In Progress...

Sorry I have been pretty absent this week! I am in the process of making the Dream Cake that I will be doing a tutorial with. You definitely don't want to miss it :)

Also next week for Tutorial Tuesday I have a fantastic tutorial that is from a new book coming out called Cake Balls by Dede Wilson who is a fantastic baker. I am going to be featuring a recipe on her blog tour... and here's just a hint about the deliciousness that you will be seeing... Toffee-Brown Butter-Pecan cake balls. Oh goodness it is to die for! #thisbookisgoingtobeabestseller

Happy Wednesday!

Little Delights Project

1. I went to Panera Bread this week and it has been months! I didn't forget how great the broccoli soup was but OH MY that stuff is fantastic :)

2. This unusual cooler weather in August is making me so excited for fall! I love the food, holidays, and family time.

3. I made Oreo truffles and I decided they need to be a staple in the house. Have you ever made them? They only require 3 ingredients and an hour total to make!

4. Having my grandparents fly in last weekend was so fun! We had a great time :)

5. Relearning Spanish has been going great! I am remembering what I learned in high school and it's building a great foundation.

What are you little delights this week? Link up here:
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Little Delights Project and the Dream Cake Winner!

Thank you so much for everyone that has participated in the "Learn How To Make Your Dream Cake" contest! We have a winner!!!

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I can't wait to make a tutorial for you all to watch! Hopefully I'll have the tutorial ready by the last week in August :) 

I hope you have all had a great week! Here are my 5 Little Delights from this week:

1. Spending time in St. George with my family! We went shopping, went to the lake, and watched the Olympics all day. It was the perfect ending to our 3 week vacation :)

2. So many kind comments/emails from my readers! Thanks!

3. Last night I fell asleep to the wonderful Texas thunderstorms. So awesome!

4. Shopping with my sister... we always have a great time :)

5. I'm going to start to relearn Spanish. I'm a little bit rusty from high school but I'm excited to get back into it!

Top Three Dream Cake Entries

I'm finally back from vacation! Everyone's cake entries are so awesome it was so hard to choose my top three. I wish I could just do all of them! Now I need your help in voting for the one that you would like the most to learn. I will be making a video tutorial on the step-by-step process of decorating that cake. I decided that I would go with wedding cakes this time, but don't worry there will definitely be another chance to submit your dream cake again!

Here are the top three:

#1: Yellow and grey
These colors are very popular right now for weddings and so is the chevron pattern on the bottom layer. I also love the frilly middle layer.

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#2: Pink rose ombre
These large roses are a big trend right now and the pink shades are perfect.

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#3 Elegant and classic wedding cake
This is definitely one of the harder ones but I can make it into easy step that you can follow. I love the frilly edges and the accent of flowers. This cake is very unique!

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Please comment below and tell me which one you would like to see a tutorial on! I will count up the votes on August 15th.

p.s. this takes place of the weekly Little Delights Project post so please vote for your favorite!

Learn How To Make Your Dream Cake!

Have you seen a picture of a cake that you have wanted to make but didn't know how? I am going to be choosing one of your cake pictures and I will be making a tutorial on how to make it from start to finish!

Round One:
Submit any cake picture on this post. It can be wedding, birthday, cake pops, cupcakes, etc. You can link a picture from Pinterest, Twitter, or even a website (use the URL to link up). I will then choose 3 from all of your pictures on August 6th.

Round two:
Everyone will vote on which of the three cakes they would like to see me decorate.

Make sure you link your pictures before August 5th! 

Make sure you tell your friends and family to link up too!

5 Little Delights This Week

1. I ate at Zupas this week! Have you ever heard of this place? It has amazing salads, soups, and sandwiches.

2. Spending so much time this week with my family has been amazing.

3. I am leaving for Hawaii today! (Which also means that I get to spend even MORE time with my family!)

4. I am going to be reading Divergent (by Veronika Ross) while I travel and I've heard it is great! I love the summer time when I can read as much as I want.

5. My first roommate from freshman year just got married yesterday! She looked SO beautiful and I am so happy for her! (p.s. her cake was beautiful!)

Link up YOUR Little Delights this week:

Classic White Frosting Recipe

I recommended my amazing buttercream recipe for everyone to use with if you want to frost your cake with a paper towel. The only problem with that frosting is that it doesn't form a "crust" and your paper towel has a greater chance of sticking to the frosting. It also isn't completely white because of the butter. If you want an easy frosting that will work perfectly when you frost with a paper towel then this is it! It is also very white and easy to color.

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

4 cups powdered sugar

3-4 tablespoons milk

Beat the shortening, vanilla, and almond extract on medium speed for 30 seconds. Then gradually add in 2 cups of powdered sugar. Add 2 tablespoons of milk. Gradually add in the last 2 cups of powdered sugar. Then add some more milk until you get your desired consistency. 

(makes about 3 cups)

Try this when you frost your cake with a paper towel and you will have success with it! Let me know how it turns out for you! Good luck!


Don't forget to pin this to Pinterest to save the recipe!

 

My Favorite Cake Recipes

I have had a lot of questions about the cake recipes that I use. Here are some basic recipes that you will love!

I like to make cakes that are fast and easy... so I use a mix from a cake box. Let's just put it this way, when you spend so much time on decorating a cake I just don't have the energy to make a cake from scratch and still have time left over to breathe. They taste just as great especially if you modify the recipe on the box. They are very moist and people never know the difference!

1 box of chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup of milk*
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

1 box of yellow cake mix
1 package (4 oz.) vanilla pudding mix (powder)
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 box white cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup milk*
1 tsp. vanilla/almond/lemon extract (you can choose which flavor you like best)


Combine the cake mix with all of the ingredients. Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes (for cupcakes) or if you are making a cake follow the time instructions on the box but make sure you keep checking on the cake! I have found that ovens vary and I always have to be careful. To check to see if the cake is ready, touch it with your finger lightly and if it springs back then you're good to go!


*You can also substitute 1 cup of sour cream instead of milk! I know it sounds gross but if you are ever daring enough to try it, it makes the cake so moist!

My 5 Little Delights This Week

1. I am finished with this semester! It feels awesome to have great grades and all of my finals done!

2. I get to see my family this weekend!! They are coming up from Texas!

3. I had an almond strawberry salad this week and it was Oh SO good. It was a perfect summer meal!

4. Staying up a little bit later just to watch House Hunters (on HGTV) with my roommies!

5. Reaching 100,000 views on my How To Frost a Cake with a paper towel!! Amazing!



Link up your little delights this week here: