Real Deal Cake Batter Flavor

I’m a big fan of funfetti, as I’m sure you’ve guessed from the number of funfetti desserts on the site (like my cake batter ice cream pie and funfetti cupcakes) but I’m pretty picky about it too. It has to actually taste like funfetti (which tastes like cake batter) – just adding sprinkles to a dessert doesn’t count. So when it comes to making the BEST funfetti cheesecake, there’s not doubt it needs legit cake flavor. To bring that flavor into this cheesecake, I use cake mix. You could use any vanilla mix, but I go for the real deal – funfetti cake mix. It adds the best flavor and really takes this cheesecake to the next level. If you love sprinkles and cake batter flavor, you have to try this cheesecake.

Why You’ll Love This No Bake Funfetti Cheesecake Recipe

• Tastes like eating cake batter. Due to the combination of cake mix and white chocolate, the cake batter flavor of this cheesecake really shines! If you love cake batter flavored things, this cheesecake will be right up your alley. It’s SO good!
• Thick and creamy. The filling of this no bake funfetti cheesecake is super thick and creamy. It’s actually thicker than your average no bake cheesecake because of the cake mix and white chocolate (which helps it set), but it doesn’t give it a weird texture at all. It’s still so smooth and creamy.
• LOTS of sprinkles. While sprinkles aren’t the only thing that makes a funfetti dessert, they are an important part. There’s no shortage of them in this cheesecake! I added sprinkles to the crust and to the filling and you’re more than welcome to decorate the top with even more sprinkles.

Looking for more no-bake cheesecake recipes? Try this No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake, or my No-Bake Vanilla Cheesecake!

Champagne Desserts

When it comes to New Year’s Eve, I just can’t help myself. Bring on the desserts with champagne! I love them. There aren’t many other occasions where champagne gets highlighted as much, so it makes sense to bring it into a dessert for New Year’s. Plus, champagne lends great taste to desserts when done right. If you haven’t ever tried a dessert with champagne, you will love Strawberry Champagne Tart. For a few other favorites, don’t miss my Strawberry Champagne Tiramisu, Champagne Cupcakes or my Champagne Cheesecake.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Sweet and light. I cannot express accurately through words just how delicious this tart is, but it is. The champagne and mascarpone compliment each other beautifully and give lovely light flavor to the creamy filling. And the fresh pop of fruit from the strawberries is both beautiful and delicious. The whole thing is just amazing.
• Easy and almost no bake. While you bake the crust, it’s for less than 10 minutes and then you’re done with the oven. There’s a little bit of cooking on the stove to help thicken the filling with cornstarch, but that’s it. Each part of the recipe is simple and it comes together quickly, which we all need this time of year.
• Elegant. Strawberries + champagne, in tart form? You really can’t make a more elegant dessert.

If you can’t tell by checking out my recipes, I love making desserts with champagne. I’ve got an amazing Strawberry Champagne Tiramisu, a delicious Champagne Cheesecake and some classic Champagne Cupcakes, to name a few. This champagne mousse is one that’s actually been on my site for a while, but is getting an upgrade today with some new and step-by-step photos. I love remaking older recipes and updating them, because it gives me a chance to try them again. This recipe was originally published in 2014, so it’s been a while since I made it. And I have to say, it’s even better than I remember.

Why You’ll Love This Champagne Mousse Recipe

This recipe is a modification of my chocolate mousse. Just like the chocolate mousse, it has a lovely smooth texture and rich creaminess, which comes from the egg yolks. It’s cooked the same way as the mousse, but since there’s no melted chocolate added in to this recipe (which helps things firm up as it cools), gelatin is used. Here are a few reasons why I think you need to make it – like, now.

• Light texture. This champagne mousse is airy and light but still creamy and luscious. It’s addicting and SO good! I just love the light texture of it.
• Perfect flavor. The champagne flavor most definitely comes through but isn’t overpowering or too much. It’s genuinely so darn good. Even those who aren’t huge champagne fans will likely love these.
• Easy to make. Mousse really is a lovely little dessert because it feels fancy and special, but there’s no baking required and it’s not hard to make. There’s just a little cooking over the stove and some time to let it set.
• Perfect for the holidays. This champagne mousse is great for New Year’s and celebrations. It’s festive, fun and delicious. Plus, at a busy time of year, you could easily make them a day or two ahead.

Better Than Store-Bought

I am such a big caramel fan. It’s easily one of my favorite flavors. In a bag full of candy and chocolates, I will always eat anything with caramel first and may not even bother with the rest. It’s true love.

And these homemade caramels are even better than store-bought ones – and pretty much every other recipe I tried. When I make something homemade, I want even better flavor than what I can buy, otherwise what’s the point? Many recipes out there have caramel flavor that just isn’t enough for me. So I set out to make something better.

Rather than having just one caramelization process that’s cut short by the temperature needed to have softer caramels, this recipe has two rounds of caramelization. You basically start out by making my homemade salted caramel sauce, which already has amazing flavor, then add a few more ingredients and cook it again until it’s at the right temperature for chewy caramels. Purely addicting and amazing. The flavor is the best.

Why You’ll Love These Homemade Caramels

• Amazing flavor – As explained above, the flavor of these caramels is the best. Twice the caramel flavor of most other recipes! You won’t be able to resist them!
• Soft and chewy – They are soft, chewy and just the right texture. Plus, with slight adjustments to the temperature you cook them to, you can make them more or less soft to your preference. Easy!
• Perfect for gifting – Move over cookies! Homemade caramels are in town! Not only are homemade caramels special and impressive feeling, they also last longer than any cookie. Gift them all season long, ship them – they stay perfect.

Why You’ll Love This Wreath Cookies Recipe

Christmas is all about making memories and one of my favorite memories is making Christmas cookies. These wreath cookies have been a part of Christmas memories for a long time for a reason – they’re always a hit, they’re festive and they taste great. Here are a few more reasons to add them to your holiday baking list.

• No baking required. These cornflake wreath cookies are similar to Rice Krispies in that the only cooking required is melting the butter and marshmallows. So simple!
• Only 6 ingredients. They’re all pretty basic ingredients too, like cornflakes, marshmallows, and butter. I usually have almost everything I need to make these in the cupboard.
• Great for kids. Kids LOVE eating these but they also love helping. This is one recipe my kids and I usually make together. They love shaping the cookies and adding the Red Hots.