Creative, custom cake...from a box!

For our glamping extravaganza this past weekend I wanted a unique birthday cake that didn't cost a fortune. I'm a self professed baker-wannabe, I def don't know my way around a scratch cake mix, I bake from a box - there I said it. So, I had to pull out all of the other stops I could think of to make up for my baking inadequacies; a theme, edible custom topper, a friend with mad icing skills and food colouring! 

Do you love that my GF matches the cake? 

Nothing says fashionable-great outdoors like Canada's chic Hudson's Bay Co. I dreamt up the idea to colour each layer of the cake to match the brands signature stripes (many a rainbow cake have come across my Pinterest feed lately...an idea was born).

Of course I went right to my fave resource Etsy, to seek out a creative genius who could recreate the Bay's logo (with a small tweak to the date to represent the year the hubs was born) and add in a birthday message. The TopACake shop turned my logo around in hours and it was a flawless match! I was nervous about the application of the frosting sheet, but this sheet was sturdy and literally peel n' stick.

Cutting into the middle was the most exciting part! The reveal of these multicoloured layers was a fun surprise - TIP: for rich colour use food colouring gel, I used the drops and didn't quite get the dark colours I was going for.

I couldn't have been more pleased with this custom cake masterpiece, and the best part is the total costs was less than $30 (custom cake topper was only $10!!).  Not bad for this Betty Crocker connoisseur.

WEEKEND GETAWAY - new york - the food

Hi all! Now that I've dazzled you with the New York design scene, we move on to something almost equally inspiring, the grub.  I consumed some of the best meals I've ever had in my life in NYC this past weekend, their culinary culture didn't disappoint.  With a little help from some friends, we were pointed to several super hot spots for foodies and foodie wannabes (like me).

Just a short subway ride out of the core, we landed ourselves in the heart of Harlem. We followed our nose to the popular Red Rooster, the gastronomic brainchild of celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson. Comfort food heaven, the Fried Yard Chicken and Mac n' Greens had us all licking our plates. The highlight; the man himself showed up and made his rounds to greet each table, pretty cool. 

That's Chef Marcus Samuelsson heading back inside

We checked out Chelsea Market of course, it was neat, but nothing compared to the fresh and simple New Amsterdam Market down at the Pier.  Unique mom and pop type food stands were scattered under the bridge which created the most lovely ambiance for wandering and exploring. Have you seen anything cuter than these mini apple pies on a stick? 

The top dinner spot fave amongst the group was ABC Kitchen, yup the same ABC I raved about last post, they have a restaurant too! As expected this place had the most gorgeous decor, natural yet styled, fresh and chic.  And the food...well let's just say the best pizza I've ever had lives in this kitchen. A savoury mushroom pizza with an egg on top! Yes indeed, a golden egg cracked and cooked on this crispy, perfectly seasoned crust. Fantastic service, A+ food and an atmosphere that makes you feel like like there's nowhere else you'd rather be, ABC Kitchen is a must visit. 

1. 2 

And then along came the food trucks. I've been hyping these things in my mind for ages now, never really had an authentic food truck experience; that all changed this past weekend. We couldn't have picked a better spot, there they all were, heaven on wheels.

this was taken right before the mega lineups formed

We opted for a gooey grilled cheese, chicken dumplings, saucy pork, chicken and beef tacos, a true treat for the taste buds. 

We sipped on tasty cocktails in Williamsburg, the uber hip 'hood in Brooklyn

A glutton for the weekend and not a second thought about it, New York's fabulous fare was SO worth the extra pound or two.