Strawberry Deliciousness!

For the first time since starting this blog (or avidly baking), I am proud of the way something I made looks! At the request of my bestest friend, I made fresh strawberry cupcakes.  I used this recipe and added 1/4 cup more strawberry puree to the batter.  They turned out wonderfully!  I loved the bits of strawberry in the frosting and how moist and light the cakes turned out.  I played with some Wilton rolled fondant and cut cute little flowers for the tops =) This baking adventure is definitely my favorite so far.  Here are the results:

Practice, Practice, Practice

Lesson learned #1: decorating baked goods is difficult and should not be attempted in haste or before completing decorating classes.  I was so excited to get started that I jumped the gun and tried to make things pretty before I was prepared or ready.  The attempts were lots of fun and tasted delicious, and I like to think that that is the most important thing, right?

I made a red velvet cake for my Mom's birthday.  I used this recipe by Wilton and a basic cream cheese icing.  I researched a lot on trimming and icing the cake correctly, and that part went beautifully (I was actually very proud!).  However, the decorating part was not so perfect, and not what I wanted it to be at all.  Practicing with this cake made me very very excited for my class to start next week! Here are the results:

Happy Birthday To My Joshua

Yesterday, I made a carrot cake for my husband's 25th birthday. Carrot cake is his favorite, so I wanted to try something new (I have made many carrot cakes in my life, and have never really been impressed with one). I decided to use Wilton's carrot cake with white chocolate cream cheese icing recipe, only I subbed in one cup of wheat flour for one of the plain and one cup brown sugar for one of the plain - it was scrumptious and will definitely replace my old recipe!



I love that the carrot is actually visible in the cake! It was super moist and had just the right amount of spice. The icing was a little rich for my taste, I will probably lighten it up next time as well as use a firmer icing so that the cake looks more professional. All in all, it was a big hit, and definitely the best carrot cake I have ever made!

Next up ... Red Velvet Cake and Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes!

YAY For New Adventures!

I am so excited to start this new baking adventure and this new blog! A few weeks ago, I began searching for cute ideas for my 10 month old son's first birthday party (early, I know), and I was so inspired by some of the beautiful cakes and cupcakes I found. I thought to myself, "hey ... i can do that." So, I signed up for some Wilton decorating classes, and here I am. I am using every excuse to bake and practice, and this blog is where I shall document every success and failure. Let the baking begin!