Farewell... for now

I have been completely behind on updating my blog the last several weeks, and I am SO sorry!  However, I think you will understand when I explain what is going on in my world.

You may or may not know, but baking (and this blog) is not my full-time job.  It's a hobby that kind of took on a life of its own and became a little side business.  Well, a few weeks ago, I learned that I would be transferring with my "real job" back to the Midwest.  This is a move that I have been praying about for a long time, but it still kind of took me by surprise when it actually came together.

So, that being said, I've obviously had a lot going on the last few weeks, and a lot more still to wrap up before I move (in 3 weeks!!!).  Because of the craziness of moving and the responsibility of learning a new position with my organization, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take a hiatus from the blog for a bit.  It is my hope to still post delightful treats occasionally, but it won't be with the regularity and frequency I've had for the last year or so.  Although I won't be able to focus too much on Delightful Treats, you know I won't be able to stay away from baking for too long! : )  So I will definitely still be baking and will update the blog when I get a chance.

Since this will likely be my last post for a while, I wanted to leave you with a couple of treats to remember me by.

The first, is a collage of cupcake and icing flavors I made for a little girl's birthday party.  Her favorite color is pink so she wanted pink cake and pink icing, but mom wanted to have a variety of flavor options for all the kiddos.  So I made chocolate, red velvet, and yellow cake (dyed pink!) with a mix of chocolate and cream cheese icing.  Then they all got a sprinkling of edible glitter - perfect for any little girl's party!

The second is another cookie cake (chocolate chip) I made for the interns in our office on their last day to thank them for all their help.  Unfortunately I had forgotten my camera that day, so I had to take the pictures on my phone and they're not the best quality.  But I thought this was the perfect treat to share today to thank all my friends and subscribers who have encouraged and supported me through the growth of this blog and my little business.

So thank you all for reading my blog and for ordering my products.  I will definitely still update when I can, and I will also start re-establishing my business back in the Midwest.  I'll let you know when I'm settled and on the baking bandwagon again... farewell for now!

 

Blessings-
LC

Pretty Pretty Princess

This special princess cake was for a very cute little girl's 5th birthday.  She wanted a pink princess cake, so I made sure there were lots of sparkles, sprinkles, and glitter.  And when it was all said and done, I thought it turned out super cute!

Blessings-
LC

Kitty Cat

This cute kitty-themed cake was for a special little boy's birthday a couple weeks ago.  It was the first time I'd decorated a cake with a cat face, but I think it was really cute and perfectly in keeping with his party's cat & animal theme.  All the kids were going to get a clip-on tail, so you can see that this cake was the perfect way to celebrate his 4th Birthday!

Blessings-
LC

Cookies 'n Cream II

Just wanted to share this quick little treat with you since I recently posted another cookies 'n cream concoction.  The first was a cake, but this one is a tasty bark made of white chocolate and lots of crushed up Oreos.  I served this at a party I hosted recently and it was almost all gone by the end of the night!

Blessings-
LC

"Hostess" Cupcakes

In honor of Valentine's Day I wanted to share a special treat that reminds me of the simpler days of my childhood.  These "Hostess"-style cupcakes were made of moist chocolate cupcake, marshmallow creme filling, rich chocolate ganache, and that signature swirl on top - except in pink in honor of V-Day, naturally.

I'd made elements of these cupcakes before, but never put them together.  I don't know what took me so long... because they were delicious!  And I do think the little pink swirl on top is extra cute and makes this a special treat for Valentine's Day... or any other day really.  I will definitely be making these again!

Blessings-
LC

Cookies 'n Cream

This is a cute little 6" cookies 'n cream cake I made recently for a friend's birthday.  The smaller size is just perfect for a small gathering, and there were lots of Oreo cookie pieces in the moist vanilla cake and also stuffed in the filling between the cake layers.  I didn't get a picture of the inside, but I heard that the birthday girl was very pleased! : )

Blessings-
LC

German Chocolate Cupcakes

I don't like coconut, or pecans (in desserts).  So it was a real stretch for me to make these cupcakes.  But as you know, I do aim to please! : )  So I made these special cupcakes for a coworker's birthday a couple weeks ago.  I have to admit.... even I thought they were pretty good - and I don't even like coconut!  But they'd be a sure winner if that's your kind of thing. : )  The chocolate cake is super moist, and the frosting is FULL of sweetened coconut and pecans.

Blessings-
LC

Ducky

I thought this cake was absolutely adorable!  Little Amelia was celebrating her 1st Birthday a couple weeks ago, and her parents commissioned me to make a cake for the large party they were hosting for her very special day.  Apparently, she dressed up as a duck for Halloween this past year (how cute!), and she likes ducks in general, so we incorporated that into the cake.  I put some clear sparkles on the duck just to give it a little kick, and I just think it's super cute!

 

Blessings-
LC

Cookie Cake

This is a fun twist on a birthday treat.  My sweet friend Alina recently had a birthday and I made this very special "cookie cake for her.  She is not a big sweets person (much to my chagrin), but she happens to love my sugar cookies.  So I surprised her for her birthday and made her a GIANT sugar cookie "cake."  It was a big hit at her party and definitely something I'd love to make again!

 

Blessings-
LC

For Mama

This is a special little cake I made for my mom on her birthday last month.  She's a traditional kind of gal - white cake, white icing, vanilla ice cream (in a separate bowl so it doesn't touch the cake). : )  So this year I made a little cake for our little family... because around the holidays, none of us needed a bunch of extra birthday cake sitting around the house!

The penmanship on this one wasn't my best, but I thought overall the cake was so pretty.  I especially loved the textured sides of the cake.   But most importantly, I love my mom!

 

Blessings-
LC

Cupcake Anyone???

I can't believe I forgot to post this!  Another one from the archives, I just realized I forgot to post this very special birthday cake last fall.  I wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary, and try out some new baking pans that I had.  So I made a GIANT birthday cupcake made of pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing.  It was delicious!  And pretty cute too, if I do say so myself.

This baking pan is definitely a special occasion type of tool, but I'll definitely be using it again!

Blessings-
LC

One More Christmas

Even though we are past that glorious season of Christmas baked goods, I still had more delightful treat I needed to share from over the holidays!  These cupcakes were for a client, and I thought they were really cute and festive.  Her church was having a dessert social and she ordered some things from me for their gathering.  I thought the gold liners, red velvet cake, and little green sparkles were really festive and appropriate for the occasion.  I promise this is the last Christmas posting... at least until the end of the year!

Blessings-
LC

Go Nuts

Although the "official" season of Christmas treats has passed, these spiced nuts are a delicious treat all year long.  I've recently discovered a love for candied nuts, and these spiced pecans are fantastic.  Not too sweet... with lots of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger to give them a wonderfully warm flavor.  They're super simple to make, and although I don't usually post recipes on here, since this is just one that I found online - here ya go! : )

Blessings-
LC

Buckeye Brownies

Here's another one for all you peanut butter/chocolate lovers out there.  These are great for a crowd because I make them in a 9X13 pan, which makes them easy to cut and serve.  Plus, they're so rich that you get a lot of servings from one batch!

There's a chewy brownie bottom, topped with buckeye filling, and then topped with a layer of chocolate ganache.  For those of you who have never had a buckeye - shame on you.  Basically, the middle of a buckeye is peanut butter and sugar.  So you can imagine what that filling tastes like slathered on top of a chewy chocolate brownie.  Pretty tasty!

Blessings-
LC

I'm Back!... With a Baby Cake

I can't believe it's been so long since my last post!  I had every intention of adding some new treats over the holidays, but as I'm sure many of you were... it was rather hectic!  But now I am back from all my travels and with renewed enthusiasm and dedication for Delightful Treats.

While I was home for the holidays, I certainly was able to relax, but it wasn't all down-time.  As you can see from the photos below... I was still keeping busy!  One of my dear friends from college recently had a baby, and since she now lives in South Carolina, her family wanted to throw her a belated baby shower back in the Midwest.  I was honored when my friend asked me to make the cake for her special occasion.  Although I never got a picture of the inside, it was a spice cake with caramel filling and cream cheese frosting.  My Mommy Friend told me what flavor she wanted the cake, the colors for the icing, and that she wanted a little lion cub on it, but other than that she gave me creative reign.

Since she already had the baby I had some more information about the little bundle of joy than you normally would for a baby shower cake, obviously. : )  Judah means "lion's cub" which is why she wanted that incorporated.  As you can see, I decorated the top tier with some of his birth information: his birth date (10/9/11), his weight (5 lb 9oz), and his length (18.5 inches).  On the bottom tier I incorporated part of a verse that Judah's daddy recites to him every night from Proverbs 23:15-16, "My son, if you are wise, then my heart will be glad.  My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right."

I loved the way this cake turned out.  I thought it was so cute and perfect for such a precious baby boy.  So here's the super cute cake, and the super cute baby!

Blessings-
LC