So far, we’ve had an Elderflower Collins (with a side of toast), Bluth’s Original Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Bananas, and Hot Ham Water-inspired Ham and Spring Vegetable Soup. Today I bring you Brownie Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream Sandwiches:

There’s a running joke in Arrested Development about ice cream sandwiches. It first starts when Michael visited his father, George Sr, in prison. Michael’s concerned about George, but George insists that he’s happy, and  instead of simply doing time, he’s “doing the time…of my life!” Michael continues to try to talk business, but George is too distracted by the delicious ice cream sandwich he got from the jail vending machine:

Source: everythingrandom.net

My goal, then, was to make an ice cream sandwich worthy of a love affair. I wanted it to be a little different, a little unique, and a lot delicious. Fortunately, the combination of rich chocolate brownies, vanilla ice cream, and a tart raspberry swirl delivered on all accounts.

These sandwiches can be enjoyed like traditional ice cream sandwiches and eaten by hand, or because they’re so substantial, you can cut them and plate them and serve them all fancy-like with a knife and a fork. Give them a drizzle of chocolate sauce or a dollop of whipped cream, and you have one gorgeous dessert! After about 5 minutes out of the freezer, they’re the perfect texture–still solid, but softened a bit, with just a hint of melty ice cream around the edges.

I added a little alcohol to the raspberry swirl, which helps brighten the flavor and keep it from being hard and icy. (Nobody needs icy raspberries mucking up their otherwise-dreamy ice cream sandwich.) You can get creative by substituting your favorite flavor of ice cream, or changing out the raspberries for another berry. Might I suggest blueberries, in honor of Tobias’s obsession with the Blue Man Group?

We were pretty obsessed with these at my house, and often found ourselves shaving off an edge to have just a taste more. I would definitely make like George Sr and have a love affair with these, and I might just take Lucille’s advice and marry an ice cream sandwich, too.

And finally, I had to share this picture. I made and photographed these during a big heat wave in Los Angeles, and for long and boring reasons our air conditioning was not working at the time. It was a race against the clock to get any good pictures before the ice cream totally melted. Sweat was pouring down my face, and I actually looked a lot like the ice cream sandwich below. I have major respect for anyone who photographs ice cream on a regular basis–it’s crazy tricky!  (But so worth it, when you finally get to eat the finished product.)

Just coming to the Arrested Development party? Here’s what we’ve done so far, and a taste of what’s to come:

Elderflower Collins (with toast)	Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Bananas
Hot Ham Water (Ham & Spring Vegetable Soup)	Tomorrow: “I Just Blue Myself” Waffles

I’ll give you a hint: it starts with an “A,” ends with an “rrested Development,” and is only the greatest, funniest, most awesomest show ever to be cruelly yanked from the airwaves before its time.

Yes, Arrested Development is coming back to television, and I couldn’t be more excited. Imagine me running in circles flapping my arms and making high-pitched yipping noises, and you’re getting close. To celebrate, I’m teaming up with my blogging BFF Danguole at 10th Kitchen to bring you a whole week of Arrested-Development themed food. This is going to be bananas. Pun most definitely intended.

Danguole started our week off right, with an Elderflower Collins recipe. And in honor of our favorite early-morning drinker, Lucille Bluth, it should be served with a side of toast. Because toast=breakfast, duh. Go check out the recipe, and stay for the AD jokes and “Best of Lucille” video clip show.

I knew right away what I wanted my first contribution to be. Chocolate-dipped frozen bananas are a big part of the Arrested Development world. After sketchy real estate deals,  selling national secrets to Saddam Hussein, and composing folksy jingles for pharmaceutical companies,  frozen bananas are the Bluth’s main business. Their “Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana Stand” is like another character on the show.

George Michael “Mr. Manager” Bluth and GOB.  Image via Arrested Development wikia

The banana stand has been the scene of more heartbreak, magic tricks illusions, sibling rivalry, and uncomfortable cousin moments than any plywood structure should have to witness. And let’s not forget the #1 rule of the banana stand: don’t burn it down, because there’s always money in the banana stand.

But enough TV talk, let’s get to the goods! This was my first time making frozen bananas, and I wanted to do them justice. Turns out, making frozen bananas is super easy! (So easy, even Steve Holt could figure it out.) Because they’re so simple and fast, this is a great recipe to make with kids. With the weather heating up, it’s perfect to have in your arsenal for hot summer days when everyone’s  craving something cold and the popsicle stash is gone.

I coated my bananas with semi-sweet chocolate and a variety of toppings: salted nuts, sprinkles, toasted coconut, and white chocolate. I think my favorite variation was the salted pistachios, but really, anything that adds a little crunch is perfect. I liked them best when they sat out of the freezer for about 10-15 minutes, so that the bananas softened just a bit and had a creamy, almost ice cream-like consistency, instead of their initial rock-hard texture.

Stay tuned all week for more Arrested Development menu ideas! Here’s a taste of what you’ve missed, and what’s coming up tomorrow:

Yesterday: Elderflower Collins	Tomorrow: Hot Ham Water (Ham & Spring Vegetable Soup)

The second part, the writing up the recipe part, what some wise souls might consider the actual blogging part? It turns out that’s equally important, and that’s exactly the area where I always fall behind. If anyone has any leads on bright-eyed college students who want to write up recipes and do thankless administrative work in exchange for cookies, please do have them call me.

But I’m not even bothered about the tardiness, because you know what’s better than a Cinco de Mayo dessert? A Diecisiete de Mayo dessert, that’s what. (Boom, how you like my hastily-googled Spanish now?)

Okay, that’s totally not a thing. But these tarts are so good, they don’t deserve to be treated like a seasonal, once-a-year dessert anyhow. You can—and should!—enjoy them on diecisiete de Mayo, veintidós de Diciembre, and every day in between.

Mexican chocolate is a peculiar beast. It has a subtly spicy flavor and a slightly grainy texture that lingers in this tart dough. When you taste the chocolate on its own, you might not be convinced that you want to pair it with something elegant like a mousse. But that slight grittiness just serves to make the dough crunchier, and it becomes the perfect cookie-like contrast to the smooth, silky mousse inside the shell. I liked letting the cinnamon flavor shine, but if you are a fan of spicy desserts, you could add a pinch of cayenne to the tart dough to bring just a little heat.

The mousse, quite frankly, needs the chocolate just as much as the chocolate needs the mousse. The mousse is white chocolate-based, meaning it’s fairy sweet on its own. I love the strong cinnamon and vanilla flavor, but I don’t think I could eat a whole bowl of it without adding something crunchy and a little less sweet. (Is this the part where I confess I made extra mousse and ate it on top of graham crackers? No? Well, carry on then.) And as long as I’m throwing out recipe variations, I think the filling could handle a nice shot of almond flavor as well, either from an extract or from a dash of amaretto.

I topped the tarts with a few chocolate truffles, and a decorative chocolate curl. I wanted the curls to resemble cinnamon sticks, so I purposefully made them a little rough to give them more of a “rolled tree bark” texture. If you’d like to make “Chocolate Cinnamon Sticks” of your own, here’s a quick tutorial:

1. You’ll need a few ounces of chocolate candy coating, a bench scraper, a small offset spatula, and a flat work surface. I like to use a small marble slab because it cools the coating quickly and evenly, but you can use the back of a flat baking sheet if you don’t have marble.
2. Melt the candy coating in the microwave.
3. Pour it in a thin line down the center of your work surface. Thin is key, since you’ll be spreading it out in the next step and you probably don’t want foot-long chocolate curls.
4. Use a small offset spatula to spread the chocolate into a very thin layer. Try to spread it lengthwise instead of widthwise. Keep in mind that the width of the chocolate will be the length of the finished chocolate curls.
5. Let the coating sit for a few minutes. As it sets, it will change from shiny to matte. When you can touch it gently without leaving a finger print, it’s ready to roll. It shouldn’t be set, just set enough to not be liquid anymore. That will make sense when you try it.
6. Stand behind the line of chocolate. Grasp the bench scraper in both hands. Position the blade an inch or so from the far end of the chocolate. Hold the blade at about a 45 degree angle from the surface. (See the white lines in the picture for reference.)
7. Working quickly and firmly, push the bench scraper away from you, causing the chocolate to roll over itself.
8. If it doesn’t roll into a perfect tube, finish rolling  and shaping it with your hands.
9. Keep forming curls, working quickly, until you’ve made curls from all of the chocolate. As the coating continues to set, the chocolate will be harder to roll and will have a rougher look. You can see the difference between the curls on the right, where the chocolate was very pliable, and the ones on the left, where it was firmer and more set. I wanted a rough, cinnamon-like look, so I let the chocolate set a little more before forming all the curls.
10. Hey, you made chocolate curls! Good job! If you find that your chocolate has set too much to make curls from all of it, scrape it off the surface and melt it again. The good news is that this project is fast, so even if it takes you a few tries to get right, you’re not out more than a few minutes. And this is definitely a skill where you get better with practice. Plus, you can re-melt (or eat!) any failed attempts.

I mean, it worked with pie. And now, I’ve discovered that it works with chocolate-covered pretzels, too. What’s next? Crème brulee? Steamed beets? Sardines? WHO KNOWS? I’ve not yet begun to truly milkshake.

Yes, folks, I turned chocolate-covered pretzels into a milkshake flavor, and I’m not sorry.

It all started when I was reading this post from my friend Lynn at The Actor’s Diet. She mentioned stopping by a Dairy Queen and getting a “Choco Covered Pretzel” flavored Blizzard. It sounded amazing, but she said it actually wasn’t very exciting, and people would be better off just making their own at home instead.

“Maybe I will,” I whispered with determination under my breath. “Maybe I will.”

A chocolate-covered pretzel milkshake really is just what it sounds like. It starts with a handful of chocolate-dipped pretzels (homemade or store-bought) in the blender, chopped into small pieces. After adding some milk and ice cream, it’s all blended together to form an ultra-thick shake with small chunks of chocolate and salty bits of pretzels. The texture is similar to that of a cookies & cream milkshake, but the more savory flavor of the pretzels and the hit of salt make it a nice change from more traditional milkshake flavors. Here’s a close-up so you can get an idea of the texture of the finished product:

Since I’m all about gilding the lily (or dipping the pretzel, if you will) I added a few finishing touches, like streaks of fudge sauce and caramel in the milkshake cup, and a topping of whipped cream and chopped chocolate-dipped pretzels. They were nice additions, but honestly the plain milkshake is pretty bangin’ on its own.

It’s been ridiculously hot in LA this week, and these milkshakes were the perfect way to cool down during the heat wave. (Actually air conditioning would have been the perfect way, but ours isn’t working for a few more weeks. Not that it bothers me, no sir. I’m an oasis of serenity in this boiling cesspool of an overheated apartment.) We really loved them, and I think they’ll be out go-to treat this summer, and our new quick dessert when we have company over and don’t want to heat up the house. Try it, love it, and then tell me what other random things I should turn into milkshakes!

As I mentioned on Friday, I threw my son Asher a Very Hungry Caterpillar-themed party last month. The centerpiece of the party was a 3-tier chocolate and strawberry cake, which you can read all about in this post.

The other major sugar rush came in the form of a candy buffet provided by OhNuts.com. I had over a dozen candies that all related to the book in some way. In the story, the caterpillar eats lots of different fruits and foods in the book, so I got fruit candies to match what he ate: chocolate oranges, gummy strawberries and watermelon slices, sour apple balls, and so much more. It really was overwhelming—in the best way!

I provided customized bags and the guests were invited to help themselves to the buffet throughout the course of the party.

The buffet was so colorful and delicious and just really, really fun. I’m sharing lots more details about how to put it together, what specific candies I used, and how to make your own candy buffet on the OhNuts.com blog, so if you’re curious, hop over there and check it out! I’m also providing the printable labels I designed for the candy bags and the candy buffet jars.

One huge help and inspiration in my party planning was a post on the blog Polka Dot and Puppies. She threw a Very Hungry Caterpillar party for her son two years ago, and I used a lot of her ideas and resources in my own party. So if you’re looking for more ideas or to see another party write-up, read her blog post here!

For the party, I ordered this adorable customized shirt for Asher to wear. I got it from Peachy Keen Design on etsy and asked for the Mister font—I believe the default font is something different. I debated on the size, because Asher is a giant man-child, but ultimately went with 12 months, and it fit fine. It’s starting to look a little short, so it’ll probably be retired in the next month, but for the party it fit nicely—so I would say the sizes are generous.

The party was held at a nearby park, and it was just about perfect. I asked guests to bring blankets, and we picnicked on the grass by the food tables. I didn’t actually plan any activities, and the kids just played on the playground equipment (and with the ice-filled coolers) and were entertained.

When guests walked up to the party, they were greeted with a table with this sign:

I ordered a nice hard-bound copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar (which was surprisingly difficult to find—I had to get it from Overstock) and had guests sign it, sort of like a guestbook. It was so fun to look through the book afterward, and see the sweet messages and drawings from our friends and their children! Later on, I added my own message and my parents did as well. I hope this will be a memento Asher treasures for years to come.

The pictures that were used for that sign, and the one on the candy buffet, were shot by Adrea Scheidler, who is a great portrait photographer in the Pasadena area. We met at a local park about a month before the party and had Asher pose with some fruit and this cute caterpillar hat I bought from Rachel at Red Windmill Designs.

You know I couldn’t choose just one. How hilarious is he? He may not have given many smiles, but at least he didn’t disappoint with the amusing expressions.

What about the food, you ask? Get this. I didn’t get any pictures of the food. I’m the worst. I’m lucky I got a few pictures of the cake and candy! I don’t know how all those fabulous party planning Pinterest moms do it. I was so frazzled running around, greeting guests, keeping food stocked, and trying not to lose my baby in the crowd, that I completely forgot to take pictures of some key things. (And the pictures I did get at the party are a little lacking. Oh well.) You can soooort of see the food in the background of this picture:

Basically, I again took a cue from the book, and featured many of the foods the caterpillar ate: assorted cold cuts, different cheeses, pickles, a big Caesar salad (aka “one nice green leaf”) and various fresh fruits. We added some giant rolls and condiments to round things out, so it was basically a casual make-your-own-sandwich setup. Nice and easy, which was ideal since I was saving my energy for the cake! All of the foods were labeled with these signed I made:

My dad attached them to skewers using a complicated five-point restraint system (joking, but not) and we stuck them either in the food itself, or in a clementine next to the food. I adapted these from Polka Dots & Puppies, and she offers her signs as a download from her blog post here.

I sent all of our little guests home with these goodie bags:

The caterpillar containers were bought in the Target dollar aisle last fall. This is where it pays to plan ahead, or at least have an idea for a theme ahead of time! I already knew I wanted his first birthday to be Very Hungry Caterpillar themed, so when the dollar aisle was suddenly full of cheap Caterpillar merch, I stocked up. The only difficulty was knowing how many to buy, since we were a long way from creating a guest list and having any details finalized. I took a wild guess and bought 16, and we ended up using 15, so it was just about perfect. I was so glad I bought them ahead of time, too, since they disappeared soon after and I haven’t seen them since. [And yes, I’m already brainstorming ideas for the 2nd birthday, just I can be prepared in case anything wonderfully appropriate pops up.] Here’s what the goodie bags contained:

Bubbles, a Caterpillar activity book, a lollipop, crayons, a malt ball caterpillar, and stickers. Here are some details about each item:

Bubbles with a  custom wrapper. I designed them in photoshop, then printed them on plain full-page label sheets and cut them out. The bubbles were bought in a multi-pack from the dollar store. Since there was so much candy and sugar at the party, I tried to think of a few things for the goodie bags that weren’t edible. And Asher loves bubbles, so it seemed like a good thing to share with his friends.

Crayons, melted together and cut out in butterfly and caterpillar shapes. For the actual goodie bags they were wrapped in small clear plastic bags so they didn’t get damaged or damage other items. I thought this would be so adorable, and I guess they did turn out pretty cute, but I think this was one craft that was more trouble than it was worth. Maybe we were just super bad at it, but between unwrapping the crayons, breaking them apart, melting them, waiting for them to harden, painstakingly cutting them out, then repeating the process again with scraps, it took way too much time for a small accessory. In the future I’d just get a cute little mini pack of crayons and call it good! If you want to try it yourself (maybe you’re a better crayon wrangler than I am), I used a tutorial found on Make it Grand.

I found this cute activity book online and printed one out for each kid. I stapled the edges together, then bound them with red washi tape so it looked more finished. The activity book can be found here, and the cover I used can be found here.

Who doesn’t love stickers? I designed these 2” round stickers in photoshop, then printed them on full-page label sheets. I used a 2” circle cutter (I have this one) to punch out the circles. (I could have used 2” circle labels, but I already had the punch and the full-page ones, so I tried to save a little money and make do.)

These lollipops were another good use of the labels and hole punch! I made the thank-you stickers, and put one on each 2” pop over the printed words on the back. These lollipops are from OhNuts.com, and you can buy them here.

Finally, the caterpillar malt balls. These were my favorite! I think I’m going to write up a full tutorial with pictures soon, but the basic gist is that I used three colors of malt balls from OhNuts.com (red, light green, dark green) and decorated the red ball with a smiley made from candy coating. Then I put them in a pretzel bag (found at Michael’s) and tied it with a green twist-tie. Easy, and so cute!

Finally, I couldn’t write a post without leaving you with a recipe! The only homemade item on the candy buffet were these marshmallow ice cream cones. (Because, of course, the caterpillar eats one ice cream cone on Saturday.) I wasn’t sure if they could compete with the rest of the buffet, but they were all eaten at the party, so I’d say they were a hit!

I made strawberry marshmallow, because I already had strawberry puree from the buttercream I was making. However, you could use an equal amount of another fruit puree, like raspberry or mango, with equally good results. Also, I have seen mini ice cream cones online, but I’ve never actually seen them in stores. For this recipe I bought full-sized ice cream cones and cut them down, but if you have the mini ones available to you, you can use those instead.

Recipe notes: I made the marshmallow extra-firm, so it could withstand being piped and left out on a table in the sun for hours. If you don’t like really firm marshmallows, you can decrease the gelatin to 3 envelopes, and try to handle the finished cones a little more gently than I did.

Click Here to Print or Email this Recipe!

Miniature Marshmallow Ice Cream Cones
yield: 24 mini cones
Adapted from my Very Vanilla Marshmallows recipe in The Sweet Book of Candy Making

24 sugar cones
4 ounces white candy coating
1 1/2 cups rainbow sprinkles
Large cardboard box (a shirt box works best)
Pastry bag
Large star pastry tip
Candy thermometer
2 large egg whites (2 1/2 ounces), at room temperature
4 ounces (1/2 cup) cold water
4 ounces (1/2 cup) stawberry puree
1 ounce (4 envelopes) unflavored gelatin
14 ounces (2 cups) granulated sugar
5 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
Pink gel food coloring (I like Americolor Deep Pink)

Begin by cutting about 1 1/2 inches off the top of each sugar cone. Hold the cone against a cutting board, and using a sharp serrated knife, gently saw through the cone. Try not to use much pressure or press down hard—it’s easiest if you let the sawing motion do all the work. Trim off any edges that are terribly uneven. It’s okay if they’re not perfect—the sprinkles will disguise any mistakes.

Melt the candy coating in the microwave. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of coating around the top edge of one of the cones, then while the coating is still wet, dip it in the sprinkles until it’s covered. Set aside and repeat until all of the cones have a layer of sprinkles around the top. An alternate method is to dip the top of the cones in the coating and then the sprinkles, but I found that this gave a thick layer of coating that tasted and looked a little thick for my taste.

Use a sharp knife or a razor blade to cut 24 small X’s in the top of the cardboard box. Push the bottom of a cone into each X, so that the box acts as a stand holding the cones upright. Set aside for now.

To make the marshmallow, place the room temperature egg whites in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

Pour the strawberry puree in a small bowl, and whisk in the gelatin. Set the bowl aside to let the gelatin “bloom,” or absorb the puree.

Pour the 1/2 cup of water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, and stir in the granulated sugar, the light corn syrup, and the salt. Place the pan over medium-high heat and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves. Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to remove any stray sugar crystals. Insert a candy thermometer.

Cook the sugar syrup, without stirring, until the thermometer reaches 260° Fahrenheit. This will take 10-15 minutes, so while you’re waiting for the sugar to cook, microwave the gelatin bowl for about 20 seconds, until the gelatin liquefies.

When the sugar syrup reaches 245° Fahrenheit, begin beating the egg whites on medium speed. The egg whites should be well-beaten and be able to hold firm peaks at approximately the same time the sugar syrup reaches 260° Fahrenheit. When the sugar syrup is at 260°, remove the pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the liquid gelatin mixture. It will bubble up and steam a bit, so watch your hands during this step.

The hot sugar syrup now needs to be added to the egg whites. If your saucepan does not have a spout, pour the syrup into a large mixing cup or pitcher with a spout, to give you more control over the process. Turn the mixer to low, and with the mixer running, slowly stream the hot sugar syrup into the beaten egg whites. Try to pour the syrup close to the sides of the bowl, so it doesn’t hit the whisk and splatter everywhere.

Once all of the syrup is added to the whites, gradually increase the speed of the mixer until it is running on medium-high speed. Whip the marshmallow until it is very thick, shiny, and opaque, about 10 minutes depending on your mixer. When you lift the whisk from the marshmallow, it should slowly stream from the whisk in a thick ribbon. Once the right texture is reached, add 1-2 drops of pink gel food coloring, then mix it in until no streaks remain.

Fit a pastry bag with a star tip. Spoon a little marshmallow into the bag, and practice making a swirl into the bowl of marshmallow. If it starts to droop and doesn’t hold its shape, let the marshmallow sit for about a minute, then spoon a little more into the bag and test it again. It might be a little soft at first, but after just a few minutes it will get firmer, and once it reaches the texture where you can pipe a swirl without it drooping and melting, act quickly! Fill the bag with marshmallow and start piping your marshmallow cones: pipe the cone full of marshmallow, then finish with a big swirl on top of the cone. Repeat until all of the cones are filled with marshmallow. (If the marshmallow gets too stiff to pipe well, you might be able to save it by placing the bowl of marshmallow over a warm water bath and warming it gently and stirring until it loosens.)

Let the marshmallow cones sit for at least 4 hours, until the marshmallow is completely set.

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Meet Asher:

Did somebody call for a baby model?

He may not make frequent blog appearances, but he’s obviously a huge part of my life—in addition to being adorable and wonderful and all those other mushy things, he’s also the reason that most of my posts are published between the hours of 1 am and 3 am. Bless his ever-loving, time-consuming, little baby heart.

Sweet Asher turned one a few weeks ago, which could only mean one thing: TIME TO THROW A BIG PARTY! Because as regular readers of my blog might also know, I’m a bit of a psycho perfectionist, so even though I know he won’t remember or appreciate this party, I still wanted it to be extra-special. We chose the theme The Very Hungry Caterpillar, based on the beloved Eric Carle book, and coordinated the invitations, food, decorations, favors, and of course cake, to go along with it.

Photograph by Adrea Scheidler

The Very Hungry Caterpillar theme was chosen months ago. During the first few weeks of Asher’s life, we were worried about his weight, since he lost a great deal of his birth weight and was slow to gain it back. Once he started really gaining, though, there was no stopping him. This kid loves—no, lives—to eat. He’s been chowing down on solid food for months, and at this point he’ll eat anything and everything—and even better if it’s something I’m trying to eat myself. We joke about how he will eat and eat, but still be hungry—he really is the very hungry caterpillar personified.

I’m going to write another post about all of the little birthday details that went into throwing a Very Hungry Caterpillar party, but for today, I want to concentrate on cake, glorious cake.

There were other desserts at the party—miniature lemon curd cupcakes, and a really epic candy buffet that is getting its own post on the OhNuts.com blog. But I wanted a showpiece, a stunner, a signature dessert, and nothing but a tiered cake would do. We had about 26 adults and 18 children at the party, so I made a cake with a 10” layer, a 6” layer, and a small 4” layer on top that would be Asher’s smash cake.

The cake itself was a deep devil’s food chocolate, with fresh strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream and chunks of fresh strawberries throughout. The cake is covered with homemade marshmallow fondant and fondant decorations.

You’d like way too many close-ups of the cake, and painstakingly detailed explanations, you say? Happy to oblige!

Side view

The cake sort of tells a story, with this caterpillar starting his journey along the side of the bottom tier.

This little guy was on the top tier. I thought it was fitting to have this be Asher’s smash cake, since he’s no longer a little caterpillar anymore—he’s walking and talking and turning into a beautiful butterfly toddler.

And then along the sides of the cake, between the caterpillar and the butterfly, are fondant replicas of many (but not quite all) of the foods the caterpillar ate. I love them all, but my favorite is probably the pear, or the pickle. Okay, I like the sausage too.

The decorations were really fun to make. I first decided approximately how large I wanted my food to be—I wanted the pieces pretty big!—and cut out a paper square about that size, then went around the sides of the cake with my template, counting how many pieces would fit on each tier. Then when I rolled my fondant out, I used the paper square as my guide and made sure that the pieces weren’t larger than my square. Honestly, this was about the extent of my planning. There was a lot of winging it involved—the cake was made and decorated late at night, the night before the party—so I was thrilled that most things worked out the way I wanted them to. One day, friends, I might have my act together enough to take in-progress pictures of a cake. That day is probably not coming anytime soon.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake | SugarHero.com

Displayed at the party in the park

I worked with the book propped in front of me, and used it as my inspiration as I cut out the various food shapes freehand with an x-acto knife. While it was still soft I cut a hole in each food using a pastry tip, then put it on a baking sheet generously dusted with powdered sugar while I made the rest of the food. At first I just use one color per food, knowing that I would be painting them later, but by the end I had switched to marbling several colors together as I rolled the fondant out, and I think this technique gave the food a greater depth and more realistic look.

Once all of the foods were made, it was time to paint! Again using the book as a guide, I used food coloring and pastry brushes to paint the bold brush strokes and accents on the food. Eric Carle’s illustration techniques are surprisingly easy to imitate in food form! It was really about being generous and a little haphazard with brush strokes, and layering colors on top of each other. (I think this is why the marbled fondant worked so well.)

Here you can see the cake, along with the mini lemon cupcakes topped by fruit candies

I did the caterpillar and butterfly last, because by then I had gotten the hang of marbling and painting the fondant. From start to finish making the decorations probably took about 4 1/2 – 5 hours, which includes mixing all the different colors of fondant (which never seems like it should take very long but always takes for-freaking-ever). After everything was made I affixed the pieces to the cake using Tylose glue (more information on that here).

The final touch was done right before the party: stacking the cakes and adding ribbon along the bottom. The original plan was to do multicolored fondant dots, but it looked a little busy and crowded, and I ended up preferring the simplicity of the ribbon instead.

I found these great tie-dye candles and thought they were a good match for the colorful butterfly! Fun birthday shenanigans visible in the background.

“Oh, Mother, this cake is ever so beautiful!”

A rare glimpse of the woman behind the blog—usually heard but not seen

And how did Asher like the cake? Well, this might give you a clue…

Yep, he face-planted into it and wasn’t dissuaded by the thick layer of fondant. Eventually he got tired of eating like a dog and decided to eat like a civilized person, by picking the cake up with both hands…

So this is how fancy folks eat…

It was his first real taste of sugar, and I think he’s a fan! He still won’t have desserts all that often, but living in this house it’s likely he’ll get a taste every now and then.

We had more than enough cake for our group, and were able to send slices home with friends and still have a bit left over for second dessert later that day! It was such a fun cake to make, and it added a lot to the party. I’m excited to share the rest of the party details on Monday!

I’ll leave you with a shot of a cake slice, so you know what the interior looked like. The full, super-duper long recipe for making this 3-tiered cake is down below.

Oh hey, caterpillar head…

Recipe Notes: I made this cake using a standard 5-quart KitchenAid mixer, which is not large enough to make all of the cake batter in one batch. I assume many home cooks have mixers of a similar size (ie, not industrial size) so I’ve written the recipe in two batches, of slightly different sizes. Making both batches will yield the total amount of cake batter needed for the three-tiered cake. Of course, if you do have a 10-quart or larger mixer, you are free to combine the batches and just make it once. The same principle holds for the buttercream recipe. For the fondant, I find it easiest to make several smaller batches—it doesn’t take much extra time, and it’s easier for me to knead smaller quantities until they’re smooth than the try to tackle the whole giant batch of fondant at once.

And finally, if this is your first time making a tiered cake, I highly recommend watching video tutorials of how to assemble a cake, instead of simply reading a recipe. It’s a visual process, and you will learn more by watching someone else do it than by reading these instructions. I’ve included assembly instructions for the sake of completeness, but beginners should absolutely watch tutorials before attempting to assemble the cake.

Click for Printable Recipes: Chocolate Cake Recipe | Strawberry Buttercream |Marshmallow Fondant

Three-Tier Chocolate Celebration Cake | Printable Three-Tier Cake Recipe
yield: Two 10” cake rounds, two 6” cake rounds, and two 4” cake rounds
Cake recipe adapted from Ina Garten’s Chocolate Cupcakes in Barefoot Contessa at Home

For the Cake: (Make both batches, one right after the other)
Batch One:
6 oz butter, at room temperature
4 3/4 oz (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
5 oz (2/3 cup) packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup full-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
4 oz (1/2 cup) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
2 tbsp water or brewed coffee
7.8 oz (1 3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
3 oz (1 cup) high-quality cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Batch Two:
9 oz butter, at room temperature
7 1/8 oz (1 cup) granulated sugar
7 1/2 oz (1 cup) packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup full-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
6 oz (3/4 cup) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
3 tbsp water or brewed coffee
11 3/4 (2 2/3) all-purpose flour
4 1/2 oz (1 1/2 cups) high-quality cocoa powder
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

Two 10-inch cake pans (I like Magic Line cake pans–link to 10″ Magic Line)
Two 6-inch cake pans (link to 6″ Magic Line)
Two 4-inch cake pans (link to 4″ Magic Line)

To Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C). Line all of your cake pans with parchment rounds and spray the pans well with nonstick cooking spray.

Add the butter and both sugars to the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat them together on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix it in.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and water (or coffee, if using). In a different bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, add a quarter of the sifted flour mixture. When the flour streaks have almost all disappeared, add a third of the liquid to the mixing bowl. When that’s incorporated, continue to add the drys and wets in an alternating pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.

When the dry ingredients are nearly incorporated, stop the mixer. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and finish mixing the cake by hand. After you have made both batches of batter, divide the cake between the six cake pans so that the batter comes up about 2/3 in each pan. If you have a kitchen scale, these are the weights I used for each cake round:
10” round: 2 lbs 3 oz
6” round: 14 oz
4” round: 5 oz

Bake the cakes until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs. Use the following times as a guide:
10” round: about 28-30 minutes
6” round: about 25 minutes
4” round: about 22-24 minutes

Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then gently turn them out and let them cool completely. I find it’s easiest to cut and stack cakes that have been chilled, so if you have time, wrap them with plastic wrap and put them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, until they are firm but not frozen all the way through. If you are making these in advance, they can stay in the freezer for up to several weeks. Let them partially defrost, until they are firm but not rock-hard, before assembling.

For the Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream | Printable Strawberry Buttercream Recipe
You will need to make this recipe twice to have enough buttercream to frost your 3-tier cake
yield: About 10 cups

9 egg whites, at room temperature
14 oz (2 cups) granulated sugar
1 lb butter, slightly softened to the touch but still cool—not greasy or warm
pinch salt
1 cup strawberry puree, at room temperature (from about 12 oz berries, blended and strained)
2 drops pink gel food coloring, optional

To Make Strawberry Buttercream:

Combine the egg whites and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a large stand mixer, and whisk them together. Choose a small saucepan that lets you fit the base of the stand mixer snugly into the top of the saucepan—this is your makeshift hot water bath. (Alternately, you can use a different bowl or an actual bain marie and then transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl once it’s heated.) Add an inch of water to the bottom of the saucepan, and bring the water to a simmer.

Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure that the bottom isn’t in contact with the water, and heat the egg white mixture. Whisk frequently so that the egg whites don’t cook. Continue to heat the whites until they are hot to the touch, and when you rub a bit between your fingers, you don’t feel any grittiness from the sugar. Once the whites are hot, transfer the mixing bowl to your mixer and fit it with a whisk attachment.

Beat the whites on high speed until they are no longer warm to the touch—feel the outside of the bowl, and make sure that it is around room temperature. Depending on your mixer and the temperature of your environment, this may take 10-20 minutes, or more. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the  softened but cool butter in small chunks, a tablespoon at a time, making sure to wait in between additions. It may separate or look a little gloopy at this point—fear not. Once all of the butter is added, increase the speed again and whip until it comes together and is light and fluffy. If, after 5 minutes, it hasn’t come together, refrigerate the mixing bowl for 5-7 minutes, to cool the mixture down, and whip it again.

Add the strawberry puree and pink gel food coloring, and mix until well-blended. The buttercream can be made in advance and kept at room temperature if you’re going to use it the same day, or refrigerated. If it’s been chilled, let it sit at room temperature until it softens, then re-whip it to get the fluffy texture back before you use it.

For the Marshmallow Fondant | Printable Marshmallow Fondant Recipe
You will need to make this recipe three times to have enough fondant to cover and decorate your cake
yield: 1 1/2 lbs fondant per batch

From my Marshmallow Fondant Recipe on About.com Candy

8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed, or half of a 16-ounce bag)
2 tbsp water
1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting

To Make the Fondant:

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the marshmallows and water. Microwave them together for 1 minute, then stir with a rubber spatula until they are melted and smooth. If some unmelted marshmallow pieces remain, return to the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the marshmallow mixture is entirely smooth and free of lumps.

Add the powdered sugar all at once to the bowl, and stir it in. It will be very sticky, and may seem way too dry at first. Continue to stir until it’s too sticky and difficult to stir. Dust your work surface with powdered sugar, and turn the marshmallow/sugar mixture out onto the work surface. There will be a lot of excess sugar, and the marshmallow mixture will look rough and shaggy.

Start to knead everything together, dusting your hands generously with sugar whenever they start to get sticky. As you knead, the fondant will gradually start to take in more and more of the sugar and will smooth out and become less sticky. Continue to knead the fondant until it smoothes out and loses its stickiness. Add more sugar if necessary, but stop adding sugar once it is smooth–too much sugar will make it stiff and difficult to work with. Once the fondant is a smooth ball, it is ready. Wrap it well with cling wrap and store it in an airtight container at cool room temperature.

I prefer to make my fondant the day before I need it, and to let it sit overnight to firm up a bit. If well-wrapped, fondant can be made up to several weeks in advance. It will need to be kneaded until supple before later use.

To Assemble the Cake:
Supplies:
10″ cardboard cake rounds
6″ cardboard cake rounds
4” cardboard cake rounds (hard to find, you can cut larger ones down to size)
Dowels—I like to use boba tea straws
Pastry bag
Pastry tips
Cake turntable (optional but makes decorating easier)
Bench scraper
Offset spatula

2 lbs strawberries, washed, hulled, and coarsely chopped

Assemble the 10” tier first. Using a large serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half. Place one layer face-up on a cake cardboard.

Scoop some buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe a ring of buttercream all along the edge of the cake round to act as a barrier and make assembly neater. Scoop about 2/3 cup buttercream into the center, and spread it in an even layer until it covers the cake and reaches the buttercream ring. Scatter a generous handful of chopped strawberries on top, covering the surface evenly, but do not put strawberries on the outer ring of buttercream. Top the cake round with a second round, and repeat the process of piping a ring of buttercream, spreading the buttercream in the center, and add chopped strawberries.

Repeat with the remaining layers, until you have a 4-layer cake with 3 layers of buttercream. Spread buttercream along the sides and top of the cake in a very, very thin layer—this is just to hold the crumbs in. Refrigerate the layer while you assemble the 6” and 4” rounds in the same fashion. Refrigerate all the layers until they’re firm, at least 45 minutes.

Once firm, go back and add another layer of buttercream on the outside of the cakes, this time trying to get it even and smooth. The smoother the buttercream is, the smoother the fondant coating will be. I like to use a bench scraper to go around the sides and get them very straight and clean. To do this, hold the bench scraper in your dominant hand, straight against the sides of the cake. With your other hand turn the cake turntable so the scraper removes any excess frosting from the sides. Use an offset spatula to smooth the frosting on the top of the cake. Once all of the cakes are frosted, refrigerate them again until they’re very firm, at least 1 hour or more for the larger cakes.

To cover the cakes with fondant, I used these approximate amounts:
10” cake: about 2 1/4 lbs fondant
6” cake: about 1 lb fondant
4” cake: about 12 oz fondant

Dust your work surface with powdered sugar, and roll out the fondant until it is a round a little less than 1/4-inch thick. Drape it over the cake and smooth it evenly against the top and sides—if you are unfamiliar with covering a cake with fondant, there are many excellent video tutorials to demonstrate this step. Trim the excess fondant from the bottom, and refrigerate the cakes until you’re ready to decorate and stack them.

Use excess fondant to make decorations of your choice. Glue them on with Tylose glue (preferred) or corn syrup.

To stack the rounds, insert a boba tea straw (or other type of dowel) into the center of the 10” cake. Hold scissors flush against the top of the cake, and cut off the top of the straw so that it is now even with the height of the cake. Add four more straws in a circle around the straw in the center, each about 2” from the center (so that they don’t extend past a 6” radius) and cut those straws so that their height is the same as the cake. These straws will be used to support the 6” cake. Smear a generous amount of buttercream in the center of the 10” cake, and put the 6” cake on top, so it’s secured by the buttercream and resting on the dowels. There should be no gap between the cakes.

Insert two straws, about an inch apart, in the center of the 6” cake, and cut off the tops. Smear some buttercream on the 6” cake to secure the 4” one, and place it on top. Finish your cake by piping buttercream or tying ribbon around the bottom of the cakes to make them look polished.

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Are you going to be celebrating? Living it up? Partying hard? Eating unhealthy amounts of guacamole? Want to hear my wild and crazy plans?

On Cinco de Mayo, if all goes well, I’ll be sleeping. Fingers crossed.

This past week has been really packed and tiring. Then this weekend is my 10 year college reunion, which actually seems impossible since I’m pretty sure I’m still not a day over 26, and we all know I’m no Doogie Howser early-graduating wunderkind.

So come Sunday, the cinco of this here Mayo, after I’ve bid farewell to my long-lost college chums and my fleeting youth, I hope to be collapsed on our couch, bed, floor, or any other semi-soft surface, snoring ever so softly, and dreaming about these churros.

See, I’ve already celebrated Cinco de Mayo earlier this week, sort of, when I made these Mexican-inspired treats. The churros are just like I remember them from the churro carts of my childhood, extra-crispy and coated with cinnamon-sugar on the outside, and soft and pillowy on the inside.

Since the churros are so standard, I wanted to make some fun sauces to liven them up. I couldn’t decide quite what to make, so I ended up with three: spicy chocolate sauce, dulce de leche sauce, and mango sauce with a hint of lime.

Making the churros themselves was actually harder than I thought it would be. Not to be a conceited jerk, but I wasn’t expecting any problems. I’ve made choux dough a million times. And heaven knows I’ve fried things before. So how hard could it be to make a decent churro?

Surprisingly difficult, it turns out! My first batch was completely raw in the middle. I tried cooking them for longer and longer periods, but that only yielded super-crunchy churros, slightly burned on the outside, that were still gooey and underdone inside. Not tasty. It’s a sign of how bad they were that I ended up throwing them out. Me! Miss Endless Sweet Tooth, tossing sugar-coated fried dough! It was a dark day indeed.

For my second batch, I decided to try a different recipe. I’d been using pate a choux, which is what eclairs and cream puffs are made of. It’s a simple dough made from water, flour, oil, eggs, and a bit of sugar. From reading online, though, I learned that “traditional” churro batter doesn’t contain eggs.

“Aha!” I thought. “Take out the eggs, and all of my problems will be solved!” Sadly, no. This batch was denser than the first, but still raw inside and unpleasantly hard on the outside. Strike two.

Finally, I decided to try switching pastry tips. Most of the recipes I consulted were frustratingly vague on how to pipe the churros out, and just mentioned a “large star-shaped piping tip,” which could really be one of a hundred different things. I mean, would it kill folks to provide a few more details? Or maybe a diagram, hand-lettered and to scale? Too much?

In the interest of not being a hypocrite, then, here’s a handy little guide to finding the perfect churro star tip, based on my hard-earned experience:

For my first two batches I was using the tip on the very far left (Ateco 847). In real life it looks like the perfect size, and it does in fact produce churros that are about the width that I remember from childhood. However, in my experience it was just too big, and the churros it produced were too fat to cook all the way through before the outside was a burned mess.

Through way too much trial and error, I found that the best tip for me was the medium-sized open star on the far right. It’s the Wilton 1M tip, but I believe it’s very similar in size to the Ateco 824 tip. It looks like it’s going to produce skinny little churro fingers, but after deep-frying the dough puffs up nicely and the churros feel like they’re just the right size. So I went back to my choux dough, with a smaller tip, and all was right in my churro world.

Now let’s talk about the sauces for just a moment. They each added something different and fun to the churros. The spicy chocolate sauce was my favorite—thick and rich, with just a hint of heat to make things interesting, and to leave me craving another bite.

The dulce de leche was Jason’s favorite—no surprise, since he’s a caramel fanatic. It’s actually a “cheater’s” version of dulce de leche, meaning it’s not made from caramelizing condensed milk. It may lack authenticity, but it comes together in about 10 minutes, which is much more than I can say for traditional dulce de leche! And it still has the same milky, caramelized taste.

Finally, the mango sauce was a great change of pace. It felt light and fresh, with just a bit of lime, and made me feel like I was eating something the tiniest bit healthy. Anything that helps me to justify eating more churros is fine by me!

Oh, and I almost forgot to add this little gem! When I was talking with my professional hand model Jason about the proper angle to hold the dipping churros, this little scamp sneaked up and started desperately grabbing churros off the table! Did I mention he’s freakishly tall and can reach way too many things already? And that he only had his first bite of sugar two weeks ago, but apparently he’s got the taste in his blood now? And that he was so cute, shoving it in before we could grab it, that we could only sit back and laugh? This kid!

Happy Cinco de Mayo, friends! Hope your day is as fun/relaxing/churro-filled as you want it to be!

Click to Print the Recipes: Churros | Spicy Chocolate Sauce | Dulce de Leche Sauce | Mango Sauce

Churros [Printable Churros Recipe]
yield: about 36 4-inch churros

6 cups oil, or enough to fill a large skillet with 1 1/2-2 inches of oil
Candy/deep fry thermometer

1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp + 1 tsp cinnamon, divided use
1 cup water
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
Pastry bag
Medium star pastry tip, like Wilton 1M or Ateco 824
1 cup granulated sugar

Before you prepare the churro dough, start heating the oil for frying. Pour the oil into a large skillet, so that it’s 1 1/2 – 2 inches deep, and turn the heat to medium. Insert a candy/deep fry thermometer and let the oil heat to 350 F (175 C), checking it occasionally to make sure that it doesn’t get too hot while you prepare the rest of the recipe. If so, remove it from the heat briefly or turn down the burner so it maintains at 350 F.

Sift together the flour and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and set aside for a moment.

Combine the water, sugar, vegetable oil, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, and once boiling, add the flour mixture all at once and stir it in quickly. It will be thick. Continue to stir until the streaks of flour are gone, and the whole thing comes together in a rough, shaggy ball in the middle.

Transfer the hot ball of dough to the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Begin to beat on medium speed, and add one of the eggs. At first it won’t come together, but continue to beat until it’s incorporated and the mixture smooths out. Add the other egg and beat until your dough is combined and smooth.

Fit a pastry bag with your start tip, and fill the bag with churro dough.

Prepare your work station for frying: mix together the granulated sugar and remaining tablespoon of cinnamon in a wide bowl or pie pan. Cover a baking sheet with several layers of paper towel. Take a pair of scissors or kitchen shears, and dip the tips into the oil. When your oil reaches 350 F, you’re ready to fry.

I found this method was easiest for making straight churros: hold the pastry bag vertically about 6 inches from the top of the skillet, so that the tip is at a 90 degree angle to the oil. Begin squeezing the bag so that the churro dough comes out in a long line dangling vertically from the bag. When the churro is about 4 inches long, snip it close to the tip with the oiled scissors, and sort of guide the churro into the oil with the scissors. If it starts to curve, you can dip the scissors in and try to straighten it in the first few seconds. You can fry about 4-5 churros at a time. Watch them carefully, turning them occasionally so that they brown on all sides. Remove them when they’re golden brown and crispy, about 2 1/2 – 3 minutes total cooking time.

Transfer them to the paper towel-lined baking sheet using a slotted frying spatula, then quickly move them to the cinnamon-sugar bowl and toss them with the sugar until they’re coated. Let the oil come back up to 350 F before frying the next batch. You should get about 36 4-inch churros from this recipe. For the best taste and texture, churros should be enjoyed on the same day they’re made.

Spicy Chocolate Sauce [Printable Spicy Chocolate Sauce Recipe]
yield: 1 1/2 cups

8 ounces chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/8-1/4 tsp ground cayenne
Big pinch salt

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside briefly. Pour the cream into a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and heat until it just starts to bubble.

Pour the heavy cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute to soften the chocolate. Whisk the cream and chocolate together until smooth and fluid, then add the room temperature butter, 1/8 tsp cayenne, and the big pinch of salt. Whisk until everything is shiny and smooth. Taste the sauce, and if you’d like a spicier flavor, increase the cayenne in small amounts until you get a heat level you enjoy.

This sauce is best served warm. As it cools it will thicken, so you might need to microwave it in short bursts and whisk it periodically to keep it fluid. Spicy Chocolate Sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Shortcut Dulce de Leche Sauce [Printable  Dulce de Leche Sauce Recipe]
yield: 1 1/2 cups
adapted from Epicurious.com

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Combine the cream and dark brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir while sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a slow boil. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until the cream mixture reduces down to 1 cup. This will take around 10 minutes.

Once it has reduced, stir in the sweetened condensed milk and whisk until everything is well-mixed. Serve dulce de leche sauce warm, and re-warm it in the microwave if it starts to get too thick. Dulce de Leche Sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Mango Sauce [Printable Mango Sauce Recipe]
yield: 1 cup

3 large ripe mangoes, or 1 1/2 cups mango puree (I used 14 oz Goya brand frozen bag)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp granulated sugar

If you’re using fresh mangos, peel them and cut the flesh away from the center pit. Place the fruit in a food processor or high-speed blender, and process until liquefied. Pour the pulp through a fine mesh strainer and measure out 1 1/2 cups of mango puree. If you have extra, save it for a different use. If you’re using frozen mango puree, make sure that it’s defrosted before continuing.

Combine the mango puree, lime juice, and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and stir to combine. Cook the mango puree, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula, until it reduces down to 1 cup. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Be sure to stir often so the fruit doesn’t scorch on the bottom.

Mango Sauce is best served at room temperature or chilled, not warm. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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You may think you know casseroles. “Sure, sure,” you say. “A little cream of mushroom soup here, a big handful of cheddar cheese there, and, um, aren’t canned green beans supposed to be involved somehow?”

No. Well, yes. But also, NO, because: gross.

This casserole, my casserole? That I’m sharing today? It contains zero cheese, and has never seen a green bean in its life. Instead, it’s full of crazy good things, like:

croissants and
fresh berries and
toasted hazelnuts and
Nutella.

Oh, yes, there’s tons of Nutella. Is that a casserole upgrade or what?

In case it wasn’t perfectly clear, this is a breakfast casserole, and a pretty indulgent one at that. Any dish where croissants and Nutella are the two main ingredients is never going to win any nutritional awards, but in my defense, may I just say, yum.

This recipe starts with croissant-Nutella sandwiches. No joke. You slather sliced croissants with a thick layer of Nutella, smash them into a sandwich, then cut them into chunks. Toss them with fresh berries, and soak it all in a sweet vanilla-scented custard. Finally, during baking, top it with a toasted hazelnut streusel.

The finished casserole has a crunchy top layer, full of toasted nuts, crumbly streusel, and crispy croissant edges. Inside it’s all ooey-gooey deliciousness, where the custard has softened the croissants and mixed with the Nutella to create soft pockets of melted chocolate and bread.

It may have a lot going on, flavor-wise, but like any good casserole, it’s meant to be a time-saver. It can be prepared the night before, so if you want to impress company/your boss/your new lovah with a fancy breakfast, put in a little effort in the evening, and in the morning all you need to do is pop it in the oven. Take some time to set the table/put on some lippy/watch kitten videos on youtube, and before you know it you’ll have one outrageous breakfast casserole, ready to be devoured.

This is my favorite casserole—what’s yours? Country Crock is hosting a Country Crock Stars contest to find the best original casserole recipes. It’s so easy to enter! All you have to do is click that link to share a photo of your favorite casserole, and share in 100 words how you demonstrate creativity and resourcefulness in the kitchen. 3 finalists will a trip to NYC and $5000—that can buy a lot of Nutella! So click here for your chance to become a Country Crock Star.

Click Here to Print or Email This Recipe!

Nutella Croissant Casserole
yield: 9×13 pan

7 large croissants (3-4 oz each)
21 ounces (1 3/4 cups) chocolate-hazelnut spread (like Nutella)
2/3 cup fresh berries, like raspberries or chopped strawberries
7 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

For the streusel topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts
2 tablespoons Country Crock spread or butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Slice your croissants in half and place them cut side up on two baking sheets. Cook for about 10 minutes, until they’re lightly toasted on top. (If your croissants are stale and several days old, you can skip this step.)

Spread the cut sides of the croissants with a generous amount of Nutella. Sandwich the croissants together—this makes them easier to cut. Cut each Nutella-filled croissant into pieces 1-2 inches long. Place them in a 13×9 baking pan, and add the strawberries. Toss gently to combine.

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then beat them on medium speed until they’re broken up and well-mixed. Add the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt, and mix until combined. Pour the liquid over the croissants in the bowl, and toss well with your hands. Let the casserole sit for at least 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, while the croissants absorb the liquid. If desired, you can let it rest overnight at this point—just cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake in the morning.

When you’re ready to bake, prepare the hazelnut streusel topping. In a bowl, toss together the flour, sugar, and chopped hazelnuts. Add the melted Country Crock or butter and mix until your streusel is in moist clumps.

Preheat the oven to 350 F, then place the casserole in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes sprinkle the streusel all over the top, and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until golden brown, crispy, and bubbly along the sides.

Let the casserole cool at room temperature. It can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled from the refrigerator. It’s also excellent with a little whipped cream or ice cream.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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