Let them eat cake :)

A little while back I decided I would like to learn how to bake homemade cakes. I grew up thinking cake just came out of a box and that was that. With Owen's first birthday coming up I thought it would be fun to make his cake.....from scratch. I have always felt like my baking skills and especially cake decorating skills were lacking. So, off I went to Borders bookstore to find a cookbook that could magically turn me into a famous baker. Quickly I realized that there are way too many cookbooks for one to choose from. Suddenly I became overwhelmed and pondered just how I would choose the right one. Who knew there were so many cake cookbooks?! I sat there for hours, sipping hot coffee and mulling over several books. My mind soaked in page after page, my courage rising that I could indeed become a good baker. Finally, I decided to purchase "The Art and Soul of Baking" by Cindy Mushet.

Tuesday I set out to make my very first homemade devils food cake with dark chocolate ganache frosting. Of course Owen cheered me on from his seat as he happily munched on spinach and chicken. :) There are so many things I had no idea about. Did you know that your eggs have to be at room temperature and you need to slightly beat them before adding them to the butter and sugar? Oh and by the way......6 minutes feels like an eternity when you are trying to cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer. I am proud to say that the cake actually turned out pretty good. It was a little flat and I think it is because I didn't cream the butter and sugar long enough. Apparently this process creates air bubbles that gives the cake more volume. Next time I just have to grow more muscles and beat the mixture until my arm about falls off.

To add to the fun, Brian and I watched Julie and Julia the night before and it was most inspiring, in case you couldn't tell. So inspiring that I am now going to attempt to make O's birthday cake into a cool teddy bear shape. Of course I will have the help of my dear friend Mary Grace who is a pro at decorating cakes. Stay tuned for how it turns out.................