses makes their sweetener totally calorie free as well as zero-glycemic. It is the only one of that variety! We made the switch because we are trying to eat healthier in every way we can. We are wanting to lose the extra pounds and get back into shape. Especially after taking the kids to the park the other day and being so out of breath! It was a real eye opener to me. I've let my constant physical pain be an excuse as to why I don't get healthy, but the real thing I am needing to work on is the food side of it all. So sugar had to be cut down and cut out. 

Cookies stuffed with Suntella are amazing!

Time to party! 

I had 2 guests in person and some that attempted to join online. I feel really bad for those online... Turns out Facebook and I aren't on good terms. And after crashing the party more than once, the online side had to be shut down. However, that doesn't mean there weren't some laughs. 

My mother and sister-in-laws came to dinner. I made a wonderful coffee cake (okay, I thought it was wonderful, but my mother-in-law definitely makes it better!). Several of my online guests are getting their samples shipped to them. With things the way they are, there are still a lot of people who are choosing to stay virtual until Covid-19 numbers drop. I managed to get a couple comments from those online. My mother-in-law agreed that this was the best alternative to using refined sugar. She said the consistency and taste were just the same. Which is what everyone wants right? The taste, the consistency, but without the bad side effects? 

They had also sent me the Suntella. I have had Nutella before, well, this was like that. But better. I LOVE it! And I don't have to feel bad when I eat it because it's healthier!

After the party, this was all that was left...

What are your thoughts?

So I really want to know what you all think! Leave me a comment below. Have you tried this before? Will you try it after having read my little post? Let me know!

Gotham's vigilante comes in cake form

A friend posed a challenge to me. He knew I loved baking and that I did it quite well. So he sent me a picture of a cake with the Batman silhouette and a skyline silhouette along the sides.

He needed it for his brothers bachelor party. Of course I agreed to take his challenge. How could I not?! It's Batman, chocolate and cake all in one. First of all, it took more money and time than I anticipated. Fondant comes in a box for $10 a pop. Seriously?? And its like a brick that takes a muscled arm to get flat. I work out. I work hard. And yet, I wanted to cry. It took two days with interruptions to get everything done. And there were several bumps along the way. 
First I went searching for the images I'd need to use as stencils. 

Batman was hard to find. Everyone had protected images... Then the skyline... 

I had to re-size the images to make them cake ready. I did this two nights before needing the cake ready because I'd had practice before and knew what a pain it would be.

It takes a lot of time to get so much detail done right. 

Then came making the chocolate cake. That is usually easy. Find your favorite recipe and make it as you normally would.

My problem? The cake didn't want to exit the cake pan. Even though I sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray HEAVILY. What do my cakes do? Crumble out of the pans in pieces. 

So start over I did. Made two more round cakes. 

Finally I had two rounds to work with. I found a tip on putting fondant on cakes that said if you lightly frost the cakes, the fondant would hold better. So that's what I did. Plus it adds flavor and sweetness to a bland fondant cover. First comes the black cover. Then the white shapes over it. I also added decorating gel to the backs to hold the cutouts in place. I found that heat makes the fondant melt slightly so that it sticks better. Granted I discovered this by leaving a cake like this in a hot car while watching a movie. But still... 

It was an experience I won't soon forget. And I'm not in a rush to try again. I hope the guys enjoy it. My hands and arms are paying for it this morning. 

As a bonus, I salvaged some of the cake that I plan to enjoy later. 

Making Minion cupcakes

I really love baking. So much so, that I have to seriously start working out again. When I do bake, I try to bring and share at work. Really good way to make sure I'm not stuck eating it all myself. Today, we had cupcake wars.

Sadly, I'm the only one who brought in anything and won by default. Not cool! But getting a gift card was cool... I made these adorable Minion cupcakes along with multi flavored icing-topped cupcakes. 

What you need: 

Cupcakes, make any kind you like

Twinkies, each one makes 2 minions

Smarties candy or premade sugar eyes

Black detailing icing

Blue icing: you can use blue confetti icing and skip the confetti or buy white icing and blue food coloring

Ice the tops of your cupcakes. Then follow the video instructions below to make your minions. 

Oh those cravings....

Ever have a craving for something that you couldn't explain? And no, I don't mean when you are pregnant. I came home one night with the thought of fresh brownies. Or chocolate cake. I really wanted some. My husband had the Freshly Picked Strawberries candle burning and instant ramen in the microwave. Now don't ask me why, because I still haven't been able to wrap my head around it, but I thought the smell was too close to that of freshly baked brownies. Suddenly I wanted to bake. But being that I'm moving, I don't have much in the way of baking supplies piled up like normal. I had a cake mix though. So I went online to do some research. I found a recipe that used a cake mix, 1 egg, and 1/2 a cup of butter to make cake mix cookies. On top of that, I had Hershey kisses and M&M's.

They came out so well (yes, I'm so proud!).

Have a recipe to share? Email it to me at texanmama08 at gmail dot com. I'll share it and possibly try to make it as well.