Birthday Cake with Dora the Explorer

This cake and cupcakes were made in honor of my friend's daughter's 2nd birthday! Happy birthday little Fernanda - we love you so much! The theme was Dora the Explorer and we went with simple cake toppers for decoration. Luckily, since it's an older show, I was able to find some on Facebook Marketplace and my brother went the extra mile to pick them up (thank you, Joey). 

Cardamom Cream Cake

In celebration of our friend/fam's birthday, I made him this Cardamom Cream Cake posted on the New York Times (with a little tweak). It was the least I could do considering how much he has done for us over the past few years. He is my walk buddy, fellow cardamom craver, co-cook, and toddler wrangler when we simply don't have enough hands. We love to tease him, but that's only because we love him.  

Pastel de Flores Para Flor

It's been several months since I've been able to post anything on this actual blog- relying more on Instagram to feel plugged into the baking world. That's because working full time and taking care of our little Acorn (daughter) is all consuming - in the best way possible. I've still been baking and trying new recipes but it's hard to take pictures. We're always on a deadline and running out the door. My husband has been amazing, giving me time to still pursue my interests in the kitchen. Thank you, amor!

Boo Brownie Cake

Halloween may not be my holiday, but I love an excuse to bake. Things have been super busy. In the wee hours, I scroll through Pinterest and tap my husband's shoulder to show him all the cool baking ideas that inspire me.  I don't bake to eat cake and cookies (though that's not a bad perk). It's more of an accessible creative outlet. Hence, I was tickled pink by a pink ghost cake from Erin Bakes.

Blood Orange, White Chocolate Pound Cake

It's a wonderful thing when a pretty cake actually tastes good. I grow weary of the "food porn" pictures of overly frosted confections with ridiculous combinations. Form and function should work together! That's why this little number from The Boy Who Bakes is such a welcome recipe.

It was serendipitous that I had bookmarked this cake on my to-do list when I happened upon some blood oranges at the market. Who am I to question such an obvious sign?

Llama Cake

This Llama Cake was made for my favorite Peruvian Princess' birthday! I was super honored that she would ask me to make her cake. She let me have free reign, simply stating she wanted something with her favorite animal, the noble llama.

Harry Potter Cake

This simple and sweet cake was made for one of the greatest. She's spunky, knows what she likes, and flaunts it. Even if it's requesting a Harry Potter birthday cake. I never caught the HP fever and didn't realize how rampant it runs - from children to adults.When I told a mutual friend about the cake plan, she immediately caught a real, "cat in a bathtub vibe," and started throwing decoration ideas.

The HP fever is real.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee Cupcakes

Brace yourselves. This recipe for a Vietnamese Iced Coffee Cake is bodacious. If you haven't experienced an iced Vietnamese coffee -- hurry to your closest Vietnamese restaurant. It's a divine combination of strong coffee and sinfully sweet condensed milk. These polar opposite forces crash together to create a delicious delight.

Spooky Spider Web Cake

This cute little number was done for a girlfriend who absolutely loves Halloween. She found this cake concept from FoodNetwork via Instagram. I took the basic principles from the recipe and made some small edits. Unfortunately, there are no pictures from our ladies-date of the inside of the cake but I will break it all down!

The Little Big Top Cake {Raspberry & Pinot Noir Cake}

Come one, come all, to the greatest show in town! It's the Little Big Top Cake!

This little cutie of a confection was made for a wonderful friend's birthday! I had a few key elements to start with when planning this cake: 1) she's always loved the circus and dreamed of being in one when she was a kid; and 2) her favorite fruit is raspberries. With a flick of the ol' baker's wand - I came up with this combination!

"We'll Miss You" Cake

This is a quick post-it note for a cake that I made for a going-away-party. It was made for a friend's co-worker who was leaving their happy team at an elementary school. Though I don't know the person, I could tell she was going to be sorely missed by her peers and they insisted on nothing but the best. That meant using the, "good butter" and premium vanilla extract. I relied on the old faithful recipes including this vanilla cake with Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves - a house specialty. The cake is frosted in my favorite swiss buttercream but the flowers needed a firmer frosting to withstand the the summer heat.

Bad Day Brontosaurus Cake

This is the story about a cake that started one way... and took a sharp turn in another direction. I wanted to share this story because... well. It's a weird one. And funny. Not funny ha ha. But it has a silver lining!

Simple Baby Shower Cake and Cupcakes

One of the things I do miss about working in an office is sharing food. Whenever there is left over cake or sweets from a party, the office kitchen is a magical nexus where things disappear in a blink of an eye. Over the past year, I have been taking advantage of my husband's office. They have been the recipients of all sorts of random treats.  I started getting a reputation as the cake-lady which eventually led to a tiny baking gig: a baby shower cake.

Cheesecake with Dreamy Strawberry Glaze

It's that time of year again! My annual cheesecake sacrifice for the my brother-from-another-mother, Brandon! He's a picky eater so I love it when his birthday rolls around. Cheesecake is the one sweet treat that will always get his attention. I've tried my hand at a few variations, including White Chocolate Raspberry, No-Bake Nutella with an Oreo Crumble Crust, Pumpkin Spice (a personal favorite), and Japanese Cheesecake. 

Cute Critter Cupcakes

My family loves animals. In the words of my cousin Melissa, "we all get wildly emotional over animals." There are tons of anecdotes - from Tio Mario going vigilante mode and kidnapping a pit-mix from a severe abuse situation (the origin story of the family dog), to Tia Rose jumping into a dumpster when she heard cries from the sole surviving kitten of a litter trapped in a tapped box with no air holes.  There are paw prints all over our hearts- Autumn, Bruce, Parker, Lily, Remi, Madison, Bullet, Jack, Samantha, Tyson, Petey, Bootsie, Bugs, Penelope, and Menina to name a few. My husband likes to tease, "it's something in the water," because it is an inherit trait we share.

"Unicorns I Love Them" Cake

This cutie cake is a special edition that was made for my friend Marisol's birthday. This girl loves everything wild, fantastical, and purple. We're talking spitting fire for fun and rocking full-body pikachu jumpers.The more we have gotten to know each other over the years, the more I knew I needed to make her a unicorn cake. Please note, when you bake this sort of cake - you need to have this song from, "Despicable Me," playing on loop.

Walnut Swiss Roll with Marscapone Filling

It's that time of year again! My mom's birthday is one the highlights of the baking year. I try to woo her with creative confections. Like me, she's not huge on cake so picking the right flavor is critical. My brother noted her current snack of choice is walnuts which is not an ingredient that I usually use in baking sweets. It was sheer luck that I found this recipe for a Walnut Swiss Roll Cake! It was meant to be - the recipe also incorporated two of her other favorite ingredients: espresso and marscapone.

Vanilla Cake with Swiss Buttercream and Raspberry Filling

This Vanilla Cake with Swiss Buttercream was made for my girlfriend's niece's birthday party. It's always fun to collaborate with her because we have different styles. Flor is bold and fierce - she originally wanted neon shades which was like scratching a record in my brain. I love muted tones and my favorite color is gray - super fun, right? Needless to say, Flor can push me out of my comfort zone and it's awesome ♥ Thanks lady!

Ube Cupcakes with Coconut Whipped Cream

The first time I tried ube (purple yam) was way back in high school. We met via traditional Filipino desserts like halo halo and puto. The attraction was instantaneous which is not surprising considering my love of yams.  It's not super sweet and has an almost nutty quality - the perfect combination for someone with a mellow sweet tooth.

Last year, I had the honor of making another wedding cake so it was serendipitous when the bride and groom mentioned ube as a flavor idea. I did my best with the information available and made two different recipes. Unfortunately, neither of them turned out very good. The regular cake was too heavy while the chiffon version was a little dry. It is, after all, a yam cake.

Sailor Moon Cake and Cupcakes

It's so frustrating when you make something that you're proud of... and don't get the opportunity to take a decent photo of the final product! Such is the case with this Sailor Moon themed cake and cupcakes. By the time I had finished, the sun was set and I was rushing to get ready for our friend's birthday dinner in Washington D.C. Most of these images were taken in a dimly lit Brazilian restaurant via our cell phones. Ah well!