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). 

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.

Nailed It: Panda Creme Puffs with Nutella-Mascarpone Filling

Not going to lie... these creme puffs had me and my husband laughing for a good 5 minutes straight. They didn't come out exactly how I had pictured them. Maybe next time - it's always a learning experience! In the interim, I'll take the "A" for effort and enjoy their delicious flavor.

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.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Almond Buttercream Poinsettias

This holiday season, I was fixated on making something with poinsettias. I wanted to hand something out at the end of our last Zumba class of 2018. We have a fun, diverse group ranging from Sporty Spice looking ladies to (my favorite) the wild grandma clique. It makes for a fun Tuesday night!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bolo de Bolacha {Cookie Cake}

Traditions are a funny thing. You spend your childhood blissfully unaware of the rest of the world, thinking what goes on in your house is no different than anywhere else. You get a little older, and the world gets a little bigger. Some of the small things you dismissed as, "just part of another holiday" become more special.... like this cake.

Bolo de Bolacha (which translates to "Cookie Cake") was a dessert made only around Christmas. It's a Portuguese classic and very similar to the Salame de Chocolate that I posted a few years back. I absolutely loved this cake as a kid. The texture is smooth and the flavor is simply delicious. It's incredibly basic in theory but the ingredients work together perfectly.

Water Color Wedding Cake

Photo Courtesy of M. Harris Studios

A few months back, a friend reached out looking for wedding venues. As the best man, he was hustling for ways to help plan one of his favorite couple's, Lissette and CJ, wedding. I gave a few suggestions and threw my name into the hat as a cost-effective option for the cake. I had hung out with the couple on and off over the years and always found them darling - no harm in offering! I was completely surprised when they asked if I would do it. Talk about a leap of faith! Thank you both for entrusting me on your special day!

Unicorn Cupcakes

As if cupcakes are not magical enough on their own - these take on a fantastical twist! These Unicorn Cupcakes were made for the annual Clear the Shelters bake sale at the Animal Welfare League. This event waives the adoption fee for all animals at shelters across the United States for one entire day. Shout out and a big thank you to all the support staff, veterinarians, technicians, and volunteers who donate their time and effort to make these type of events possible!

Big Ol' Yellow Cake (Half Sheet)

This is a beast of a cake. It takes five cups of flour and serves up to 48 people - and that's just a single layer. The pictured cake is two layers in order to sandwich in the lemon filling. The weight alone is an accomplishment; stabilizing this over a 30+ minute car ride had my knuckles aching and me swearing. But it's worth it when it's for people you care about.

Strawberry Cake with Rhubarb Swiss Buttercream

Sometimes, having this blog makes me feel like Dr. Jekyll  and Mr. Hyde. As my friends and family will tell you, I'm constantly on the quest for healthy and delicious tasting food. That's not to say an exquisite chocolate croissant won't catch my eye from time-to-time (*cough cough* Sub Rosa Bakery) but overall, eating well is one of my passions. It's not about counting calories - it's about nutrition. I  focus on gut-health, limiting the intake of processed foods, cruelty-free farms, and saying no to the usage of harmful pesticides. 

And yet.

Hummingbird Cake

A Hummingbird Cake. What in the world is a Hummingbird Cake? If I hadn't stumbled into this magical world of blog baking, I would never have learned of its existence. I assumed it was an American tradition but when I asked around, no one else had heard of it either! Turns out, the origin of this recipe hails from Jamaica and it didn't hit the United States until 1960's as part of the country's tourism marketing.  As for the quirky name, there are two theories but I am more partial to the idea that the cake is sweet enough to attract humming birds who only consume fruit nectar. 

That being said. What in the world is a Hummingbird Cake?