Sunday, February 17, 2013

Inspired by Martha... Again. Still. Always!

I asked for two things from my sweetie for Valentine's Day last week...
Two bunches of tulips and, Martha's Cakes and Cupcakes magazine!
I received both! And, I was so happy when it began to snow early yesterday
because it meant I could snuggle up on the sofa and read all day long!
And, that's what I did. The magazine is fantastic! While $9.99 is a bit more
than I am accustomed to paying for a magazine, it is nearly 100 pages...
Every one prettier and more inspiring than the next!
It made me want to bake a cake immediately!
Unfortunately, my baking supplies are scattered
everywhere but throughout the kitchen because...
This spot where the boys once put on their shoes and where today
I've got quite the collection of hats, shopping/tote bags going on...
Is about to become a secondary pantry, dedicated only to my baking supplies!
I'm so happy I over-bought on these bin pulls when we remodeled the kitchen
because Pottery Barn no longer carries them but I happen to have the four we'll
need for the new pantry doors and replace the brass knobs on the coat closet!
So... Before I could bake a cake today I had to go on a treasure hunt to find my
cake pans. I looked everywhere but could not find my set of round cake pans. I
know I own a set of round cake pans because after all, I created this cake!
As I searched, I sent up a quick prayer to St. Anthony for the whereabouts of
my cake pans and, just as I finished, a set of hexagon shaped pans appeared
with a handful of fortune cookies in one of them. So I broke open a cookie...
And, there was my answer!
It means two things to me... First, that I'll find my cake pans when it's time
to load my new pantry and second, the universe must have a sense of humor...
Because... It better not take a month for my new pantry to be completed!
Nevertheless, without my round cake pans and without any idea which
boxes might contain my baking flours, sugar and other baking necessities...
I did the only thing I could... I grabbed a King Arthur Flour
cake mix and some Guittard chocolate to make it extra good!
Fortunately, I knew exactly where my extra set of bake even strips were hiding!
If you've ever wondered if they really work, see for yourself!
No trimming necessary. Just evenly baked cakes every time!
Even if you're baking hexagon shaped cakes!
To make it easier to transfer from my rotating decorating stand to a
board after I applied the crumb coat, I left my cake on my large cookie
spatula - Which also provided me with a convenient handle for turning!
It's the little things... Especially when all of your baking
supplies are in boxes sitting out in the cold garage!
Despite the fact that I couldn't try one of Martha's delicious
cake recipes from her beautiful Cakes and Cupcakes issue...
I still managed to have a little fun in the kitchen today!
It was a nice break from all the cookies I've been creating lately!
And, made for the perfect dessert after tonight's dinner!

To see the completed baking pantry project, click here!

5 comments:

  1. Ummm first off, I have the new Martha Stewart Cupcakes magazine and love it. I too love tulips yet I still get roses every year. Not sure when my husband will get the memo! lol. I love that you are building a second pantry. I need that in my life too!

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  2. I'm sitting here drinking my coffee, reading your blog post and wondering what to have for breakfast . . . and I decided a big piece of that cake would hit the spot! It's beautiful!

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  3. Love how your cake turned out. Hope all goes well with the secondary "Baking Pantry". Looking forward to seeing the completed view. You have the most amazing well equipped kitchen I have ever seen. A girl's gotta love Martha's magazine. Her tips are so useful and the pics so clear. But true to my girl, I love your photos more. There's a homier feel to them that Martha's don't have. Glad you had a good day with the snow.

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  4. Again I am so impressed with your talents. I'll have to check out those bake even strips. I'm in the process of making a new pantry fit in my kitchen. Growing out of our house. Can't wait to see the finished project.

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  5. Oh I see Willie!! The cake looks so yummy. Where did you decide to put all your cakestands?
    Andrea in WA

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