I bake a little..

Is there anything better when you're a child than waking up to the smell of cake in the oven? If there is, I can't think of it. My mother was a morning person, as am I, and she would get up very early and begin her holiday baking.
I'll just call it right here. I talked all the time, I mean ALL the time. I suppose she felt it necessary to rise early to get everything measured and mixed before I woke up. I was always pretty upset but I got over it as soon as she presented me with the beaters.

This would explain why baking has always been my constant. When life is good- I bake, when life gets hard- I bake. Anxious? you guessed it. The experience of moving through the recipe tweaking flavors or technique is cathartic for me. It takes me to the kitchen table of my childhood helping mama make a sour cream pound cake or a pie crust. Being schooled on the importance of the best ingredients you could get your hands on, not skipping steps and intricately measuring everything. I may be one of the few people that enjoy sifting flour. My mother relished the perfect tender crumb on the sides of that cake, while maintaining a light crunch on the top. If you ever had Sour Cream Pound Cake from Mary Lou, you know what I'm talking about.
I find great satisfaction in continuing family traditions. Our children continue the same traditions. My daughter-in-law, Alisha makes the best Sweet potato pie, while my Danielle makes superior cookies and scones, Patrick makes a mean pancake from a scratch recipe.

 Almost 40 years ago I took my first "cake and candy" class. I'm not trying to toot my own horn but I found something I was truly good at.  I remember thinking, "these are my people."
Fast forward a few years and life changed as it has a way of doing. I no longer had time to bake for others. I put my baking on the shelf for a while, waiting only for family birthdays and celebrations to whip up something marvelous.  Strangely, I am not a sweet fanatic. I'd rather have a piece of cornbread.

[Old Fashioned Spice Cake with praline pecan filling & Brown Sugar buttercream]

In the last year I have picked my cake tools up again and taken some classes to refresh my skill set. I am having a BLAST. I remember so many times hearing my mother say, "How did I have time to hold down a full time job?"  ... and now I understand. 

[Gum paste roses for a cake top]

I'm also a sales rep for an amazing Jewelry Designer. [Jewelry blog post coming soon] I love our eSBe Designs company and everyone I get to work with. There's my husband of almost 37 years, children, grandchildren, dogs, horses and fabulous girl friends! [Not necessarily in that order] This is life now and it's wonderful.

I had a hard time coming up with a name for my baking. I almost called myself "Cake Nazi" because I do not deal with whiners well. It would have been something like this, except "No Cake for You!"

Our babies call me Honey, that proved difficult as well as most sounded like stripper names but I settled on Honey's Cakes. 

To clarify, if you think the cake from the big box store is the best you've had in a while, my cakes are probably not for you. I buy fresh local eggs and pecans, make my own vanilla extract, buy the best butter and flours available. I use old family recipes along side new versions I've toiled over, until I perfected them.

[A little Halloween fellow I made. Marbled fondant over Red velvet. The boys loved it!]

If you want a really good tasting cake, I will provide you with a delicious homemade confection. It will transport you to a place in childhood when all was good with the world, memories of your grandmothers German Chocolate Cake at Sunday dinners. Dinner on the grounds at church, when you were sure to grab a piece of Mrs Vines Coconut cake before it disappeared.

I will make you a Espresso Chocolate cake covered in my Sweet Chocolate buttercream topped with Chocolate Ganache. Maybe a white sponge cake with lemon or apricot filling that balance the sweetness of the Vanilla buttercream? I make Red Velvet cake, Strawberry, Chocolate, Sour Cream Pound Cake, Almond Cake, Oatmeal Cake, Vanilla Sponge [excellent choice for weddings] and Italian Creme to name a few. I decorate birthday cakes as well. American buttercream is a favorite but there are other options as well- Italian meringue, cream cheese, Seven Minute and more.

I make Wedding Cakes and cupcakes. Yes, if you want a beautiful & great tasting homemade cake, I can do it. I will deliver local for a fee. My Thanksgiving deadline has passed but you can order for Christmas now. I'm offering $5 off a "Specialty" cake ordered by December 2nd.  Payment is up front on this offer. *Offer does not include standard cakes- vanilla, strawberry or chocolate.

Thank you mama and Aunt Lora, Aunt Ola and Aunt Jim. You taught me well and I'm passing it along.  Yes, I bake a little.