March 4, 2024
A very special birthday means a very special cake I was tasked to do… my Mother is turning 80. I busted out the silicone numbers for the cake Starting the piping All done! I am pleased with how it turned out. I actually bought a cake sheet and box from Read more…
February 3, 2024
In the mad dash of awesome Aquarius celebrations is my brother’s and the reason for my visit to Long Island. I had two, count em, two birthday cakes chilling in my trunk on the 5.5 hour drive back. The cold chocolate ganache was made this layer cake very durable and Read more…
February 2, 2024
It was my good friend’s birthday (and my brother’s birthday) that had me driving back to Long Island at the start of February! This cake has become a tradition. And rightfully so. It is so dreamy! I used butterfly pea flower powder to color the frosting as it is my Read more…
January 31, 2024
My guy just turned 50 and I suppose I will be soon-ish too! It is very surreal to me; the passage of time seems to pass in modules–chunks of years spent in specific mindset, followed by the next evolution of your perceptions. It is why I cannot remember my age Read more…
November 12, 2023
Ok, so I never made anyone 3 baked goods for their birthday, but after the school celebration and the family celebration, it was time for the kid party. So I was on cake duty again! Though the cake looks cute, it was not how I intended it to look. A Read more…
November 5, 2023
So when she sketched a picture of the cake she wanted for her birthday, I got to work. It would need brightly colored layers; it would need to be a unicorn. And it would need to be done without having to hit the grocery store. A big 1.5 batch of Read more…
November 2, 2023
It was time to bake a batch of cupcakes for a special girl’s 7th birthday. And because class sizes are so large, they had to be little itty bitties. So the perfection of VCTOTW‘s basic chocolate cupcake would do the trick. All done Just a small piping of vanilla buttercream Read more…
November 1, 2023
Even though I no longer teach, I would still follow the tradition I have grown so accustom to… setting up my ofrenda and honoring the lives of dearly departed. This year, a Calavera cake after I came across this pan. I imagined it decorated to the nine’s. This was a Read more…
October 28, 2023
You looking at me? I made some Halloween treats for a party… which means the eyeballs came out of the pantry once again. So let me talk about candy eyeballs for a bit. In the past, every time I looked at a package of candy eyeballs I saw that they Read more…
August 22, 2023
Ok, so part of the reason I was so psyched about St. George, Utah was the vegan options. Starting with a good breakfast that hits all the notes from Gaia’s Garden Cafe… The Buddha Toast with avocado, curried chickpeas, radish, cilantro & house-made tahini dressing on Organic artisan sourdough. Just Read more…
July 18, 2023
My Dad turns 80 this year! So I was called upon to help make the celebration special… and delicious. The plan… These silicon molds were scary at first but with some Earth Balance and some flour, the cakes released very easily! I made Rainbow Nourishment‘s strawberry cake recipe I made Read more…
July 11, 2023
The last time I was at Strong Hearts Cafe was 12 years ago. But with an errand in Syracuse, I made day of seeing the area’s offerings! That means a vegan meal at this old school vegan gem. I was very impressed with their new space–service, space and ambiance are Read more…
June 18, 2023
My Dad likes all kinds of flavors… So I like to try new cakes for his special days. This time, an avocado lime cake from Rainbow Nourishments. Here is the wet ingredients, looking exciting. I decided I need new pans. I need 8″ and not 9″… these skinny layers just Read more…
March 30, 2023
Every once and a while I get the urge to make a Hummingbird cake. So first, some pretty dried pineapple flowers the day before. They make a beautiful edible garnish. Elapsed time… and now ready for a photoshoot. The recipe made tons of batter. Half of it would have been Read more…
March 24, 2023
I’m kind of obsessed with this recipe now. So I just had to whip my classroom’s paraprofessional up a great birthday cake since she is a big fan of my treats. Three layers so I can taste one… Yellow as ever Pipe dreams Now, a lot of pictures of its Read more…
March 12, 2023
This nostalgic yellow cake with fudgy chocolate buttercream was by request from my Mom. And what my Mom wants, she gets! Using this great recipe from Nora Cooks, I got that vintage look I wanted… reminiscent of the boxed cake by Duncan Hines I used to love. What a dreamy Read more…
February 14, 2023
My red velvet craving was fulfilled in the form of sweet treats for my students. I used this very easy recipe. Wanted to try this buttercream tip I have been seeing… It worked well! You line up all the colors in plastic wrap then wrap and snip the end, sliding Read more…
February 3, 2023
I had this amazing recipe bookmarked for some time. With Aquarius season in full effect, I knew someone I love would get this beauty. I am reprinting the recipe here for ease of duplicating. Buttermilk1 cup unsweetened soy milk 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice Combined and let sit for Read more…
January 5, 2023
Next up for turnover is the slew of sprinkles left over from my classroom’s holiday celebration. Of course I’d have to pass them on to my students, a job well done for week one of 2023. They’re so darn pretty I took a million pictures. And I am going to Read more…
December 24, 2022
Well, the big day calls for the big guns. If colleagues get cookies, the family gets a labor-intensive Bûche De Noël. I made one last year and learned some lessons. This year, a toasted meringue and some whimsical garnish ideas inspired by the many Asian markets I hit up. I Read more…
December 22, 2022
Well, school celebrations are back! So that means I can get to baking. The last of the pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving, frozen and then thawed, would be the base for some festive celebratory treats. First, a vanilla pod All ready for mixing. I love this part. All the stuff is Read more…
December 7, 2022
With some cooked beets I had to use… and a day off for some doctor appointments… I tried out my new baking pan to make some cute little beet cakes. Using this recipe, I achieved beautiful, moist and not overly sweet cakes. The new pan, more sophisticated than cupcakes Not Read more…
November 24, 2022
Well you know I have pumpkin puree in my fridge… so maybe you knew this was coming? More pumpkin goods. This layer cake would be dessert for Thanksgiving. Though my layers were a bit wonky (I didn’t measure and my floor is not level clearly), the contrast of orange and Read more…
November 23, 2022
And just like that, it is that time of year… the first frost, a final storing of the light jacket for more insulating outwear, kids with hat head at school, the sneaking melody of holly jolly subtly sandwiched in-between the in-between. And it is time to process Halloween’s pumpkins… because Read more…
November 19, 2022
This is another recipe trial that was a bit of a fail. Though this is quite gorgeous, I am kind of bummed I used up the rest of my matcha making it and the texture is just way off. But when the cake crumbles, make it a parfait. Gosh, matcha Read more…
October 30, 2022
When I bring the cake, I try to go hard for its recipient… including myself! Wanting a lighter textured cake, this is my first attempt at a sponge cake. I will be trying again because I had some issues: mainly not having the seltzer at room temperature when I added Read more…