Nutella! Puff Pastries

While browsing the internet the other day I found this awesome recipe for Nutella & marshmallow puff pastries.  So, I had to try it.

The end result!

First, you need the ingredients:

1. Small marshmallows

2. Nutella

3. Puff Pastry (this can be found in the frozen section... apparently on the bottom shelf *grrr*)
4. 1 egg
5. Water

The ingredients.

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into four squares (cutting off any extra dry parts) and spread a nice serving (2 tablespoons) of Nutella and about 10-12 marshmallows (I accidentally only put 6 in each, but it turned out just fine!)...

Fold the pastry over and seal the sides by smooshing it with a fork whose prongs have been dipped in water (and I forgot to use the water to do this... pastries are sticky).  Brush the pastries with an egg wash (1 egg+ some water).  Stick it in the oven at 350 F for about 20-25 minutes (golden).

In the oven!

All done.

Fill up a glass of milk and enjoy!  You really can't go wrong with Nutella... it pretty much always tastes good.

The French Flag

My friend Beth had a bridal luncheon recently, and I had the honor of making the cake!  She's going to be living in France for a while, so we all thought it would be fun to incorporate something French-ish.  So, I thought, it would be really fun to make each slice look like a French flag!  (Believe me I was happy she wasn't living somewhere like South Korea... where the flag would be a lot harder to put in a cake cross-section.)

What you need:
1. Three boxes of white cake mix
2. Three circle stencils for a 9" round (like in the checkered cake blog)
3. Red and blue coloring
4. White frosting, sprinkles, and gum drops for decoration

First, bake six 9" cake rounds: 2 blue, 2 red, and 2 white.  Then, let them cool off.

Using the circle stencils cut all 6 cake rounds, and put the colors in the order of the French flag (blue on the inside, white in the middle, and red for the outside circle).

This is what it will look like when the circles are all put together.  (You can use the extra cake for cake balls, cake shakes, or another really colorful layered cake!)

Wrap very well and freeze.

Quick tip: To keep the cake circles from falling apart when they are cut into slices, spray the separate pieces on the sides that will touch cake with sugar water before putting the pieces together and freezing.

I wanted to have a cute and simple cake decoration, so, I decided to put gumdrop roses on top.  First, you have to get gumdrops (I used the white ones).

Sprinkle sugar on your rolling surface, then use a rolling pin to flatten the gumdrop.

Cut off the rugged edges (if you desire).

Then roll (and shape some) them into little roses.  Set aside for when you're ready to decorate the cake.

If you use the store bought frosting, you're gonna want to freeze that cake when you're done, just to set it.  It's probably better to use home-made buttercream or stock frosting from your local bake shop.