Hello there, Kitty

I'm not at all a fan of cats.

They strike fear in me. I don't know why...

Hello Kitty is probably the only exception to my lifelong nemesis.
Perhaps it's the lack of a mouth and fangs (yes, they DO look like fangs to me).

Her cute little red ribbon perched askew might have something to do with making her less feline scary, too.

Check out more of our red desserts:
> Sweet, sweet strawberries
> Rich red velvet cake
> Red Santa hats
> Poppin' red cherries, even the jackpot ones

Whatever the case, she's the only kitty I'm gonna be friends with.

Ever.

I drew inspiration from cake pop goddess Bakerella, with just a few minor modifications. She's got the most amazing imagination, and has the superhero power of visualizing uses for any piece of candy.

Start off with regular cake balls, shape them into ovals and flatten them a little.

Then it's off to the details:

Minute oval balls for her  black eyes and pert lil' yellow
nose - these were barely 1mm each, soooo teeny tiny!

Uh-oh... she has SIX whiskers each... that's a whole of
ant-sized rods to make by hand. I lost count of how
 many I broke along the way, they were so fragile.

Just make sure you make tons of extras, they'll break
every step of the way. Oh. and don't freak out if they're not
perfectly shaped, animal parts are never symmetrical anyways :)

I had these sweet little confetti hearts that
were perfect for her signature bow

A cheeky lil' Hello Kitty towel to top the birthday basket off

Mission completed - my kitty litter is born!

More character cake pops:
> Never too much red with Elmo around
> A Rilakkuma birthday
> Curious George... almost!

'Nekkid' series: Sweet, sweet strawberries

I'm quite in love with strawberries.

Hokkaido has the best ever. Sweet, alluring, beckoning, juicy.

Strawberries sing of spring.
Ooh, almost got a whole line of alliteration in there.

Strawberry jam. Strawberry ice-cream.
Mmm-mmm good ....

My strawberry epiphany happened in Phuket. Strange... yes, I think so too.

As a child, I had not-so-tasty King's strawberry ice-cream and chucked strawberries in the 'ulgh' part of the food spectrum. Won't miss that for sure.

On a steaming hot Phuket afternoon about 7 years ago however, we were seeking sun refuge at a cafe. We sat down, and I was drawn (I could not look away, I kid you not) to a mountain of strawberry ice-cream piled high at the next table. A little boy was polishing it off with extreme gusto, his dripping shirt pulled back around his head, a temporary hairband as he tunneled through his mission.

The ice-cream beckoned. It called my name. It singled me out.

I caved.

It was such excellent ice-cream, I tasted meadows and happiness.
I'm serious.

I'm now a strawberry-holic, and proud of it.

Ok, that was a long intro for this post.
I'd meant to talk about two strawberry desserts I'd made recently - Chocolate Strawberry Cake, Classic Cheesecake with Strawberries.

Maybe too much strawberries makes you forgetful.

I'm willing to risk it.

Oh yes, back to the desserts. 

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Start with a rich chocolate cake,
doesn't matter if it aian't too pretty yet...
make sure it tastes good though!

Mix up a batch of strawberry happiness,
also known as strawberry frosting. 

Pile on frosting, lick fingers,
stack on strawberry mountain.
All done.

Need some help with the recipes?
> Fantabulous chocolate cake from IAmBaker
> Strawberry frosting that actually tastes GOOD - I just swapped the raspberry for strawberry in IAmBaker's awesome recipe 


Classic Cheesecake with Strawberries

Assemble your classic cheesecake. Make sure there's plenty
 of crust (double's a good place to start) cuz everyone loves crust.
Me and my greedy family and friends can vouch for that.

Whip up fluffy cream cheese topping. Feel free to make
a little extra, just for you and anyone who walks through
the kitchen when you're working on the cake.

It takes steel will to resist the wafting smells of freshly baked
cheesecake, you WILL need that extra frosting.

  

Crown with strawberries - the key to making any cake look delicious!

The cheesecake recipe I used came from one of the many baking books on my shelf, so it's a little hard to teleport that here. 

But no fear, I will lead you to my Cake Oracle - Bakerella! 

She can do no wrong, and you're in good hands with her cheesecake recipe.

Other crimson bakes:

> Red Velvet cake

> Red Santa hats

> Never too much red with Elmo around

> Baked with love

Sit back, smell the strawberries and enjoy!

Psst... a Mother's Day secret... licking beaters!

Be adventurous, be bold!
Ok, but we really don't want to see what happens when you lick those beaters if mommy forgets to turn them off.

Take all that danger out of Mother's Day (yes you, find another way to live life on the edge), and let Petite Pops do the baking for you ... uh-huh, we do love getting our hands dirty.

> Click above mailer for clearer pop up

Cake Pops are a lot of fun - pop it, bite it, trash the stick. Easy as that. We can play with colors and designs for something that fits mommy.

If you're looking for rustic bakes, the Chocolate Berry Cake & Key Lime Pie should hit the spot. Nekkid, yummy. That's all you need.

> Read about other rustic bakes
Rich Red Velvet Cake
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Cupcakes are awesome for a party. Everyone grabs one, problem solved. *dust hands, stand back, enjoy!*

It's always nice to bring a smile and remind people around us they're loved.
Make sunshine, and be safe this Mother's Day!

A very lovely Elephant day...

So I had a surgeon tinkering about my knee a couple of days ago, fixing my torn ligament. 

I'm now hobbling around like a grandma, and it takes me forever just to arrive at the bathroom. 

"Hmmm..." said the surgeon when I asked if I could go back to baking by this week. Which in doctor-speak, is NO. 

Guess that makes this just the time to sit my hiney down and get back to blogging :)

I had the perfect entry to cheer things up - baby Teja's one year birthday bash, just before I checked in for my day with the surgeon.

Love doing dessert tables!

This was an extra special bash.
Teja's mommy is a dear friend, and I had the chance to collaborate with summer77 - another special friend who's also a baker.

Mommy's brief was simple - greens, purples, elephants - Teja's faves.

      > here's another mommy's birthday bash -  her love was dogs!

We started out with an elephant-themed invite, and the rest of the setup quickly fell into place...

A little corner to share a little love for the birthday princess

Beautiful chocolate elephant cake, baked by summer77. Took all my
resolve not to reach out and lick some of that purple frosting right off!

Sprinkles and splashes of green & purple
add magic to the strawberry cake pops

Edible landscape of berry financiers & mini
mushroom pies, where do we start?

Finally had a chance to do layered sweet treats
I'd been dying to try out. Next to do them in jars, super cute!

Just for the snackers - pretty jars of crunchies and munchies

Everyone got to bring home a triple chocolate brownie, sweet!

Looking for more birthday inspirations?
> Dinosaur roarrrr!
> 10 years young
> Tanjoubu Omedetou, a Rilakkuma birthday
> Hole in one, anybody?
> 3 cherries in a row, jackpot!

Is it time for Cupid yet?

TGIF everyone!

We're halfway through January - ie. February, the month of lurve will be here soon.

Valentine's is really every day, not just on that particular Feb 14 that was decreed (probably by some enterprising entrepreneur ;) across the universe. But it you're planning to put an extra smile in someone's day for Valentine's anyways, we've got some ideas for you (click above mailer for clearer pop up).

Part of the fun at Petite Pops is being able to customize the bakes. And if you want to keep your Valentine's a little different and need more ideas, always feel free to get in touch at PetitePopRocks@gmail.com.

Have a good weekend y'all, start thinking about cupid!

xoxo,
Petite Pops