Hoppy Easter!!!

If you couldn't tell already, I really get into holidays.  I love the traditions, the time with family and friends, and of course the fabulous food!  Although Easter is most decidedly a celebration of Jesus' resurrection, I also enjoy the other spring-time symbols associated with Easter.

So when I found these cute flower petal cupcake liners at the craft store, I just knew they'd be perfect for Easter!  And what kind of cake does the Easter Bunny eat?  Carrot cake of course!  Because carrot cake is darker, I was afraid it would bleed through the pink petal design of the wrappers.  So I went ahead and baked them in standard foil cups, and then just placed them inside the decorative ones.

This was my first time making a "birds nest" out of the cream cheese frosting (tinted brown), but I just think it's sooooo cute with the little Easter egg candies nestled in them!  I'm definitely going to keep this technique in mind for many Easters to come.

Blessings-
LC

Another Spring Treat

At long last, it's finally starting to get warmer, the flowers are starting to bloom, and you can drive with the windows down without freezing!  So in an ode to the best season of the whole year, today's delightful treat is another tart and sweet lemon treat.  (you like my rhyme?)

This lemon bread is moist and delicious.  The lemon glaze on top makes it seem a little bit more like cake, but since you bake in a loaf pan, that means it's almost as "healthy" as bread, right? : )  Either way, this is definitely worth it!

Blessings-
LC

Basic is Best

Sometimes, simple is best - especially when it comes to cake.  I don't like a lot of unnecessary fillings, toppings, and other shenanigans on my cake.  Give me some good cake, some good frosting, and I'm good to go.  These cupcakes might not be anything fancy, but they are sooooooooooooo good.  A moist vanilla cake and smooth vanilla buttercream - that's all it takes.  No need to overdue it.  Good cake doesn't need it... and that's what you've got here.  Basic is best.

Blessings-
LC

Spring is here!

And that means all my favorite spring-time flavors are in season... like this lemon cake with raspberry filling.  I recently made this for my friend Sarah's birthday, and it was the perfect way to celebrate her birthday and the beginning of spring.  Believe it or not, I had no idea that lemon was her favorite flavor - what a happy coincidence! : )  I usually do a lemon-cream cheese frosting for this cake, but I thought the raspberry filling would be a tasty way to switch things up a bit.  It was a big hit!

Blessings-
LC

I'm Official!

I finally ordered some business cards, and I just LOVE them!  I've got quite a few baking jobs lined up for this summer, so it was time to get some cards to hand out to potential clients.  I can't wait... It's like I'm a grown-up now. : )  I blocked my name out of the back for the purposes of this blog, but other than that, here it is!

Blessings-
LC

Award Winning Cookies

Yes, that's right.  They're that good.

These oatmeal cookies are full of chocolate and butterscotch chips, and they happen to be a favorite of one of my friends.  So when his company had a cookie contest, he asked if he could "make them" for the contest.  I use that term loosely, because as you can imagine, I ended up getting all the ingredients together for him while he stood there and held the mixer.  But hey, somebody had to do it! : )  He submitted these cookies to his company-wide contest and even I was a little surprised that they won - even beating out an older lady that had quite a history of winning the annual company cookie contest.

Something must be right with these cookies!  I still like to make these when I'm in the mood for something a little different, and they're always a hit with the crowd!

Blessings-
LC

Brownies - Not From a Box!

Most people are used to the brownies you buy that begin with a box, add some eggs/oil/water, and you end up with some brownies that usually taste okay... but they always seem to be too crunchy, too gooey, or too dried out.

Well, these brownies are WAY better - trust me.  The buttermilk in them makes them super moist, and a little more cake-like than a typical brownie.  But you can still pick them up and eat them with your hands.  They are simply delightful, and they make me never want to eat box brownies again!

Blessings-
LC