Wedding Cake Tasting

The day was finally here. WEDDING CAKE TASTING! Naturally, I was beyond excited about this. Giddy even. One of my good friends, Amy, happens to be a kick-ass baker and kindly agreed to make our wedding cake. I've had several of her desserts before so was stoked to try out the cakes she made for us. When we walked into the tasting, she had made not one, not two, but FOUR cakes that were all gorgeous and beautifully presented. We were blown away. Keep in mind, in normal cake tastings, I'm told you usually only get a few slices to share, not actual full-on cakes. Amy rocks.

Our first slice was a golden yellow cake with orange zest and orange/Grand Marnier buttercream frosting. This cake was killer and the citrus kick made it delightfully refreshing. The Grand Marnier was a clever twist too, well played Amy.

Second up was a dark chocolate espresso cake with espresso buttercream frosting. While Amy was describing this cake to us, I was inwardly cheering and outwardly trying to keep my cool. After my first bite...I was in love. Decadent, moist chocolate cake paired perfectly with the light, espresso buttery frosting. Swoon.

Third round was a golden yellow cake with Nutella filling and Nutella buttercream frosting. Man oh man. This golden cake and I should be friends. Close friends. I loved the little pocket of Nutella too which happens to be one of my favorite condiments (yes it's a condiment, ask any Brit). You know what else should be a condiment? Buttercream.

Lastly was a marble cake with chocolate ganache and hazelnut praline with vanilla buttercream frosting. I loved how pretty the slice looked with its marble swirlies. I also enjoyed the crunch the hazelnuts gave.

After we polished off all 4 of these slices each (can you say, cake coma?), my fi and I decided to blurt out our favorite at the count of three. We are very dessert compatible, but if we both said something different, heads would have rolled. Luckily, we both said the same cake and also agreed on our 2nd tier as well. Crisis. Averted.

​I've been savoring the to-go slices we were given all week- yes, we even got to take half of the cakes home with us! Can't wait to revisit these beauts on our wedding day (inwardly cheering again).

My Dad's "Love" for Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

Growing up in a house full of dessert lovers meant desserts didn't stick around long. This was a problem for my dad, who's favorite go-to dessert is ice cream. Whenever his sweet tooth hit, he wanted to have a dessert he could rely on being there for him, like an old friend if you will. This is where Ben and Jerry's "Cherry Garcia" ice cream came in.* My dad was crafty and was able to find the single ice cream flavor that the rest of the family hated. Keep in mind, this was far from his favorite flavor, but he grew fond of it, mostly because he didn't have to worry about it disappearing on his watch. Brilliant or desperate? Nevertheless, whenever I open my parent's freezer and find a pint of Cherry Garcia sitting there, it makes me smile.

*If you haven't had the pleasure (?) of sampling this, it consists of cherry ice cream with cherries & fudge flakes. B&J, this flavor royally sucks. Stick to what you do best like "Coffee Heath Bar Crunch" or "Half Baked".

Hug a Cupcake

Ever loved a cupcake so much that you wanted to hug it? Or perhaps spoon it? Well you're in luck because now you can <said with cheesy salesman voice>! Check out this gem I found online. Can you say, Birthday gift? : )

image courtesy of thefancy.com

Jello!

Contrary to appearances, this first post isn't about one of the world's saddest desserts: jello. We'll chat about that another time. From that, hello! Welcome to my lovely blog about one of my favorite topics: dessert. Why write about such a topic? Because I have way too much to say about it. Sad, but true. My plan is to share dessert stories, recipes and reviews here and there. We'll see how it goes- I'm winging it. From that note, hope you have a lovely Friday.