Rustic raspberry dessert table

This dessert table was inspired by the sweet, red, gorgeous raspberries at the St. Paul Farmers’ Market. My sister and I have spent the past couple Saturdays strolling around the market and as raspberries came into season they covered tables in a sea of red.

Inspiration can really come from anywhere and I love when an idea leads to a Saturday of baking and hanging out with my sis. The raspberries had me dreaming about pies, cheesecakes and cupcakes and that’s exactly what this table consists of.

I took a major shortcut with the cheesecake and used a no bake Jello box. Whatever. It was still delicious.

The mini pie tins are from Target and had graham cracker crust in them (6 for $1.50). I used half of them for cheesecake and the other half I scooped out the crust and replaced with Pillsbury pie crust for the fresh raspberry pie. Delicious.

My vision for this table was simple, rustic with gorgeous reds from the flowers and raspberries.  I found the burlap for only $3 per yard and love it. 

The paper products were made using a free download/printable from Style Me Pretty.  Click here to check them out; in addition to the cute red/white checkered pattern there are favor tags that read “The Sweetest Day”. 

I used twine (or maybe it was hemp?) to wrap around the mason jars and a Martha Stewart heart-cut out from Michaels to cut a cute little heart to attach to the twine.

The pink sparkling lemonade is from Trader Joes and I added fresh raspberries to each mason jar.  Mason jars are everywhere right now because it is canning season and you can get a dozen for around $8. 

The mini pies are almost too cute to eat.  The little heart cut-out was achieved from a heart fondant cutter.  This pie recipe was simple and delicious.  The fresh raspberries speak for themselves.  Perfect.  I halved the recipe since I was only making a few mini pies. 

Raspberry Pie (recipe adapted from All Recipes)

Ingredients

1 box of refrigerated pie crust (such as Pillsbury)
4 cups raspberries
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons tapioca
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon half-and-half cream

Directions

1.Mix together the raspberries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt until raspberries are well covered.

2.Use the mini pie tins as a guide to cut out two circles and press into the tin.  Pour filling into the shell. Dot with butter, top with crust.

3.Make slits in the top crust and brush with cream (or a cute heart cut-out!). Bake in a preheated 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) oven for 15 minutes, then at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes. This time is for a full size pies, just keep a close eye on your minis, they obviously take less time and will be done when the crust is starting to brown and the fruit filling is bubbly.

I am in constant search for the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe.  This is maybe not the perfect recipe but it is really damn good.  The cake is not too sweet and the texture is lovely. 
Amy Sedaris’s Vanilla Cupcakes (recipe adapted from Epicurious)

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups milk

Preparation

Turn oven on to 375 degrees F.

Put butter in mixer and beat at medium speed until somewhat smooth. Pour in sugar and beat well. Add 2 eggs. I like to crack the eggs on the side of the bowl while it is moving, which can be really stupid. I like to take chances. Yes, I have had to throw away my batter because I lost eggshells in the mix. Yes, it was a waste of food and yes, I know how expensive butter is, but what can I say? I’m a daredevil. Mix well. Add: vanilla, baking powder, salt, flour, and milk. Beat until it looks like it is supposed to and pour into individual baking cups, until they are about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Should produce 24 cupcakes; I get 18 because I’m doing something wrong, although my cupcakes were voted second best in the city by New York Magazine.

I frosted the cupcakes with store-bought frosting to save some time.  I used Duncan Hines vanilla whipped frosting. 

Putting the cheesecake shooters together was really easy.  Follow the directions on the no-bake Jello box and then press some of the crust into the bottom of small shot glasses.  Add a layer of filling, let sit in the fridge for an hour then top with raspberries.  Next time I make these I may begin with the bottom layer of filling as the crust tends to stick to the bottom.

I have no idea what kind of flowers these are but these beauties are also from the farmers’ market.  I tied a piece of burlap around a mason jar.  Easy and gorgeous.

I used some leftover pie crust and filling to make these cute pie pops. 

I hope you enjoyed my raspberry dessert table.  This would be a lovely addition to any bridal/baby shower, outdoor birthday party, even a larger version at a wedding. 

Have a lovely Monday!