Cake in Lights...

Well so maybe not really in lights, but I am so excited to say that one of my cakes gets to spend some time on Cake Moms blog, yippee! I am so happy and am so grateful to Jamie @ Cake Mom, thank you!!! So anyway...here it is:

http://jamielz.blogspot.com/2010/07/birthday-month-reader-cake-roses.html

This was a cake I made a little over a year ago for my sister's surprise 30th! I loved the gumpaste flowers because they were HOT PINK! The cake was my favorite (and many others' favorite) marble cake with a chocolate fudge frosting. Yummy...I want some now!

One more thing...just wanted to send a thank you out to all of the fabulous new followers who have left such nice comments and are so excited about the giveaway! I too am so excited to see who wins! Yay! Thank you all! Happy baking, happier eating~especially on the weekend!

F & S Giveaway!

product & picture from bakeitpretty.com

So what makes the start of the week more tolerable...the chance to win something of course! I am offering my very first giveaway for one of you to win a very cute cupcake kit from Bake It Pretty, an adorable website that sells all things cutesy for baking, decorating, and packaging! Amanda has a great thing going on and the best thing about her stuff, it makes everything cuter!

How do you enter...it is as easy as 1-2-3 (and maybe 4-5-6): CLOSED

• To become eligible for one entry, please visit Bake It Pretty and leave a comment at the end of this post telling me which cupcake kit you would pick if you are the chosen winner.
• To become eligible for a second entry, become a follower on my blog or sign up to receive my posts via email/reader/RSS feed.
• To become eligible for a third entry, stop by the very talented Loren of The Baking Sheet, and become a follower of her blog. I also want to thank Loren for being so kind to post my giveaway on her blog as well!
• To become eligible for a fourth entry, become a fan of Sandwich Cookies & Cakes on facebook.
• To be eligible for a 5th & 6th entry, post a little something about my giveaway on your blog if you've got one.

Now to ensure that I am aware of all of your eligible entries, please include in your initial comment what other actions you took for more entries.
The contest will close on Sunday August 1 2010 @ 11pm PST.
The winner will be chosen using random.org and announced via blog post on Monday August 2 2010. Please make sure you check back, you will have 3 days to claim your prize.
Please note, contest is only open to US residents. 

Thank you again Loren for helping me out, 

and thank you Amanda for having such cute things!

To Be A Cupcake or To Be A Brownie...That Is The Question!

So is something that looks like a cupcake but taste like a brownie considered a cupcake or a brownie? The verdict is still out, but I will let you help me decide. I made these the other night after I got off at 4pm, which was oh so awesome it needed a celebration of baking! My wonderful husband (oh how I love saying that word) LOVES brownies, but can I just tell you that I have a mental road block when it comes to making brownies? I don't know what it is...I am just not that good at making brownies. Maybe it is the lack of flour that restricts me ;) I don't make brownies all that often, and although you can make some pretty fabulous concoctions like cheesecake, peanut butter, mint, nut, cherry, etc. I just don't go to brownies when I am in the mood to bake. I will tell you however that I LOVE warm brownies fresh from the oven, and I happen to love box brownies, which I am pretty sure I have mentioned before! They seem to turn out perfect; not too cakey, not too fudgy. Scratch brownies however seem to be a bit more finicky!

a note...

Hey all...just wanted to let you know, please disregard the post labeled "Barry and Linzy: San Clemente, CA 6.12.10." I needed to use my blog for a venue to host all of the pics that I submitted for Martha's Real Weddings...I am crossing my fingers big time!!!

Vendors:
Venue: Ole Hanson Beach Club
Catering: Bad to the Bone BBQ
Floral Design & Day of Planner: Cori Doherty of smell.
Event Design & Planning: Me 
Cake: Sandwich Cookies & Cakes
Rentals: Atlas Party Rentals
Photographer: Bob Macias Studios
Hair and make-up: Brandy Michele
Bartending: Jeff Darvell of Phenom Bartending

Crumb of the Month (July)...Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookies...

Ok ok, so I sorta missed one month, but I am back on board with Crumb of the Month and after trying out this recipe, you will forget all about the fact that I missed June! Lets start out by saying Oh my goodness, these are dang good! I had to go to a luncheon last weekend for work and I felt it needed a little pizazz in the form of sweet baked treats, so I came up with these oh so fabulous snickerdoodle sandwich cookies with toasted pecan-cinnamon buttercream. Can I hear mouths watering...

Barry & Linzy: San Clemente, CA 6.12.10

Cake Pops & Cake Truffles

 

Who can deny chocolate? Well I know there are some crazy people out there who can...(not crazy in the offensive way of course)...but who would want to? Especially when it comes to chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, and a chocolate candy coating. Three chocolates that are undeniably divine together!

Sandwich Smores

Hope you all had a lovely 4th of July. I know we sure did, I got the weekend off and was able to do tons of baking, yay! You know that always makes me happy! My sister had a little BBQ on Saturday evening so of course you know I offered to bring something of the sweet variety, big surprise right! I wanted something that would go with the theme of hamburgers and hot dogs and what better than smores sandwich cookies?!? Just in case you are having a difficult time picturing, think moist & chewy graham cracker cookies sandwich'd around billowy marshmallow filling all drizzled with oh so yummy chocolate! What could be better for a summer BBQ!

Birthday Wishes!

I made some very special cookies for my very special father for his 60th birthday, yay! Just thinking about these yummy-yum-yum cookies has my taste-buds salivating! Now, my dad is a true sweet tooth, one of the originals I'm convinced! I wonder where I got mine from?!? My dad LOVES chocolate chip cookies! I remember making them with my mom when I was very young. She had this huge aluminum bowl that we would make them in, usually at least doubling the recipe. I always loved "sampling"  along the way. The best part of cookie dough to "sample" is by far the butter combined with the sugars, what could be better (this part is my mom's favorite as well). My other favorite memory about my dad growing up was his "hidden M&M's." Whenever my dad needed to run errands on a weekend he would ask one of us kids to come help. He then would always need to stop at 7-11 to pick up a weekend paper, while inside 7-11 he would get a pack of plain M&Ms and hide them inside the paper to give to us as a treat for coming with him. This was the best! I always wondered if they would be in there, and without fail, they always were! Aren't parents wonderful! I always think to myself, how the heck did they do it?!? Thanks dad & mom for giving me such a wonderful childhood with "sweet memories!"