Ta-Da!!!

I'll admit... I bake so often that I currently have a backlog of photos and delightful treats to share with you.  I do always try to keep a couple of new pictures at hand, so in case something goes terribly awry, I've got a week to get my act together and get back to blogging!  So I usually pick and choose through my photos based on my mood and what my most recent posts were about to make sure I'm not blogging about cupcakes every single time (though that is a strong temptation!).

So with that background info, I'll admit that this cake was one I just did over the weekend for a birthday party, and I was just SO excited about it that I had to share it right away.  I've been in an intro to cake decorating class lately... it's very informal and was only once a week for the month of February.  But since I've never had any "formal" training in baking or cake decorating, it was a good experience and place to get started.  Anyways, I learned how to make these cute little flowers the other week, and I just thought they would be perfect for my friend Lindsay's birthday!  I just love the way it turned out.  I still need to do a little work on my penmanship, but you can see it is much improved from my last attempt. : )

The cake itself was also a bit of a first for me.  I had made chocolate cake before, but since it was for a very special *milestone* birthday, I wanted it to be a little more impressive than usual.  So I decided to split each cake layer in half, creating a 4 layer cake... and for the first time I paired my chocolate cake with peanut butter filling!  I kept chocolate icing on the outside so as not to be too overwhelming with the peanut butter flavor.  And I must say, not only was the cake beautiful, but it was delicious.  I'm definitely going to keep this combination in mind for future celebrations!

Blessings-
LC

Blueberry Buckle

This is the best blueberry coffee cake - ever.  Another great recipe I inherited from my beloved June.  She always used to make this for weekend breakfasts, so I finally asked her if she would trust me with this tasty treasure.  And it is fantastic!

The cake is a super moist coffee cake with blueberries laced throughout... but my favorite part is the topping!  It's a sweet mixture of cinnamon, butter, and sugar, and it forms the most wonderful little crust on top.  I seriously could just scrape the topping off and eat it straight.  But it probably is better to just eat the coffee cake in its entirety and not just scrape off the top!

Blessings-
LC

Dulce de Lovely

I had kind of forgotten about this tasty morsel.  I'll admit it was a bit of an experiment, but I think it turned out pretty well.  My mom and I always make Sandy's Secret Cheesecake (the same author as the award-winning chili!), which is a traditional New York style cheesecake.  So when my BFF requested a dulce de leche cheesecake for her birthday back in December, I decided to alter my usual recipe to incorporate a sweet caramel sauce for her.

I still think the traditional version is my favorite, but this was a nice change... and it was what she wanted to that's all that matters! : )

Blessings-
LC

Congratulations!

Some friends of mine recently got engaged - YAY!!!  When I found out they were having an engagement party, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to practice some of my baking and decorating skills.  You'll notice that the cake is half chocolate (his fav) and half red velvet (her fav).  Although I used chocolate frosting for the filling on the chocolate cake, I used cream cheese frosting for the red velvet and to cover the entire cake.  I just love the way it turned out... and there was none left at the end of the party!  So that's always a good sign. : )

Congratulations Nina and Doug!!!

Blessings-
LC

Chili Champion

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I recently entered a chili cookoff.  Now I've done that before, but it was just a small little competition in my office (which I also won haha).  The chili cookoff yesterday was a benefit for Young Life and had around 17 entries.  There were three awards: Spiciest, Judges Choice, and People's Choice.  As you can see from the photo, I won People's Choice!!! : )

I wish I'd thought ahead to take a picture of the chili beforehand, because there was literally not one drop of chili left after the competition!  I used a recipe from a good family friend (thanks Sandy!), and even though I tried all the competitors' entries, I must say that I didn't really like any of the other chilis... not that I'm biased. : )  Here's proof of my victory!

Blessings-
LC

Happy Heart Day

Those who know me know that I love holidays! I think they are a great excuse to dress, decorate, and cook "in-theme"... whatever that may be.  On the scale of holidays, I'll admit that Valentine's has never been one of my favorites.  I've always thought it was kind of pointless, but I still enjoy sending little paper valentines and painting my nails red.

One of the traditions I have started is making these heart-shaped sugar cookies every Valentine's.  This is by far my favorite sugar cookie recipe (another great one inherited from June!), and when I took more than 50 of these cookies to a chili cookoff (which will be described in a later post), not ONE of them was left!  They were a big hit to say the least.  Plus, they're just so darn cute, aren't they?

Blessings-
LC

Carrots are best in Cake

I recently made these carrot cake cupcakes for another birthday.  I love cupcakes because they're easy to carry, and even easier to eat.  I decided to get a little fancy with these and put some edible glitter on top for a little extra special somthin' somethin'.  Aren't they cute?  And of course with carrot cake, you've just got to have cream cheese icing - duh.

I base this recipe off one given to me by my dear friend Jeremy (otherwise known as Jerms).  Now, I have adapted my version slightly, but everyone who has ever had one says it is the best carrot cake they ever had.  So that must mean something, right?  Of course one of the secrets is using freshly grated carrots (thank God I have a food processor with a grating wheel!).  I do put in a couple of special secret ingredients you wouldn't expect in carrot cake, as well as the usual nuts and sometimes raisins if I'm feeling a little extra spunky.  I know I seem to say this about every cake I put up on here, but these are definitely one of my favorites!

Blessings-
LC