Dine & Dish with Dawn: Society Bakery in Dallas – It’s Not Just Their Desserts That Make Them Sweet!

Life might not be a cake walk, but don’t tell Society Bakery that.

The oven is always on at Society Bakery in Dallas, where they bake as much sweetness as they add to the world around them!

The oven is always on at Society Bakery in Dallas, where they bake as much sweetness as they add to the world around them!

A bakery whose motto is “Be good to your sweet tooth, be good to society,” Society makes it its mission to sweeten the world, while giving back.

And, I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Ellen Degeneres and AOL have named them one of the Top Ten Cupcakes in America, and People Country Magazine listed Society Bakery as one of “Four top bakeries in L.A., Dallas, Birmingham, and N.Y.C.”.

Society Bakery founder, Roshi Muns and I established a friendship last December when I was referred to Society when I needed a last minute cake for an impromptu holiday tea party with my girlfriends. I tasted the cake (delicious!), and met Roshi (the sweetest!), and it was friendship at first sight! We’ve followed each other on social media since then, so when Roshi saw I was headed home to Dallas, she told me she wanted to “roll out the red carpet” for me and my family and friends, and host a tasting brunch for us.

Knowing I would need some help from other discerning tastebuds to taste such delectable treats, I invited my mom, my fabulous Dallas blogger friend Lee Cordon of DoSayGive, my best friend Jenny Harris, her son Shepherd, Jenny’s sister Dr. Sally Falwell, and her daughter, Evie.

Lots of love at the table with my tasting crew by my side!

Lots of love at the table with my tasting crew by my side – and that’s Roshi right behind me!

And oh my, were we ever treated!

We started out with Pimento Cheese on toast with hardboiled egg, bacon, lettuce and tomato.

Society Bakery's homemade pimento cheese on toast, with hardboiled eggs, bacon, lettuce and tomato

Society Bakery’s homemade pimento cheese on toast, with hardboiled eggs, bacon, lettuce and tomato

Then, came out the chicken salad on croissant, tuna salad on wheat, grilled cheese and pasta salad with tomato and mozzarella.

Chicken salad on croissant, truna salad, grilled cheese and pasta salad  at Society Bakery - delicious!

Chicken salad on croissant, truna salad, grilled cheese and pasta salad at Society Bakery – delicious!

The next course was ricotta with fresh peaches and strawberries, served with a side of some of the most delicious homemade peach jam I’ve ever enjoyed.

Ricotta with fresh peaches and strawberries with a side of scrumptious homemade peach jam by Chef Erin

Ricotta with fresh peaches and strawberries with a side of scrumptious homemade peach jam by Chef Erin

After all that, came the…DESSERTS!!
And, I do mean desserts plural!

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Life really is a cake walk at Society Bakery (details of desserts in this pic below)

We were treated to the following dessert smorgasbord (as pictured above clockwise witht the brownie, standing in for 12 o’clock): Brownie, Frosted Sugar Cookie, Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Jessie Jessup Cupcake (vanilla cake with buttercream frosting & my FAVE!), Strawberry Cupcake, Coconut Cupcake, Salted Caramel Cupcake with Salted Caramel Filling, vanilla Cupcake, White Petits Fours with filling, Monster Chocolate Chip Cookie, Bread Pudding Whoopie Pie, Apple Pie, another Whoopie Pie, Monster M&M Cookie, and their signature Chocolate Cake in the center.

Here’s a closeup of some of that deliciousness.

FullSizeRender-8

Sugar Heaven at Society Bakery with cupcakes, cookies, petits four, pies, brownies and whoopie pies!

As delicious as the food and “sweet treats” (as Sally & Evie call them) are, Roshi’s mission is even sweeter. Society Bakery is active in giving back to the local community of Dallas, by giving thousands of cupcakes away in exchange for items that local charities need. Society Bakery also donates throughout the year to over 100 different charities, schools and non-profit organizations, refraining from taking tax write-offs for donations because Roshi and her team believe that a business can be profitable and charitable at the same time. Sounds like someone else I know!

My heart was so full getting to share both my love for what I do, and my love of food, with some of the people I love best in my own hometown of Dallas.

What it takes to capture those delicious food pics y'all love looking at! My friend Jenny was praying I didn't fall off that step ladder!

What it takes to capture those delicious food pics y’all love looking at! My friend Jenny was praying I didn’t fall off that step ladder!

 

My dear friend (of 21 years), Jenny Harris Crandall and I cakewalking at Society Bakery

My dear friend (of 21 years), Jenny Harris Crandall and I cakewalking at Society Bakery

 

With my friend - and fellow influencer & blogger - Lee Cordon, of the fabulous blog, DoSayGive

With my friend – and fellow influencer & blogger – Lee Cordon, of the fabulous blog, DoSayGive

 

So, when in Dallas, head on over to Society Bakery, where the oven’s always on – and the place, where when you buy sweetness, you also add sweetness to the world around you!

xoxo,
Dawn

Putting the Treat in Trick’or’Treat with Magnolia Bakery

When it comes to trick’or’treating, I’ll take TREAT, thank you very much.

So, when  @magnoliabakery calls and says, “Can someone stop by to pick up a Halloween gift from us to you?”, the answer is “I’ll be right there.” Bahahahaha…emojiemoji

A sneak peek of the treats in store from Magnolia Bakery

 

If you’re having a Halloween party this year, Magnolia Bakery Halloween cupcakes are a must!

Magnolia Bakery Halloween cupcakes & my Last Minute Punch (featured on Thirsty Thursday tomorrow)

For $24, you can get 6 haaaaauuuunted cupcakes, perfect for any Halloween party or dinner!

Even Miss Ellie is a big fan!

The sweet ones likes the sweet things from Magnolia Bakery, too!

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What treats are you scaring up this Halloween?

The Sweet Life with Dawn McCoy: A Magical Day at Magnolia Bakery

My heart belongs to Magnolia Bakery. So when I got the opportunity to visit one of my favorite places for a little frosting lesson and fun, I jumped at the chance. Find out how the frosting experts at Magnolia get that “signature swirl”, see if I can replicate it and see what other emotions their delicious treats stir up for me. A magical day at Magnolia, indeed. Join me for a taste…

 

Now, isn’t THAT the sweetest?
xoxo,
BF

Saturday Social Hour: Master The Look Beauty Event at Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills

This past Thursday, Saks 5th Avenue in Beverly Hills and Cadillac hosted an evening of beauty-themed treats from Food Ink, champagne, wine and a killer dj to benefit Lupus LA and kick off their fall Beauty Event.

 

With the cutest cookies there ever were…

The cutest cookies that ever were from Food Ink

 

The most kissable cupcakes I’ve ever seen…

 

Cute kissy lip-cupcakes from Food Ink!

Custom color consultations – to help you find your best color fit both in fashion and beauty – by Jill Kirsch

Custom color consultation from Jill Kirsch - the Guru of Hue

and lipstick reading by a lipstick reader, beauty tips from NARS, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior and Estee Lauder.

Everyone had a ball and I was in heaven as some of my fave folks were there – such as Whitney Lader from hoopLA, Roxy Manning from RedCarpetRoxy, Megan O’Brien from Meg’s Makeup and…

With Roxy & Whitney at the Saks Master The Look beauty event

my new buddy, Braylen Brooks from ScenesterTV!

With my new buddy Braylen...and one verrrrry cute waiter

 

A beautiful night, indeed!

xoxo,
BF

 

BF Asks: Which beauty look would you love to master?

 

Happy 1st Birthday, BeautyFrosting!

I would be posting my High-Low of the week but I can’t think of a low to report because…

It’s BeautyFrosting’s 1st birthday!!!

 

Happy Birthday, BF!

No need to blow out the candles though, today!
I’ve already got everything I could have wished for with readers like you!

We’ll have a big celebratory giveaway later this month – when we announce the winners of our 1st annual BeautyFrosting BFF Awards! So stay tuned…

But, for now, here are some of my favorite moments in this first year of BeautyFrosting!

 

The beauty…

 

A year of beauty & pampering...THANK YOU!!!

 

The baking…

 

A year of sweetness...THANK YOU!!!!

 

The being…

 

A year of "being", a.k.a. lifestyle...THANK YOU!

 

The celebrations…

 

A year of celebrations...THANK YOU!!!

 

And the friends who make this journey oh-so-sweet!

A year of friends...THANK YOU!!!!

I am so grateful for each and every one of you who has read the blog daily, written questions to “Dear Dawn”, watched our videos, entered ourcontests, told your friends about BeautyFrosting, sent us a product to try for BeautyFrosting, followed BF on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, on YouTube and for all of the praise, suggestions and support you have offered over this past year to me.

And I have LOTS more coming for you in this, our second year! Like what, you ask? How about Foodie Friday with food & restaurant reviews and A Southern Girl’s Guide to LA with spa & business recommendations.

How about that? It all starts THIS weekend! It’s just my way of saying –

THANK YOU for a SUPER SWEET 1st year!!!

THANK YOU!!!!!

Thank you from my heart to yours! xoxo, Dawn (BF)

xoxo,
BF

***Special note: Why March 12th? I chose to debut BeautyFrosting last year on what would have been my beloved Nanny, Clara Margaret Hayes’s, 99th birthday. Every year that I celebrate a birthday, I am celebrating her and all of the lovely, ladylike things she stood for and taught my mom, my aunt, my cousins and me!

I miss you every day, Nanny…

BF Asks: What was your favorite BeautyFrosting moment this year?

High-Low 9

Happy last few weeks of summer, golden girls!

I had many memorable moments this week but my favorites came from my party this weekend that I hosted for my big brother, David.

Me with the guest of honor, my big brother - David

David, a.k.a. “Sueno”, has been in Los Angeles for the summer. He lives in Dallas normally, where he is a Government professor, but has had a lovely LA summer out here for the past 2 months.

I’ve been a little more like Julie McCoy – on The Love Boat – than Dawn McCoy, acting as a social coordinator and/or camp counselor for him during his stay here.

It has been a busy, busy summer but a magical and memorable one, as well!

So, of course, I had to give him a proper send-off!

I decided to host “A Fiesta for Sueno” replete with homemade margaritas, summer sangria, friends’ dishes, pie, cupcakes, a kiddie pool and more.

Here are the highlights from the fun fiesta!

HIGHS

The Invite:

 

My true calling: Party Hostess

 

The Social Lubrication? Our family’s favorite cocktail. Did somebody say Margarita? I tried to recreate Mi Cocina in Los Angeles. It was good but NOTHING compared to Mi Cocina in Dallas!

Kickin' Cucumber-Jalapeno Margaritas

 

An added bonus? Utilizing my Nanny’s antique relish tray for customizable margaritas. Love it!

Limes, Jalapeños & Sweet Pickles - oh my!

 

Pie time!!!

BF and my Avocado Pie with Toasted Coconut and Tequila Whipped Cream

 

And the food? The food was AMAAAAAAZING!! I made Big Mouth Black Bean Dip, Drunk Pico de Gallo, Zesty Citrus Guacamole, Texas Praline Cupcakes, Avocado Pie with Toasted Coconut & Tequila Whipped Cream and The Devil’s Cupcakes (Mexican Chili Chocolate with Nutella Mascarpone Frosting). And my sweet and culinarily-talented friends brought Bean & Cheese enchiladas, Chicken Enchiladas Suizas, Mexican Lasagna, Mexican Salad and Mexican rice casserole. YUM!!!

The Tex-Mex spread

 

Kickin' Cucumber-Jalapeno Margarita & Avocado Pie

 

Even the cupcakes were Tex-Mex themed!

My good friend, Amy, brought the biggest hit of all — A KIDDIE POOL!!! On this super-hot LA day, this saved the party! Adults, and kids alike, were in summer heaven! It never hurts to have a little slice of nostalgia served up with your margarita!

Around the campfire? Not on this scorching hot day!

 

A few of my favorite girls!!

 

It was one of my all-time favorite days! A beautiful summer day spent with my brother and good friends. Yet again, I am reminded how fortunate I am. To live in this beautiful, beachside city and to have the best friends that make throwing a party an effortless affair.

 

 

I know it’s gonna be hard to say goodbye to my big brother but, at least, we have this fun fiesta as a beautiful memory of his time here. Fiesta, indeed.

LOW

Ouch!!

Ouch!!!!!!! That’s what I said when I reached into the drawer of my vanity, to pull out my hairbrush, and was met with a searing pain instead. I’m applying neosporin, and crossing my fingers, praying it doesn’t scar. But it’s a bummer because it’s on my makeup swatting hand! Just thankful it wasn’t worse!

 

xoxo,

BF

 

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week?

 

Recipe Box Friday: Piggy Cupcakes

I made these piggy cupcakes a few weeks ago for my dear friend, Hope’s, baby shower.

BeautyFrosting's Piggy Cupcakes

BeautyFrosting's Piggy Cupcakes

How’d I choose pigs? Well, to celebrate a true southern-turned SoCal transplant-she was given a “BABY-Q”. Get it?

Baby-Q-themed Piggy Cupcakes

Baby-Q-themed Piggy Cupcakes

The invite (above) was super cute with a baby pig cartoon on it and, well, it just seemed the way to go!

So many of you liked the pics of the piggy cupcakes on my BeautyFrosting Facebook page, that I knew I had to share the recipe with y’all.
So here you go!

Piggy Cupcakes: Super fun & delicious!

Pig Cupcakes: Super fun & delicious!

BeautyFrosting’s Piggy Cupcakes

As for the cake, I used my Mom’s Strawberry cake recipe which I will feature NEXT Friday. But here’s how you make the piggies.

What you need for your piggies:

Pink or Chocolate Cupcake Paper Cups

24 Baked Cupcakes of your choice

1 Batch of Buttercream Frosting (My favorite recipe is below!)

32 Jet-Puffed StrawberryMallows (1 8-ounce bag)

48 Milk Chocolate Chips

Pink Food Coloring

Red Food Coloring

Gettin’ Crafty with Cupcakes:

Let your cupcakes cool and mix up your frosting.

Tint the icing, by adding the pink food coloring, til you reach a nice bubblegum piglet-pink hue. Mix until perfectly pink.

Frost each cupcake making sure to make the “face” of the pig as smooth as possible. I prefer using a small cake frosting spatula.

Cut your marshmallows into halves.

Use half for the nose with the non-sticky side facing up in the middle of the cupcake.

Make the piggy’s eyes by placing the chocolate chips point down into the frosting (with the flat side up).

To make the ears, take the other half of the marshmallow and cut into two. Pinch each end to make pointy piggy ears.

Take a toothpick or chopstick and dip it in red food coloring. Make 2 dots on the nose marshmallow to make nostrils. You can re-do this again if the colour is too pale.

*Here’s my favorite, go-to, creamy buttercream recipe.

BeautyFrosting’s Creamy ButterCream Frosting Recipe

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

4¼ to 4½ cups confectioners (powdered) sugar

 

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: If you make ’em, please send me a pic! Have fun!!

 

 

Recipe Box: BeautyFrosting’s Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes

Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

BeautyFrosting's Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

BeautyFrosting's Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes
BeautyFrosting’s Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes

These are a hit with kiddos and adults alike!

Lucy loves Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

Lucy loves Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

And they’re super easy to make to boot!

BeautyFrosting’s Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes 

Makes 48 cupcakes. If you’d like to make less, just half it! Yep! It’s that easy-peazy.

Preheat oven to 350.

Put cupcake cups in pans.

2 1/3 c. Water

1/2 c. Oil

1 box White Cake Mix

1 box Spice Cake Mix

6 eggs

2 tsp Vanilla

3 c. Chopped frosted Circus Animal Cookies (Use food processor for crumbs

Frosting Ingredients:

3/4 c Butter (softened)
6 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

 

Cake Directions: 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place 3 cups of circus animal cookies in ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin or hammer, crush those cookies to bits! That’s right! Take out your aggression of the day on those little cookies! Whew. That felt good, didn’t it?

In a large mixing bowl, add water, oil and eggs. Mix until foamy and frothy.

Add both cake mixes – little at a time. Mix thoroughly. Add vanilla. Add half of the circus cookie crumbs with a spatula.

Set aside half of the circus cookie crumbs for later.

Pour the batter into paper-lined cupcake pans, so the tins are about 2/3 of the way full. Place a few more crumbs on the top of each cupcake.

Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes. Let cool completely.

Circus Cookie Buttercream Frosting

 

3/4 cup  butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1-4 drops pink food coloring

 

Beat butter in large mixing bowl until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and salt alternately with half & half and vanilla, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Stir in corn syrup. Drop in food coloring and mix well until circus animal-pink color develops. You’re matching the cookie coating shade here, beauties!

*Top each cupcake with rainbow sprinkles and a circus animal cookie. 

Inside Story: Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

Inside Story: Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

Frosting Friday: BeautyFrosting’s Boy or Girl? CreamCup Cupcakes

So, my sweet neighbor-friends, Hope and Jay, asked me to be part of their Reveal The Baby’s Sex Shower. Yaya! But, now, I had a verrry big secret to keep.

A secret can either be stressful or fun! In this case, it was DEFINITELY the latter!

Boy or Girl? Baby Shower Cupcakes

The hardest part was figuring out how to keep the blue or pink-hued frosting away from prying neighbors’ eyes!

I always turn to my Easy Sour CreamCup Cupcakes recipe when I have a big batch like this one! 72 cupcakes, y’all!!!

6 dozen Boy or Girl Cupcakes

So, here we go:

BeautyFrosting’s Easy Sour CreamCup Cupcakes

1 stick (1/2 c) Butter, softened

2/3 c. water

3 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1 box White Cake Mix

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine water and butter. Add eggs one at a time and mix completely until a bit foamy. Add sour cream and mix well. Add cake mix, one cup at a time. Stir until baby-butt smooth.

Pour into 24 cupcake cups in pans.

Bake for 25-35 minutes.

BF Bite: If you’re unsure if they’re done, gently insert a toothpick or sharp knife into center of center cupcake. If it comes out dry, they’re ready! If it’s still wet, they need to bake some more!

BF’s Sweet CreamCup Frosting

1 c. Butter-flavored Crisco (room temp)
1 c. Unsalted Butter (room temp)
8 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 c. Heavy Whipping Cream (add until desired texture is met)
Cream butter and sugar until well-blended.
Add confectioners sugar cup by cup. Add vanilla and salt.
Add heavy cream as needed, as you go, until fluffy, creamy buttercream is achieved.
Filling
Set aside 1/3 of frosting for filling.
Add 1/2 c. of seedless raspberry jam to frosting. Mix until evenly distributed.It will give the cupcakes a little zing! Add either pink or blue food coloring. In the case of Hope & Jay, it was pink!
Now, for proper filling, you really wanna have a Bismarck tip (Wilton #230).

Wilton Bismarck tip #230

Trust me. It will make life much sweeter for you.
Take the tip (which you have attached to pink/blue raspberry frosting-filled icing bag) and insert the tip into the center of the cupcake. Squeeze. And withdraw the tip.
Do this for all cupcakes.
You’ll have a lovely frosting-filled cupcake like so:

It's a girl!!!

 Next, frost with your Sweet CreamCup frosting. And decorate with an even-number of alternating pink and blue question marks.
What to do if the sex is undetermined at this point? YELLOW!!!
xoxo,
BF

Friendly Friday: Hope & Jay’s Reveal the baby’s sex shower

A new trend, which I was fortunate enough to be part of, is the “Reveal the Baby’s Sex Shower”. Boy, oh, boy (or should I say girl, oh, girl) is it fun!!
My good, sweet neighbor-friends, Jay & Hope asked if I would be part of their big day and bake cupcakes for their RTBSS.

The Happy Parents-To-Be: Jay & Hope - at my Classic Southern Easter Dinner

One caveat: I would find out what sex the baby would be before anyone else would.
Um, did I mention, including them – the parents themselves?
Whoa.
I would have to keep my mouth shut, references to a minimum and sideways glances stored away, for days before the party. I might have to go into hibernation! We’re a tight-knit little bunch here on our little block. And now I was gonna have to keep tight lips on their big news. But I knew I was up to the task.
So how does this work?
In true hip Hope & Jay style, they gave their doc (ob/gyn) a yellow envelope with a yellow notecard inside.
They wrote on the card:
“Doctor says I’m a ________.”
When it’s time for the appointment where they can find out Baby’s sex, the good doctor fills in “Boy” or “Girl”, folds up the sonogram pic, puts it inside the envelope and seals it.
Only to be opened by yours truly a few days before the big reveal.
Soooo exciting!
And, here we go.
On the Wednesday before their Saturday RTBSS, I go over (in pilates gear, no less) to Jay & Hope’s.
They were expecting a reaction because, well, I’m expressive.

Boy or Girl? Finding out what Jay & Hope were having...

But I kept a straight face with no reaction. Much to their chagrin, I shrugged and made a face like “So what”.

I kind of feel like the Evil Queen: Only I know the secret...ba-ha-ha-ha

They all thought it was a boy. Even Miss Ellie.

I think it's a boy...

But I wasn’t spilling.
Even our good friend, Jennifer – with her crafty ways – couldn’t get the truth out of me!

...and she's crafty!

And then the big day came!
I made 6 dozen cupcakes with an equal number of baby blue and baby pink question marks on the top. Inside, was my buttercream filling. If it was a boy, it would be blue. If a girl, it would be pink. No one would know until biting into the cupcake and seeing the filling.

6 dozen Boy or Girl Cupcakes

I took them over to the party. People placed bets.

The Cupcake Reveal was scheduled...

No, really.
And then the truth was revealed:

Let the truth be revealed...

IT’S A GIRL!!!!

It's a girl!!!

Yaya!!

Another little princess to introduce to my BeautyFrosting world!!

onesie, bib, baby girl, baby clothes, baby shower gifts

BeautyFrosting gets to give the first girl gift! Evil queen, indeed!

And a very lucky little girl to have two such sweet & loving parents as Jay & Hope!

To check out the recipe for the cupcakes and how to fill them, check here:

xoxo,
BFBF Asks: Share your story about finding out YOUR baby’s sex!