What better way to celebrate National Breast Cancer Awareness Month than sharing some rosy treats with your friends and family! We all want to show our support or make others aware, and there’s just something about the combination of the color pink and food that’s irresistible. So here are some pink desserts that will bring a lovely pop to brighten your day! 

Pink Éclairs

 

Recipe courtesy of Sweetapolita

INGREDIENTS
For the Vanilla Pastry Cream:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks
1 cup whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Pâte à Choux
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 large eggs

For the Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Pink food coloring gel

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined; set aside.

2. Combine the milk and half-and-half in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it simmers. Whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture. Return egg-milk mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and two or three large bubbles appear on the surface. Whisk in the vanilla and butter. Pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator until set, at least 3 hours.

3. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup water, butter, sugar, and salt over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture just comes to a boil. Quickly stir in the flour and continue to stir until the mixture comes together and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir for 2 minutes more (a film may form on the bottom of the pan–this is okay).

4. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the mixture cools slightly and the steam disappears, about 3 minutes.

5. Slowly add the eggs, one at a time, mixing to completely incorporate after each addition. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle as necessary.

6. Spoon the batter into a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag fitted with a round tip (Wilton Round Tip #1a). Pipe 12 to 14 straight 4-inch lines, spaced 2 inches apart, onto the baking sheet.

7. Bake for 15 minutes, do not open the oven door. At this point, the éclairs will be puffed and golden brown. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake until éclairs appear dry and are a deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Do not underbake; this may cause the éclairs to collapse. Let cool completely on pan.

8. When éclairs have cooled, use a small skewer to poke a hold in either end of each one. Gently move the skewer around the inside the éclair to clear a space for the cream.

9. Spoon the cooled pastry cream into a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag fitted with a Wilton Round Tip #230. Fill éclairs with pastry cream from both ends, taking care to not overfill.

10. In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Stir in a few drops of pink food coloring until the desired color is achieved. Hold an éclair over the bowl of glaze, spoon the glaze over it, and spread to coat the top. Place the éclairs in individual rectangular treat cups and arrange on a rectangular platter in a single layer. Replenish platter as necessary.

Fluffy Pink Lemonade Dessert

Recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker

INGREDIENTS
2 cups broken pretzels (about 4 oz)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
2 boxes (4-serving size each) white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 can (12 oz) frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 or 3 drops red food color
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Lemon slices, cut into fourths

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In food processor bowl with metal blade, place pretzels and sugar. Cover; process 15 to 20 seconds or until finely crushed. With food processor running, drizzle melted butter through feed tube, pulsing to mix well.

2. Press crust mixture in bottom of ungreased 11×7-inch pan or glass baking dish. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until set and golden brown. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.

3. Remove foil wrapper from cream cheese package, place cream cheese in large microwavable bowl; microwave uncovered on Medium (50%) 45 seconds to 1 minute or until well softened. Stir until smooth. Beat dry pudding mix into cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until well incorporated. Add lemonade concentrate and food color. Beat on low speed until mixed. Beat on medium speed, about 2 minutes until fluffy. Gently stir in 2 cups of the whipped topping until smooth. Spread over crust. Spread remaining whipped topping over lemonade mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set.

4. Cut dessert into squares. Garnish each serving with lemon.

Roasted Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

 

Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS
4 cups strawberries (about 1 pound), hulled, halved or quartered if large
1 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup sour cream
Kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Combine strawberries and sugar in a 13x9x2 inches baking pan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add pod; toss to combine. Roast berries, stirring occasionally, until juices are bubbling, 15–20 minutes. Let cool.

2. Discard pod. Purée berries, buttermilk, sour cream, and salt in a blender until smooth. Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer sherbet to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

3. DO AHEAD: Sherbet can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen. Let soften at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Cherry Paletas

Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds fresh cherries (about 4 cups), stemmed, pitted, halved, or 2 10-ounce bags frozen cherries, thawed
of kosher salt
2 tablespoons (or more) sugar
1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Purée cherries, salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/2 cup water in a blender until smooth. Taste and add more sugar or lemon juice, if desired. (Purée will taste less sweet once frozen, so err on the sweet side.)

2. Divide purée among ice-pop molds and insert sticks. Freeze until solid, at least 4 hours. Dip molds briefly in hot water to release paletas.

3. DO AHEAD: Paletas can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.

Pink Ombre Mini Cakes

 

Recipe courtesy of Baking With Blondie
Photo courtesy of Meaningful Mama

INGREDIENTS
1 box cake mix (white) 1 recipe *Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Prepare cake mix according to package directions (preheat oven to appropriate temperature, as well). Split batter into 4 separate bowls – I used about 1 cup of batter in each bowl.

2. With one of the bowls, add drops/gel food coloring until it reaches the desired color for the bottom layer of your mini cakes – so make it the darkest. In the next bowl, use less coloring. Same for the next, and in the last bowl use barely any food coloring. That way you have 4 different shades (increasingly lighter) of cake batter.

3. Coat your cake pans with shortening and a dusting of flour/powdered sugar. Working in two batches at a time (unless you have 4 separate cake pans) bake 2 bowls-worth of cake batter (saving the other two for after the first two are finished). After they’re done baking, cool on a wire rack coated with wax paper.

4. After cooled, you’re ready to make your circles. BUT before, make sure your cake layers are level (I forgot this step, and mine teetered just a bit – they’re look much neater than mine if they’re flat and even before you start stacking!) With your cookie cutter/mason jar top press circles into each cake (you should get about 6 circles per cake, depending on the size of your circle shape/cutter). Work quickly so the cake doesn’t dry out.