reason to celebrate

When I was in high school, my mom and I took a break from sweets in the hopes that it would make our bodies forget how much we loved them. If I remember right, it was short lived. Even so, while we were living our sweets-free lives, we were watching TV and cake came on the screen. Without skipping a beat we both said (in the most pathetic and deprived voice), "cake." So, needless to say, this love affair is not a new one. And it's hereditary.


My dear friend Brooke traveled to D.C. for the weekend to visit her boyfriend and came back to Baton Rouge with something sparkly on her ring finger! That was a reason to celebrate, don't you think? And a reason to celebrate translates to a reason for CAKE!


I was inspired by i am baker's really stinkin' cook St. Patty's Day cake. Here's a little photo walk-through of the process.

I used two boxes of white cake mix. Be sure to follow the instructions and use egg whites only. You should have seen me separating all those eggs with my hands. It was a first for me, believe it or not!

Separate the batter into five bowls. In true college student fashion, all that was clean were these five mixed matched bowls. So I just had to do my best to guestimate that they were even. Then you add your food coloring. A tiny bit into the first one, a little more in the second, and so-on. Didn't know that this red food coloring gel was quite this strong. Next time I'll use food dye and muuuch less to start out with. We'll just pretend that I wanted pink to red all along!

I baked each of my batters in a separate 8-inch round cake pan, laid them out so they could cool, and sliced off the tops to make them flat (which makes for a great mid-baking snack).


Because I got so excited about doing it for the first time, I accidentally skipped documenting the crumb coating. If you're are curious (which you should be since this seriously WORKS), you can check it out here.


Then all you need is a little doily magic and TA-DA!

Isn't she going to be the most beautiful bride? It is such an exciting experience to get to witness and celebrate the Lord's orchestration of two lives becoming one. Cheesy? Maybe. Incredible? Most definitely.

Pretty, huh? And it makes cake-eating that much more fun.


Again, here's a big CONGRATS to Brooke and Joe. Praying for a sweet time of engagement for these two wonderful folks.


Tomorrow (yes, two blogs in two days) starts a very exciting weekly routine. Come check it out!