Cakes, Cakes and more Cakes

Have I mentioned how into baking I've been? Maybe I should say obsessed. It started from our trip to Japan this summer. My grandma is really into baking cakes (and just baking in general). It's one of her many talents and hobbies. (My grandma is amazing and really talented in a bunch of different things) She has a huge book filled of pictures of all the cakes she has made. She also has an entire cupboard (that reaches from floor to ceiling) of baking supplies. She's really into baking and everything she makes is incredible!! I've always liked desserts and had an interest in making them, but after spending time with my grandma I decided to try to work at developing it into a talent.

Grandma with Chloe in her prize winning rose garden

(Lots of talent of making things beautiful)

It's been fun trying to test out flavors and making new recipes. I don't like things sickly sweet so I've been trying to work on recipes so they are just right. Everything is made from scratch, which I haven't had the best success of doing in the past. (My first attempt was to make Jed a rum torte cake for his birthday a few years ago, because he said it was his favorite and something his family always had. I got some recipes from his family, and someone told me to add too much rum flavor... one friend asked if the cake was supposed to taste like fermented feet.) While I'm not super spectacular at it, I'm getting better (and they're edible) and am just having fun.

My grandma taught me how to make these cream puffs (shu-cream) during our trip. It's with her lemon custard. The swans are her specialty (her's are better). I made these for Chloe's 6 month party. (My friend did the melon swan, I'm no where close to having that talent)

Here are some cakes I've made since then.

This recipe is from my sister in law, Annie, who is an amazing pastry chef (and if you're in the Bay Area, she does specialty cakes if you're interested. Everything she makes is delicious and beautiful!) I made this for our color dinners. (I did color themed dinners to help Elijah with his colors) This was for our yellow dinner.

It's a lemon cake with lemon curd and lemon cream cheese whipped cream.

This is my mom's birthday cake (in case you couldn't tell :D)

It's chocolate cake with a raspberry Bavarian cream filling and covered with chocolate ganash

This is a cake I made for some friends who invited us to dinner

It's a white cake with a white chocolate cream cheese blueberry whipped cream filling and frosted with the white chocolate cream cheese whipped cream (super yummy and now one of my favorites)

This cake was for my friend's daughter's first birthday.

This picture is after it fell apart three times. (Jed tried to help me)

It's a German chocolate cake with caramel pecan coconut frosting, coconut whipped cream and covered in chocolate ganash.

I made this cake for Elijah, he requested to have a plane on it

Chocolate cake with cookies and cream filling and frosted with a vanilla buttercream

I'm obsessed with pumpkin everything and I found a really good moist pumpkin cake recipe.

I did it two ways.

The first one is with cream cheese and peach filling and frosted with a white chocolate cream cheese butter cream. (My sister in law, Kayla, really liked this cake)

The second one I made into a mini cake and was trying a basket weave (didn't really work out), but this is filled with white chocolate cream cheese butter cream frosting and cranberry compote and frosted with chocolate butter cream and topped with fresh raspberries.

and here are the cupcake versions of those cakes

I made this cake for my friend Ashley.

It's a chocolate mint chip cake with cheese cake and fresh raspberry jam and covered with chocolate ganash and chocolate print mint leaves.

Here's the cupcake version of that cake. (Best cupcake ever!)

This one is my "manly" cake. I made it for my friend's 26th birthday. His favorite cake is German chocolate cake but since I made the other one for his niece, I decided to do something different but inspired by the original.

I made a reverse German chocolate cake. It's a fresh coconut cake filled with pecan coconut frosting, chocolate ganash, coconut custard and frosted with chocolate butter cream.

I made this cake for my friend, Hillary's birthday. She asked for a chocolate mousse cake, which is perfect because I have been wanting to make one.

This is a white sponge cake with blackberry jam and filled with chocolate mousse, white chocolate mousse and blackberry gelee.

And, of course, my mini version

I made this cake for my friend, Mary's birthday.

It is a chocolate cake with a vanilla custard and covered with chocolate ganash and chocolate hazelnut mousse with a gum paste flower.

and here are a couple of pies I've made

My brother Christian requested these pies for his visit back from Japan.

These are blackberry-raspberry pies dusted with powdered sugar and topped with blueberries.

This pie I made because we had the missionaries over for dinner and my friend told me about this pie he had bought from Apple Hill.

This is a caramel, apple, pecan, raisin pie with a sugar cookie pie crust and topped with caramel

sauce.

Yeah, I know... just a little obsessed since I started doing this since mid September. But it's been super yummy and fun :)