Tidings of Great Joy...and Frosting

One of the best things about vacations is the time they afford you (if you take advantage of it) to do the things you really love and rarely have enough time for. Today that means finally getting to update my blog...yay! It has been an incredibly busy season of holiday preparations and festivities, Nutcracker rehearsals and performances, and time with family and friends. You know what? I wouldn't trade a minute of it.

The season afforded me three great opportunities to fine-tune my new passion for cake baking/decorating, and I would have made a fourth cake this year if head colds and winter "yuck" hadn't gripped my household for a few days. But early in December, I made this 3-layer chocolate and vanilla cake for a family gathering. I dove into the hithertofore unexplored world of sculpting with fondant and came up with the Santa cake you see at the left. Santa is snuggled in his bed (with his chubby feet sticking out of the covers), and his naughty-'n-nice list is rolling off his night stand and on to the floor.

The second cake I made during the holiday season was a 6-inch, two-layer buttermilk white cake for my best friend, Kristin. This cake was hands-down the most moist, delicious cake I've made yet. Kristin and I gave a slice to the waiter we had at Cheesecake Factory, and he came back out from the kitchen to rave about how good it was. Surrounded by amazing cheesecakes, that's saying something! The buttercream frosting and strawberries layered in the middle were amazing! And the design on top was a quick, easy, beautiful way to top a holiday cake. The "berries" are pink fondant rolled in red sugar.

After this cake, I made a 9-inch New York cheesecake for Madison's 11th birthday party, but I forgot to take any pictures (yes, I'm smacking myself). It was topped with a strawberries, white chocolate ganache and a layer of buttermilk white cake. The entire cake was frosted in buttercream and had a pair of ballet shoes, molded in pink modeling chocolate, on the top of the cake. While this was a decadant, over-the-top cake that was a big hit with 11-year-old girls, I have to say that the New York cheesecake alone would have been as big a hit. I have found a no-fail recipe for cheesecake that I plan to make for many years to come.

If you're a baker and would like any of these recipes, let me know, and I'll post them. :)

I am so looking forward to 2010 and all it has in store for me, my family, my career, and my ministry. God is an amazing God, isn't He? I am excited about the 21 days of Prayer and Fasting that are coming up in January. After a season of feasting, nothing could be better timed, both physically and spiritually, for me and my household. I won't be baking cakes in the month of January (unless they're for someone else), but I'll be posting for the next few weeks about fasting and what God reveals in the weeks ahead.

Love you all!! Happy 2010!