Summer's off to a great start!

It seems that my orders always come in bunches; hence, the posts with multiple projects!  I've been having fun with the summer orders I've received so far, and can't wait to see what else will head my way!

Graduation cake pops; see the softballs?

The whole setup at the party

Cookies for 60th wedding anniversary

NOTE: I DID NOT MAKE THE CAKE.  I did make the glitter platters and glitter vases.

Literally a jar of cake!  The white you see is icing in between the layers.  This was done at the request of the birthday boy, and he was very happy!

Playing Catch up Part 2

After having some technical difficulties with this blog (read: human error on my part), I have been updating my Facebook page more frequently.  However, I think I am back on track with technology and will be updating both!  Some more recent goodies: 

Local contest with my lemon-blueberry cupcakes; I won first place and was able to help a wonderful organization

Sugar cookies with buttercream rosettes for a birthday

"Welcome Spring!" sugar cookies with royal icing

Sugar cookies with royal icing and chocolate decoration; for a music-themed children's event

I.M. Healthy Soynut Butter

I was approached by I.M. Healthy Soynut Butter to create recipes for them a couple of times a month. I was so excited for this opportunity and accepted with great excitement. I have dear friends who have allergies, and the Soynut Butter company provides foods that enable them to still enjoy some of their favorite goodies. Find out more about them and get the recipes on their website: www.soynutbutter.com or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PeanutButterSubstitute.

Soynut butter and brown sugar dip

Soynut butter Easter Eggs (a take off of Reese's Eggs; adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

Avocado and Soynut Butter smoothie

Finally Back!

Wow, it has been over two years since I last posted.  Life became extremely busy, and this blog was put on the back burner (and eventually off the stove altogether) while I managed the craziness!  I started I job as a Parent Educator that I adored, but left me with an insane schedule.  I became pregnant with  my second child, and for six months after she was born my husband and I were working opposite shifts while watching the kids.  After some soul searching and happenings that were out of our control, I am now a full-time stay at home mommy!  I have been able to do more baking, and I hope to only go up from here.  So!  This is just going to be a long post with a smattering of what I've done over the past two years.  It's good to be back!

Sugar cookies with royal icing

So many cookies! for a "Milk and Cookies" party

Shortbreads with buttercream

Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting 

Buttercream rosettes

Smash "cake": Cookies with sprinkles, cool whip/pudding frosting, decoration made from chocolate and sprinkles

Whoopie pies!

Smash cakes and cupcakes for a joint 3rd and 1st birthday party

Cakes were made with cool whip/pudding frosting

Thanksgiving Turkeys

I am really starting to enjoy making decorated sugar cookies.  There are so many possibilities for techniques and designs!  These were especially fun because they were for our Thanksgiving celebration.  Originally, I planned to put each person's name on the turkeys as place cards, but decided not to risk it and that simple was best.  They were a huge hit, and now it's time to start thinking about Christmas cookies!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Wedding Celebration

A couple requested that I make them a wedding cake for just the two of them.  They were getting married in a private ceremony, and wanted to celebrate that day (and what better way than with cake?) and also save some for later.  They have had my cupcakes before, and loved the blueberry lemon ones.  So, for their cake, I just expanded on those flavors.  The cake was lemon with lemon cream cheese and blueberry jam in the center (one layer).  The cake was iced in buttercream, with buttercream flowers, chocolate monogram and carrot cake bites for the pumpkins on top.  I enjoyed making this for them and going outside of my comfort zone.  Cheers!

Birthday Cake Donuts

I had the opportunity to do something very fun and very different for an 8th birthday party.  The party was a pool party, and the birthday girl wanted glazed donuts, but have them look like life preservers and innertubes.  To say this was a challenge is putting it mildly!  However, I think they turned out ok; at least, the birthday girl and her guests enjoyed them, and that's the most important thing!  By the way, how awesome is it that she wanted donuts instead of cake?!

Halloween Cake Pops

Although I've been doing cake bites for some time now, cake pops, especially decorated cake pops, are on a whole different level for me.  This past week, I had the opportunity to make 150 Halloween themed cake pops.  One was for a party, and the other for an Elementary School class party.  These were so much fun to do!  I hope the customers were as happy as I am.

For the larger Halloween Party, there were a grouping of four different characters: Candy Corn; a ghost; a Witch; and Frankenstein. Each was a different flavor: Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting; Pound Cake with a Cool Whip/Cream Cheese/Cheesecake icing; Chocolate Cake with Mint icing and Andes mints; and Apple Cider Cake with Apple Cider Frosting.

For the school party, the Frankenstein pops were Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing, and the test tubes were Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Frosting.  Kid-Friendly flavors, but so much fun!  These test tubes were fun to "experiment" with (ha).  I really had no idea how to go about developing them, but I think they turned out well!  Notice the "liquid" on the bottom, how it swirls, and how the test tubes are "bubbling over".  Happy Halloween!!

First Birthday Party for Z

This birthday party was so  much fun! The colors were hot pink, white and black with polka dots, and brought to us by the letter "Z" and the number "1".  I'm thrilled with how the sugar cookies turned out!

Now, to be clear, I DID NOT MAKE THE CAKE.  The only thing I did were the black and pink monogrammed dots.  I did make the letters "Z" "O" and "E" out of chocolate (and made to stand up in the cake), but her mom and aunt covered them with a sugar transfer.  Props to them, because the cake was beautiful and delicious!!  I'm honored that they wanted me to be a part of it.