Getting My Bake On

My sister's baby shower was yesterday. I volunteered to bake for the occasion, and when I volunteer for such a task I deliver. And the only other person I know who likes to bake with the same ferocity as me is my mom, so I called her in to help. Cat's only request was a pumpkin cheesecake. Pumpkin cheesecake is possibly the most delicious thing on the planet, but some people don't get down with pumpkin. So, I also baked a yellow cake and made some little cupcake bites.

The yellow cake was freaking delicious. I think I ate half of it in batter form before it found it's way to the pan. I used Bakeralla's moist yellow cake recipe. Ugh. It was so good. However... There was one major problem with it. I made three layers but only had two layer cake pans. I put the third layer in a spring form pan. When I tried to take the two layers out of the laying pans, they fell apart into a huge, delicious, crumbly mess. The spring form layer came out perfectly. So, if you're like me and you're not exactly skilled at removing things from tricky pans without wrecking them, you might want to opt for spring forms if you try out that recipe. I'm definitely investing in a couple more so I have them on hand.

When I got around to the cheesecake, my arm was so tired from making the yellow cake (lots of holding up a hand mixer) that I finally felt compelled to pull out the stand mixer we got for a wedding gift. I don't know what is wrong with me. I should have pulled out that baby months ago because it makes baking soooo much easier. It takes care of all the hard work!

I am in love.



I've made lots of pumpkin cheesecakes in the last few years, and I've never been 100% satisfied with them. They're always good, but never as good as I'd hoped. They're not "Cheesecake Factory" good. (I would murder for a slice of their carrot cake cheesecake.) I switched it up and tried this recipe. It. Was. Yummy. Much recommended. Next time I make it though, I'm doubling the recipe because I like my cheesecake really thick. This one was a little thin.

Last was making the cupcake bites. Again, I used a Bakerella post for these. Take a look at hers, and then check out mine.



Looks aside, they were really yummy.

In total, we spent five hours baking and had a cheesecake, 1/3 of a layer cake and sort of jacked looking cake bites to show for it.



Not exactly time well spent. I had to stop at the grocery store on the way to the shower and pick up a cake to stand in for the one that fell apart. I grabbed a German chocolate cake since white grocery store bakery cakes are horrible, horrible things. At the end of the shower only one piece had been eaten out of it and the cheesecake was completely gone. Cat's husband loves German choco though so she gladly took it home to him.

I didn't want the yellow cake to go to waste since it was so good, so I repurposed it into more cake bites for a birthday party last night. I mashed it up with cream cheese frosting and graham crackers then dipped it into chocolate bark. They were soooo tasty.