Before kids, I used to find stress relief by weeding my yard while drinking. This consumed my non-working waking hours. Not sure if that was any healthier… but my yard was immaculate!

These days since having kids, I’ve given up drinking AND accomplishing things during daylight. Now, the quantity of cakes that appears seems to directly correlate to the amount of stress I may be experiencing. (Yes, if I’m baking, it’s not a terrible idea to check in on my mental health… 🤪.)

I suppose it’s my way of turning outward to give to others when I’d rather not face my own sh*t. Cause who doesn’t love gifting a delicious cake? (I’m now recognizing a familial pattern as my dad gifts smoked bbq… 🤔)

Homemade Cakes

Some even have recipes to click on!

Ice Cream Cake

In Cincinnati you can get delicious ice cream cakes from Graeters and then personalize them with your own touch. I upscaled this cake with Lego chocolate bricks and mini figures.

Cupcakes

I highly recommend using curd and compotes as cup cake fillings.

Failed Cakes

Rest assured they were still eaten and delicious despite their looks.

Also, don’t be fooled into thinking I didn’t come back the next day in an attempt to redeem myself. So the guinea pigs who were forced to eat these duds, more than likely ended up with a second cake featured above.

What I was attempting vs. reality…

Regardless, these cakes pair nicely in a bowl smothered with ice cream. Problem solved!

Learn from my family’s mistakes:

• A stowaway unrefrigerated road trip cake disaster (which was a hubby surprise for my 30th birthday to the Red River Gorge) could have been avoided if placed in a cooler or frozen the day before. However, I absolutely love this memory and 30 was still delicious!
• If you add a puree to an icing to give it flavor, you need to bulk it up with more powdered sugar. Also, refrigerate and cool your cake periodically during icing.
• Sometimes things also just fail when you substitute ingredients! In this case I was avoiding jello with red dye 40 and trying my luck with a gelatin protein powder, probably better suited for smoothies.
• Lastly, a horrible rookie mistake: never ice a cake directly out of the oven, no matter how hungry you may be. It never ends well, especially with whip cream. Refrigerate, refrigerate, refrigerate! (The key is to make sure your refrigerator has room the day before decorating!)

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