UNO: My Son Turns One

Somehow, it's been a year since my son was born. 

I have no idea how that happened. 

BUT since he such a sweet kid, I made sure his sweets table was well stocked!

SUUUGGGAAAR!!...and sleepless nights!

Sweets Menu:

1. 6" Western themed half Red Velvet, half Devil's Food Cake filled and iced with dark chocolate ganache

Decorated in modeling chocolate...yummy!!

2. 2-dozen mini vanilla cupcakes w/buttercream frosting

3. 2-dozen mini carrot cake cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting

4. 2-dozen mini devil's food cupcakes w/ dark chocolate ganache

5. 2-dozen mini red velvet cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting

6. 1-dozen large vanilla cupcakes w/ buttercream frosting

7. 1-dozen large red velvet cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting

CUPCAKES!!!!

8. 1-dozen smores on a stick

9. 10 "hay bales on a stick" (rice krispy treats)

If you've never had a smore-on-a-stick, I highly recommend it...they're SO yummy!

10. 25 star sugar cookies covered in marshmallow fondant

Brushed with apricot jam and packaged with care :0)
(Thank you Emily and Erica!!)

11. And of course...a SMASH CAKE!

This is his pre-pose stance before the smashing (aka poking) began!

So, that was the sweets table! Here's the food table!

Pork sliders, deviled eggs, and pigs-in-a-blanket still set to arrive.
I can't take credit for ANY of this...I did nothing, my friends and family did EVERYTHING!

Life is different when you have kids.

          Very different. 

You have no concept of time or beauty. Especially beauty :0).

Where does he get that sad face from ;0)??!!!

I can usually get only one of us looking good when we leave the house - and it never seems to be me. When I don't have my husband home to do a "check," I almost certainly will have rice cereal, peas, and poop on, near, or around me and not notice until I see someone's frightened face in public.

But it's the happiest ugly I've ever felt! I love being a mom, more than anything. 

I think he's worth more than that!

Since I have so much spare time (HA! Syke!), I spent many nights preparing for his party. I slowly tackled the decorations (all homemade from recycled, reusable items) during his naps.

Wine bottles for vases, egg cartons for cupcake holders,
and painted Honest Company boxed for stands!

And I baked while he was dreaming of puppies and cookies!

Again...NONE of this would have been possible without the help of incredible friends and family! THANK YOU! 

Aunty Erica and God-Mommy Emily = MY ANGELS!

They (those two beauties above), along with grandparents, Ryan, and Blake dedicated their whole weekend to helping me set up, prepare the food, and snuggle my sweet boy when I was up to my elbows in frosting. 

It was so fun having a house full of babies and their incredible families. When we moved from Kauai to Oregon, I was so nervous about making new friends, as I can by shy...and extremely awkward. But true to form, Jesus has introduced our family to some of the kindest people on the planet!! We are so blessed. 

To my little Torrey,

You are my stars, moon, and universe. I am so proud of you and love seeing you grow and develop. Thank you for your laughs, overactive need to open cupboard drawers, play with toilet paper like a cat, and kiss and snuggle me before you fall asleep every night. I love you.

My sweet pea! 

Love You All! Take Care and God Bless!

All Squares: A Minecraft Birthday for My Brother-In-Law

I am so sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. I promise I haven't forgotten about the blog...or YOU!

I'm going through a season where it feels like I'm watching life fly by like a movie. Time goes by too fast, especially with a little one. I keep wanting to hit pause to savor different moments but my remote seems to be broken! Someone please fix it!

I recently had the honor of making a birthday cake for one of my brother-in-laws. He just turned 8.

No, that is not a typo. He is 8. And he is awesome.

Here it is!

Minecraft Birthday Cake with Cupcakes

Happy Birthday Shane!
(That is what I wanted the words to say but my "P" wasn't cooperating)

P.S. If you don't know, Minecraft is a computer game. I've played it a few times and it's really fun! 

I guess it's super popular now!

For my first crack at a themed cake, I am very proud of it! I know it will be one of those pictures that I try to hide 3 years from now when I've had a bit more practice, but I will enjoy/be proud of this while I can!

Although this cake took me hours, and hours, and hours to make...the best part was bringing it into the room and seeing the reaction on Shane's face. He is a tough critic too, so I was nervous. To my delight, he was ecstatic.

Yikes.
Imagine what goes on in my brain.
Yikes Squared. Poor Eric.

I made a vanilla cake and stacked into a 5 inch square. I filled and iced it with swiss meringue buttercream (which is truly the best!) No more american buttercream...ever.

In fact, my other brother-in-law, Ryan (he is 10), took a bite of the cake and said it was the best cake he had ever had! Woohoo!

I made homemade marshmallow fondant to cover the outside and make the figurines. Steve, a Creeper (green thing), and TNT.

Fun Fact:
Fondant acts as a seal to keep the cake and buttercream fresh!

This is the good stuff. The kids immediately started picking off the TNT and eating it :0)!

Shane even wanted his mom to freeze Steve so he could keep him forever. Heart melt!

Lesson about Fondant: It is not great for modeling. My figures were super soft...even after leaving them out overnight. Next time, I'll have to mix in a bit of tylose powder or gum paste to help it along. 

I wanted Shane to feel special, which is why the cake is so small. That was HIS cake. Everyone else got to enjoy the cupcakes ;0)!

CUPCAKES! Vanilla with Swiss Meringue Buttercream!

This is what baking is all about. Bringing people joy. I am VERY excited to see what the future has in store :0). Believe me when I say...this is just the beginning! More to come very soon!

Love You All! Take Care and God Bless!

Guest Blogger - My Husband: A Funfetti Birthday Cake!!

I've been reading all of Kina's blogs and I knew that, as her birthday wish, she wanted nothing more than me to bake her a cake.

The first time she made a funfetti cake from scratch didn't turn out so well (it tasted like spongy cardboard).  I can make fun of that one because all the rest have been amazing!

For me, I wouldn't make the same funfetti mistake - I chose a recipe that I knew I could trust.

I'm actually pleased with how this picture turned out - call me up Pillsbury Doughboy, I'll be your photographer

I really did think about making a cake from scratch myself...but I knew I could mess this one up enough to still prove the point that baking (and decorating) is difficult.

For starters, the box doesn't differentiate which 'oil' you should use.

Choices, choices, choices

I also had no clue what "shortening" was (still don't).  They wanted me to grease the pan with it.  Where I'm from, we call that butter.

Yeah, that's probably enough

The box told me to use the mixer to mix the ingredients - but I was scared to break it.  So I used my hands (like a man).

...And it was very tiring - but still manly

I took it out of the oven 9-minutes early because it looked done.  Kina even walked in and put a toothpick in it and agreed.  My 6th baking sense helped me out.

Looking good

Now, back in the day, I'd pour some frosting on and cut it out from here - but, from watching Kina, I know real bakers frost the whole thing (sides and all).  So all I had to do now was to let it cool and then dump it out and frost it.

But only that much came out - why did it stick to the pan?

So my butter didn't work as I had hoped.

To make up for that error, I cut the whole cake in half and now decided to make it a 'layered' cake.  I stole some of Kina's old cream cheese frosting from the fridge so I could put it in between the cake pieces (hopefully to make the destroyed part stick to the rest of the cake).

But I didn't have very much cream cheese frosting so I got that

At this point, I was pretty confused as to how real bakers spread frosting without having half their cake be ripped apart.  Kina then told me that you need to let your cake cool.  That made perfect sense to me.  But I wanted to finish my project - so I pushed through - it could cool as I worked.

This side view shows that I should have let the cake cool

Finally, I was able to "pipe" words on the top of the cake with the left over stolen cream cheese frosting.  This was my favorite part - I think I nailed it.

The circles cover up holes in the cake

Happy Birthday Kina!  I love you very much.  I am very glad you are the baker of the family - I'm inadequate in that area.

Torrey and I are so grateful for you and we cherish every day with you.

Thanks for letting me steal your Blog for the day!

An Anniversary: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

What kind of cake do you envision for an anniversary?

When I asked my husband what kind of cake he wanted for our 4 year wedding anniversary, he said:

"Carrot Cake!!!...with Cream Cheese Frosting!"

Yes...it's suppose to be a carrot. A BIG CARROT!
I KNOW it looks like a pumpkin...dangit.

I LOVE MY HUSBAND! This just defines how truly unique and special he is!

I had a white cake in my mind, kind of like the top tier of our wedding cake...but what a great way to change it up!

I guess I should have made the border brown...like dirt.
Would that have made it look more like a big carrot?
Just say..."yes"...with a convincing smile!

I thought that this was a perfect opportunity to try my hand at using fondant.

Made with care...and A LOT of confectioners sugar.

I even made it myself!!! I used the Wilton Rolled Fondant Recipe. It took a LONG time to knead...I was tired, sore, you name it!

But it was worth it! If you buy at the store it's $17.99! Booooo!

So smooooth!

I had so much fun! I LOVE working with  fondant...it tastes like PURE sugar, so we didn't eat it but it's so pretty!!!

Luckily I added a THICK layer of cream cheese frosting under the fondant!

This cake is made with fresh, organic carrots! YUM!!

3 packed cups to be exact!

I used 6" pans, and layered them.

Dog food? NO...heaven!

There was enough batter to make a few cupcakes too! YAAAAAY!

Pecans on top because I like using pecans more than walnuts!

I love this cake...so good and flavorful! The frosting is very cream-cheesy...not too sweet!

Pecan Power!

SOOOO much better than eating just a carrot!

I love you dear Eric. Thank you for being the man of my dreams and so much more. YOU are my happiest place on earth and thank God everyday for your love, support, and youthfulness. To endless more years of laugher and love!

So many miracles in 4 years!
Photo Credit: Jerek Barcelona

Love you all! Take Care and God Bless!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Print Recipe Yield: 10-12     Prep Time: 30 minutes    Total Time: 1 and 1/2 hours Ingredients: Carrot Cake 2 and 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour 1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cups freshly grated carrots 1 cup chopped toasted pecans 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 4 large eggs, room temperature 1 and 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil Cream Cheese Frosting 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar Directions: Carrot Cake 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 6" cake pans + 6 cupcake tins (you can also use a 9x13, two 8" pans, or two 9" pans and adjust the time accordingly). 2. Shred carrots and set aside.  3. Chop pecans and set aside. 4. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until combined. Set aside. 5. In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until frothy.  6. Slowly add in oil and combine completely. 7. Stir in the carrots, pecans, and dry ingredients. 8. Put 2 cups of batter in each 6" pan, and fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. 9. Bake cakes for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cupcakes will bake for 18-24 minutes.  10. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then take them out and let them cool completely on a wire rack. 11. Decorate as desired and enjoy! Cream Cheese Frosting 1. Using a electric or standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat all of the ingredients on medium speed until combined. (pretty easy huh?!) Recipes gently adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Perfect Fat: Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Infused Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

FATS and CUPCAKES

Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Infused Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

The Three Cupcateers!

I have been doing some research about the best kind of "fat" to use in cakes.

Do I use butter? Oil? Shortening? Margarine? The latter two make me cringe.

Too many choices, none of which seem like a "good choice". What about no fat? HA! That just wouldn't be right. I admire the people who can enjoy low-fat, low-calorie desserts but my taste buds just won't go there.

So dainty!

Go BIG or go HOME. 

(Hmmm..I am getting bigger and I like to stay at home, on the couch...uh oh. I blame this blog.)

After reading a few great sites and blogs on the "fats" issue (check out The Cake Blog), I wanted to find a great chocolate cupcake recipe.

Side Note: Cupcakes have less fat because they are smaller...;0)

Mission accomplished. The recipe I found used a combination of two kinds of fat. Butter (which many swear by for the flavor factor) and oil (which others swear by for the moisture factor).

Butter - Oil combo makes a perfect cupcake!

I have seen very few recipes that used both, but how could I resist with a title like "The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake Test Baked by 50 Bakers and Counting" on The Cupcake Project?

Make that 51 bakers, Cupcake Project!! ;0) I just made a few minor adjustments.

The recipe let you use any type of chocolate, so I chose the Ghiradelli Midnight Reverie. Not sure why...because my favorite kind of chocolate is semi-sweet, but I guess I was trying to be fancy!

Snobby chocolate (buy two get one free at Target! Whoooo!)

For the whipped cream frosting, I used a blackberry and grape infused chocolate. Suuuper Fancy.

Never overlook whipped cream frosting!

Yum - this whipped cream frosting was VERY tasty but very distinct. You could really taste those berries!

I prepared the whipped cream first by melting the chocolate into the heavy cream. Then I had to re-chill it in the fridge (this took about 6 hours!) so plan ahead!

Chocolate on the chopping block!

Melty, melty!

When making the batter, I first creamed the butter. This is the MOST important step. Creaming the butter is a necessity to create a luxurious consistency for your cake.

It should look like wet sand.

Then, I added the chocolate.

EEEEE!

Combined the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.

Always be sure you taste your batter, it's one of those hidden rules.
Seriously, test it twice. 

Then, put them in the cupcake liners and prepared them for the oven.

This is what happens when you buy the cupcake liners on clearance.
What's with the weird pinches?! Ugh.

YAY!

Heres proof that I need to calibrate my oven...

What the....?

The first batch was BEAUTIFUL. They have a great "crumb". That's why I love using cake flour - it helps make the crumb smaller :0).

SOOOO yummy!

These are the perfect consistency and moistness. Not too dense but not too many air pockets either. The whipped cream was a perfect compliment to make them taste lighter and refreshing (for chocolate). You could also do these with a chocolate ganache or chocolate buttercream and I bet they'd be a chocolate lovers dream!

I LOVE CUPCAKES!!!

ENJOY!

Love you all! Take Care and God Bless!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Infused Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

Print Recipe Yield: 16 cupcakes     Prep Time: 20 minutes    Total Time: 1 hour Ingredients: Chocolate Cupcakes: 1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 2 ounces of favorite chocolate (melted and cooled) 2 eggs, room temperature 2 egg yolks, room temperature 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon vegetable or canola oil 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 cup sour cream 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon cake flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup cocoa powder  1/2 cup room temperature water Blackberry Infused Chocolate Whipped Cream: 2 cups heavy cream 4 ounces Blackberry infused chocolate 1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions: Chocolate Cupcakes: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Line standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. 3. Melt chocolate in double broiler or microwave and let cool to the touch. 4. Cream butter and granulated sugar in medium bowl or bowl of stand mixer.  5. Add melted chocolate until just combined. 6. Mix in eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, until just combined. 7. Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined. 8. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a separate medium sized bowl. Use a whisk to ensure all ingredients are mixed together. 9. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. 10. Mix in water until just combined. 11. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and put in oven. 12. Bake for 18-24 minutes depending on oven.  13. Immediately remove cupcakes from cupcake tin and place on a cooling rack. When completely cool, decorate and enjoy! Blackberry Infused Chocolate Whipped Cream: 1. In a small saucepan, on medium heat, combine heavy cream and chocolate until melted.  2. Put in fridge until completely cooled (about 6 hours). 3. Place bowl and whisk attachment in fridge 15 minutes before making whipped cream. 4. Put confections sugar, vanilla, and fully chilled chocolate cream mixture in the chilled bowl with whisk attachment.  5. Whisk until stiff peaks form. 6. Use immediately. Note: Cupcake recipe gently adapted from The Cupcake Project. You can also substitute the water with brewed coffee or 1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder.