Pretty in pink❤️

Little Missy turned 8 years old this weekend. It is so strange seeing your little babies grow up. It happens way too fast for my liking. I mean, of course I want them to grow up, but the days and years go by so fast! The fact that it is 8 years ago since that this little bundle of joy came into our family is hard to believe. It feels like yesterday. 

From the day she was born, she has been a happy ray of sunshine in our lives. Always smiling, always positive, always caring for others. Twisting her two older brothers (and her father) around her little finger....she gives them "that look", and she gets her way....❤️

She's a real sweettooth, so her wishlist for her birthday always include lots of cakes....

 I really love to bake, so I usually do my best to accomodate her cake wishes. 

This year the list included french macarons and cupcakes. Pink.....

French macarons with lemon and raspberry filling ❤️❤️

Vanilla cupcakes with whipped vanilla bean frosting ❤️ 

This frosting is very similar to swiss merengue. It is wonderful to work with, and the taste is really yummy! I'm not too fond of trafitional buttercream  - I find the taste of butter a little too heavy.....

This frosting, however, is light and sweet, and melts in your mouth❤️  On the cake, however, there is no melting. The frosting stays in place, and looks great even after a day or two...if there's still any cake left by then...

I usually put the decorated cupcakes in the oven for 1-2 minutes under the grill, so the surface stiffens a bit. Just make  sure you watch it - do not let it in there too long!  It is only supposed to have a thin, invisible crust. This makes it easier to transport the cakes without messing up the beautiful piping.

You can find a great recipe and step-by-step tutorial for this wonderful frosting in the amazing blog Passion for Baking

A very happy birthdaygirl❤️❤️

All set for a "pretty in pink"  gardenparty ❤️

❤️Live - Laugh - Love❤️