to do list; bake with grapefruit

take a look at these beauties!
 i cannot wait to try out this recipe

 

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

Italian coconut cake

the happiest birthday to me.

i was surprised all day by friends and family

with flowers, cards, balloons

my work family singing to me while helping a customer

Susan's warm raspberry coffee cake

sunshine outside, favorite mexican food with my bffs

friends over for cake, a gift certificate for a TATTOO!

for someone who hates surprises,

i was pleasantly surprised all day.

thank you, all ♥

Being able to bake my birthday cake was so much fun!

I was able to make it exactly the way I wanted

and even lick the spoons when I was done!

this cake was so dreamy.

a moist coconut pecan cake

topped with a buttery frosting & coconut

made for one hell of a cake.

What's your favorite birthday cake?

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

cranberry vanilla coffee cake

[oh dear. it really has been too long.]

Cranberries are one of the best fruits to use during the winter.

I love baking and cooking with them because they are so versatile.

For this cake, the berries break down into a jam-like filling

squished in-between layers of butter coffee cake.

 

this cake is just divine.

the moment I spotted this recipe, I fell in love.

cranberries & vanilla sugar

all piled into one cake

makes for a wonderful winter treat!

 

simply make the batter, divide into two

fill the pan with half

top with cranberries & vanilla sugar

top with remaining batter

smooth the batter on top

sprinkle with sugar topping

bake until perfection!

[unfortunately when I baked this on Christmas morning, it needed about 10 more minutes in the oven. Therefore, the center was a bit raw, but that didn't stop us from devouring it!]

yellow

butt(::)n

is back

♥

forgive me!

it's almost been a month since my last post!

with the holidays, i was working so many hours

& my days were filled with so many other activities

other than sitting on my computer.

so please please please forgive me for not posting.

as of december 28, i shattered my macbook screen.

i'm sending it out to the ihospital this week

so i will be blogging once it's healed.

until then, here's what to expect in the coming weeks.

christmas cookie baking [ha!]

vanilla cranberry coffee cake

Italian coconut cake

and a few more items that were captured.

I received a donut pan, a new cupcake pan, new mixing bowls,
and a few other baking necessities for christmas/23rd birthday
that i cannot wait to share with you!!

always.

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

red velvet.

my favorite cake during this season.

red velvet with cream cheese icing.

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Pumpkin & chocolate...not the normal combination for brownies.

I do admit, I have tried a lot of recipes that just don't taste good

even when the reviews are great.

But this recipe was from smitten and I trust her completely.

So I went out on a whim, and baked these swirl brownies.

You make 1 batter, than you split it to 2, and add the pumpkin.

You layer the chocolate brownie with the pumpkin 2 times each.

& swirl :)

The aroma in the kitchen during baking was phenomenal! Really.

But, the flavor of the brownie just isn't for me. It was interesting.

Almost crumbly..like the 2 batters just couldn't fully bake together.

I still love trying new recipes because it makes me feel more well-rounded.

Not just sticking to the normal things, but going out of the box

and really exploring the art of baking.

I encourage you to do the same.

Try not to get upset when a recipe doesn't work out.

Take it as a way of learning :)

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

vanilla cherry biscotti.

yet again, it's been another week . . . 

& i have recipes and photos piling up.

with all of the friends stopping by & having coffee, tea or hot chocolate,

biscotti was a necessity.

what flavor? whatever i wanted to make!

i started with a fig & walnut biscotti recipe because of the spices

and added my own spin to it.

tip for next time; a bit less sugar. white chips and dried cherries are so sweet

extra sugar isn't necessary, but doesn't hurt!

quite wonderful, and stores well in the cookie jar ♥

yellow

butt(::)n

♥