(Family Features) Creating one-of-a-kind desserts doesn’t have to take hours in the kitchen or even exceptional baking skills. With a little imagination and the right tools, you can whip up surprisingly delicious sweets that will surprise and delight your friends and family.

Focus on flavor
If your baking repertoire typically consists of white cake and chocolate frosting, spice things up a bit by experimenting with new fillings and flavor combinations. Opt for complementary or contrasting tastes for a truly delectable dessert. For example, pair fudgy chocolate cake with tangy berries, or see how a bold flavor like lemon adds a new dimension to a mild vanilla.

Add a special touch
Infusing new flavors into your favorite cake or brownie recipe is surprisingly easy when you use bakeware made for the purpose. Baker’s Advantage Fillables Bakeware helps home bakers easily create “treat-filled” desserts. Each bakeware set comes with two pans: One pan creates the bottom half of the cake and forms indentations in the cake you can fill with fruit, puddings, candy and more, while the second pan creates the top half of the cake, which hides the surprise fillings.

Shape it up
Artfully applied frosting and other decorations can instantly dress up a basic cake, but another option is upgrading the shape of the cake itself. In addition to traditional square, round and sheet cake pans, the Baker’s Advantage Fillables Bakeware collection includes mini heart cakes, fluted cakes, mini loaf cakes and a cake cones pan. These special shapes make it easy to create enviable desserts out of classic recipes.

Bake In the Fun
Making a cake with a treat hidden inside is as easy as 1-2-3 with Fillables Bakeware from Baker’s Advantage. Because the bakeware does all of the work for you, there are no special baking skills required; just pour in the batter and bake. Then, fill the pockets in the cake with any treat you like and spread icing to cover the surprise. Next, add the top cake layer, ice the whole cake, slice and serve.

Find more surprisingly easy dessert ideas at FillablesbyBakersAdvantage.com.

Brownie Cake Cones

Recipe courtesy of Baker’s Advantage/Alissa Wallers

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• nonstick cooking spray
• Vanilla Frosting (recipe below) or ice cream

1. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. In double boiler, melt chocolate and butter.
   When melted, place in large bowl and whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Add sugar and mix.
3. Combine eggs and vanilla; gently mix with fork or whisk to break up eggs. Add eggs and vanilla to batter.
4. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Fold in flour until just combined.
5. Spray Fillables 8 Cup Cake Cone Pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fill bottom pan with batter to line in middle of pan then place insert on top and snap together.
6. Place on middle of rack in oven and bake 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from pan.

Filling suggestions:
• Graham crackers, chocolate chips and marshmallows
• Whipped cream and berries
• Ice cream or pudding

1. Add fillings inside cone, top with Vanilla Frosting or ice cream, and serve.

Vanilla Frosting

Recipe courtesy of Baker’s Advantage/Alissa Wallers

• 3 sticks butter, unsalted and at room temperature
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Using handheld or stand mixer, cream butter on high, about 3 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing on medium between each addition.
3. Scrape bowl well. Add remaining ingredients; mix on low until incorporated.
4. Turn mixer to high and beat frosting until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5. Use immediately or store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Note: Frosting must be at room temperature prior to using.

Berries and Cream Fluted Pound Cake

Recipe courtesy of Baker’s Advantage/Alissa Wallers

• 4 sticks butter, room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
• nonstick cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. With stand or handheld mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping between each egg. Add vanilla extract.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Add flour mixture to mixing bowl and slowly add milk while mixing. Mix until just combined.
4. Spray Fillables Fluted Cake Pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fill bottom of both pans with batter to three-quarters full.
5. Bake on middle rack in oven 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from pan.

Filling suggestions:
• Blueberries, plus additional for topping
• Raspberries, plus additional for topping
• Strawberries, stem removed and cut into small pieces, plus additional for topping
• Vanilla Frosting (recipe below)

1. Fill pockets in bottom layer of pound cake with different berries.
2. Carefully spread Vanilla Frosting over top of berries and cake.
3. Place top layer of cake on top of frosting.
4. Drizzle warmed up Vanilla Frosting over top of cake.
5. Decorate top with berries.

Vanilla Frosting

Recipe courtesy of Baker’s Advantage/Alissa Wallers

• 3 sticks butter, unsalted and at room temperature
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Using handheld or stand mixer, cream butter on high, about 3 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing on medium between each addition.
3. Scrape bowl well. Add remaining ingredients; mix on low until incorporated.
4. Turn mixer to high and beat frosting until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5. Use immediately or store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Note: Frosting must be at room temperature prior to using.

Source: Lifetime Brands

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