"Owl" Be a Year Old Today!

After our last adventure in chocolate peanut butter strawberry goodness, I promised you some pink luster dust. DELIVERED.

My friend's daughter had her first birthday on February 16 - three days before my not-so-first birthday. As her mommy hosts a fabulous blog over at Project Mommy, you know this was going to be a very posh first birthday. And what are all the cool kids doing? Owls.

This was actually my second venture into the feathered realm for the diapered crowd (my first was a really cute baby boy baby shower - but that's a completely different post). I have to admit that, even though I'm extremely frightened of birds, this was  a lot of fun! Just check it out:

Aren't those the cutest? I love the baking cups - not too big, not too small, just right for a first birthday. I found them TJ Maxx of all places. They're by some Australian company, Le Petite Gateau, that apparently doesn't have broad distribution in the U.S.

Translation: I couldn't find any more on Amazon :(

I also love going girly with my cupcake decorations. As soon as my friend asked me to bake for her daughter, I was out looking for pink sugar pearls and darker pink luster dust. The luster dust really made the simple vanilla buttercream POP! I wish you could see how much they sparkled in the photo, but oh well.

I'm not sure when I'll be baking for an occasion again, but there are so many good stories and so many pretty cakes to share! I promise to post again soon!

A Dinner Party Before Vegas

I finally get to post again! As I mentioned before, my job takes priority over my baking. It also takes priority over my blogging. So now you know why it's been so long between posts, but I promise I'll make up for it.

One of my husband's best friends and his wife invited us over for a dinner party last Saturday. It's always so great to see them! Although I'm not sure what it is, but when we make plans with this couple, I end up having to fly to Las Vegas for work the next day. It happened with their wedding (talk about a nasty next-morning flight!) and it happened this time. Regardless, we love hanging out with them!

Our hostess for the night happens to be pregnant. Super exciting! So when she asked me to bring "something chocolate," I said "yes, ma'am!" I've learned from my sister, sisters-in-law, cousins and other friends that have had children that, when a pregnant woman asks for something, she gets it. No question.

I was actually thrilled to be able to bake again. It feels like it's been so long, although I know it really probably hasn't been that long. I started by stalking her Pinterest boards - after all, if she wants chocolate, she's probably pinning chocolate. In this case, she definitely was. Chocolate and peanut butter. Lots of it. All different ways. It's safe to say I had my inspiration. Lots of it.

Our dinner was the Saturday before Valentine's Day, so I was feeling a little festive as well. I had pinned a chocolate covered strawberry cupcake that looked really good - lots of oozy chocolate ganache over a chocolate covered strawberry on top of a chocolate cupcake with strawberry frosting. Let's call this inspiration #2.

The result?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Strawberry Goodness

I just replaced the strawberry frosting with this awesome peanut butter buttercream and some homemade Reese's cup filling (also found on Pinterest). I tried to douse the strawberry in chocolate ganache, but that turned into a big mess. The hubs suggested a drizzle. That worked out much better.

I wanted to be conscious of the ingredients I was feeding to our pregnant friend, so I decided to make the cake from scratch as opposed to using my favorite Pillsbury cake mix (always the one with the pudding). I found the recipe in 500 Cupcakes: The Only Cupcake Compendium You'll Ever Need. I forget which recipe, but it had 2 sticks of butter and 4 tsp of cocoa powder, so you know it was good. 

Honestly, I still like a boxed cake mix better than a cake from scratch. Cake mixes seem to hold their moisture. I haven't figured out how to keep a from-scratch cake moist for more than a couple hours. (I'm open to tips if you have any ;)) Maybe it's just me, though. Everyone else who ate my from-scratch chocolate-peanut-butter-strawberry-goodness cupcake loved it. I'll keep trying.

What's next? Here's a hint: Pink pearl dust!

Welcome to Bake My Dream Come True!

Guess what! I bake.

Are you shocked? With a title like "Bake My Dream Come True," the possibilities are truly endless, right?

Actually, while I do bake - I love to bake! - I have a feeling that the meaning of this title may end up going beyond the oven. After all, every dream needs time to come together, rise, heat up and come to a sweet conclusion.

So why start this blog? Well, I bake. A lot. My grandmothers baked. My mom bakes. I have a natural inclination to bake. Like my mom, I've taken all of the Wilton Method Cake Decorating classes. Unlike my mom, I'll bake for family, friends, friends of friends...you name it!

Final Project from Wilton Course 3

When I first started the classes with one of my good friends who is always up for a new challenge, I kept my baking close to home: birthday cakes for the in-laws, dropping test batches off at the neighbors (did I mention my husband doesn't eat sweets?), etc. That seemed to be received pretty well and before I knew it, my mother-in-law's friends were asking her for my business website.

BUSINESS WEBSITE!?! I have a full-time job, thank you. I also have a dog. In the house. Where I bake. I'm sure that's some kind of health code violation.

So as long as I keep baking in my comfort zone, for the people who know I have a dog in my house and understand that I have a full-time job that takes first priority, we're good.

Which leads us to the blog. What better option for my mother-in-law to show off her super-talented, favorite daughter-in-law (favorite is short-lived, my brother-in-law is marrying an incredible woman this summer)? It also gives me an opportunity to share what goes into the creative process behind my projects and hopefully pass on some of the excitement that I feel when I take on a new challenge - baking or otherwise.

Coming up in the short term:

• Owl-themed first birthday for my friend's daughter
• Shabby chic bridal shower for my future sister-in-law

Can you see the Pinspiration yet ;)