Just wanted to wish you a very happy easter weekend! 4 days of brunches + chocolate ahead of us — woohoo!

I made a small cake today to celebrate easter. I decorated the top with a birds nest made of spun sugar and filled it with chocolate eggs.

Just heat  1 cup cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of glucose or corn syrup to 310F. Let it cool off slightly and dip a vork in it; pull high and swirl above a piece of parchment paper . Easy peasy and it looks like a golden nest.  Enjoy the long weekend xx Saskya & Monica

This week I decorated a cake baked in the “Zeeuwse Knop” baking tin. For centuries the zeeuwse knop has been an essential part of the Zeeuwse traditional dress. Serving as buttons you could see them being worn almost everyday in Zeeland. Later after second world war diverse jewelry based on the button design gained popularity. Tinka Leene an artist living in Zeeland recently designed & brought to market the baking tin in the shape of the Zeeuwse Knop.

The baking tin has traveled beyond the Netherlands ~ and currently Tinka is working with all those Dutchies abroad that have baked their favorite recipe in the tin on a book publication.
It’s a very exciting, fun & promising project; you may find recipes, stories and pictures sent in all over the world!

Living in the UK I decided to bake a traditional Fruit Cake! I decorated it in Gold- following the Royal Wedding and it’s wedding cake made of Fruit Cake as well. But also decorated one with the Union Jack! I wonder which one Tinka will choose for her book. Which one do you like best?–>

 zeeuwse knop
Happy weekend to you all!
x                       

for more info on the baking tin visit www.zeeuwseknop.nl

There’s something about Cake Stands that make me swoon..and it’s not just the sweets displayed on top of it, it’s the colors, the shape, the different heights and how they complement the cake- It’s a *throne* for our queen cake we spent hours {and hours} decorating! Wouldn’t it be great if you could have matching and unique cake stand with every cake you designed&decorated without breaking the bank? Yes! YES! So I found you these 2 links, with tutorials how to make your own stands: one with ceramic, and one with wood. I can already hear you casually say on your next party “oh those? the pastelcolored cake stands? oh..that’s just something I made myself” {say “designed” for more impact!} Both methods are super easy. I will give them a go myself. thinking it will also be cute to glue those pom pom trimmings you find in fabric/home furnishing stores around the edge of a cute individual wooden cup cake stand.

Wooden Cake Stand: http://beeinourbonnet.blogspot.com/2010/09/project-wedding-cake-stands.htmlCeramic:http://eatdrinkpretty.blogspot.com/2010/09/diy-cakestand-tutorial.html

I just thought of the best x-mas table centre piece…all by myself, hope Martha will be proud of me! Here it goes… cover a styrofoam cone with fondant and decorate with multicolored macarons. It will be the sweetest xmas tree ever! And so trendy, I think I want one in each room! You could decorate petit fours with small ribbons and scatter them around the macaron tree as little presents for your dinner guests.

Here’s a link to macaron towers of Bobbette & Belle for some inspiration. {they make gorgeous cakes as well!}
{image via bobette & belle. 5ive15ifteen}

~ Eat Drink Chic ~

not only a few of our favorite things but a website created by Amy Moss, a graphic designer turned style blogger. Now, I know that we throw our arms around just about anyone that blogs about all things food & fashion but we are sure you will like Amy too. Her designs are divine and ..free {yes, my fellow country-men and women…*free*} Just click on the link to download beautiful tags to package your own home made marmelade. They are absolutely gorgeous ~a special martha stewart moment in your very own kitchen guaranteed! Thank you Amy!  xo Saskya & Monica

http://www.eatdrinkchic.com/post.cfm/diy-home-made-jam-packaging-free-labels