WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated my blog! Craziness!! I haven't planned on what to write...I just know that I haven't been on here since July. When I started this blog I thought I would make a new entry everytime I baked something. I planned on having a detailed description of what it took to make the pastry, cake, pie, etc. as well as a picture to go along with it. However, I have failed to follow through on that. Don't think that I've stopped baking, because that will never happen! I am currently in the process of obtaining my Baking & Pastry Certificate, so there is always plenty to be done!

I recently made a fabulous Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out...I've heard from many people that pumpkin and chocolate go well together, but I was hesitant. I love pumpkin and chocolate separately; just wasn't sure how well they would taste together. It was scrumptious! And very easy to make. One thing I love about pumpkin bread is that it doesn't take very much time to make and you have a big loaf to last you for awhile afterward. This is my kickoff to the fall season (my favorite!) Once you smell pumpkin baking in the oven, you'll wish everything you ate was pumpkin flavored...well...that might be a little extreme, but the smell of pumpkin brings a smile to my face. It makes me think of fall in every way and how the holidays are coming up---and who doesn't love the holidays without fresh baked goods?

I also made my mom, for her birthday, a White/Lemon Cake with a Lemon Buttercream Frosting. This I actually surprised myself with because I wasn't expecting the frosting to be what I wanted. However, it actually surpassed my expectations. I sort of improvised this recipe because the cake recipe I found called for a lemon curd filling, which I wasn't sure my mom was going to like after our Limonada Sift Cupcake tasting :) That was totally okay, but the frosting called for some of the curd in the recipe. So, I, with my dazzling wits, had to come up with a makeshift frosting incorporating lemon into it somehow. It was actually easier than I thought it would be--just add lemon zest and some lemon juice, right? This was good, but not lemony enough, so I added some handy dandy lemon extract! This, I actually have a picture of to post. It's a 3-layer 8" cake (2 layers are white cake, 1 layer is lemon cake) with lemon buttercream frosting topped with yellow sugar sprinkles and dark chocolate shavings! YUM. It was good!

So, if there are any readers out there...don't panic, I'm still here! :)