nicole, my bride from early june, emailed me her lovely wedding photos this morning! there was a great shot of her & her new hubby’s cake & cupcake tower i made for them. her photographer, lindsey tropf, is amazing & did a bang up job capturing some really beautiful moments on their day.

photo by lindsey tropf

all photos by jeanne ciasullo
flowers by emily moody of em
shot on location at underbelly & violet in 5 points, downtown jacksonville

got back from the west coast a couple of weeks ago & loved every waking moment. it’s been so long since i have traveled and omg, i caught the traveling bug. and i also got to think a lot. and when i say a lot, i mean, i got some major clarity. clarity about who i am, what i want to be and when i want to do it all. but one thing’s for sure… i was meant to be a baker. a pastry chef. a true pastry cuddler, if you will. i’m happiest and true to form when i’m in the kitchen, it’s inevitable & i’m going to do it.

better know as “golden eggs” from confections of a (closet) master baker. they changed my world & the worlds of my co-workers. the fluffiest vanilla cake with little speckles of nutmeg, baked to a golden brown perfection, then while still warm, dipped in butter (i used european – the champagne of butters), then rolled in a perfect blend of cinnamon & sugar. yes, that’s what said.

this past saturday, i had the pleasure of whipping up 150 cupcakes plus a mini cake for nicole & her new hubby, drew. nicole (from the sunny south florida) was actually working with our wedding coordinator, cheryl, from the oldest house gardens earlier on in her planning process. and cheryl, being the lovely lady she is, passed my name along to nicole. we had an amazing tasting together in april & her cake order was lemon buttermilk, red velvet & chocolate peanut butter. another sweet success & i was even able to beat the hot june sun from melting away all the buttercream – phew!

happy wishes filled with love & laughter to sucha lovely couple. xo

cakes are great. but grandmothers… grandmothers are better. they are the reason the cakes taste so good after all those years.

nanna fleetwood, we’re sending you extra love today. you’re a mighty fighter. and i don’t care what ANYONE says… you are the master of 13-layer cakes. the master. the end.

much love & peace.

made for a totally special red-head memorial day eve. recipe here!

in about 20-something days, i will be in berkeley, california, working side by side in the kitchen here with the lovely lady who made this apple cake with mascarpone-honey cream and huckleberry preserves. yes, i am actually pinching myself once a day to make sure it’s all really happening & real.

via murmur, my soul

my cravings for red velvet are at an all time high, especially coming from back in the day bakery. mmmm nom nom!

via from me to you

dear tara kane, please make me a cake like the one you made above. you moved away before i could ever try any of your delicious bakes. hope sarasota is awesome – i’m sending hugs with sarah & sean!

via your day, my day