I’ve never gone rogue before and I’m surprised at how naughty it feels. I *really* wanted to make the tarragon-lime cookies that were assigned to us but today is my almost-eight year old twins’ birthday party and I just couldn’t fit the cookies in.

As you can see, my cakes and cupcakes are not frosted yet. I literally just pulled them out of the oven and I plan to frost them in the morning. (well…later in the morning, it’s after 4am here already)

Every year the past few years my guys have requested a Halloween-themed party. This year was no exception.

I am excited about their party and hope I can find a way to look a bit more awake then I’m sure I will feel tomorrow. I’ve been working on decorations all weekend and tonight was crunch time: baking, decorating, and…a last-minute piñata. I didn’t buy one and regretted it, so I threw one together. It actually didn’t take too much time.

I won’t be making the cinnamon frosting because I don’t know that the kids will get it. I plan on making a bright white buttercream, and the boys requested fake blood splatters and a fake knife sticking out of the top, so I am using a beautiful, elegant, understated red velvet recipe and turning it into a bloody nightmare. And yes…I used a ton of red food coloring, although the original recipe is supposed to be a bit more toned-down. But if you ever meet my boys (twins AND Leos) you will see that toned down is not always something they are capable of–and I love that about them.

I’ll write a birthday party recap with pictures of the finished cakes, and a review on the taste (they smell amazing!!) in a bit. In the meantime, go on over and see what my fellow bakers have been up to!