An MFRW Author Post – And check out the other blogs on the hop!

 

I love to bake. I love to cook too, and I’ve made some pretty killer crockpot meals, but where cooking is my portraits, baking is my African Masks, the art in which I both excel and create, an activity that, like writing, drives something strong and creative from deep inside.

I’m not allowed to bake often. I’m a full cream and sugar kind of gal. Even still, I’ve found a few recipes over the years that I’ll continue to return to time and again. And, because hey, everyone loves pictures of cakes, you can check out a few more of my designs at the bottom, or follow my scrapbook, rarely-updated baking Instagram. But I digress. I don’t make my own recipes, I steal them, but I do decorate and design on my own–that’s the best part. Still, everyone deserves credit for their work, so I’ve linked all the recipes I used for these delicacies and I highly recommend you check them out.


Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

IMG_0927 2I know. I was skeptical too. Vegan, by design, is a limiting diet and taking eggs, milk, and butter out of baking seems a little like taking the air out of a balloon. But I had promised a vegan friend cookies and I found a simple recipe that didn’t include any artificial substitutes.

And oh my God. I’m hooked on these cookies. They’re super easy to make and surprisingly healthy, soft, delicious and better than many non-vegan cookies I’ve both made and eaten. You’d be remiss to skip out on these babies!

Shortbread Bites

IMG_6733This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It’s simple but admittedly takes a long time, since you’re making a gigantic batch of cookies. And that’s part of the fun! If you’re bringing something to a party or giving cookies as gifts, these are a delicious and festive treat.

Plus, you can pop ‘em like candy while you bake. And who doesn’t love shortbread?

Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Layer Cake

IMG_7488This cake is decadent. I’ll certainly admit, I freaking loved decorating it – it was a birthday cake for my mom and I wanted to go with a cool spring vibe – and it’s way easy to make the nest design. Easier than making the cake itself.

Normally I’m all for the easy recipe with the complicated decoration, but this cake is Bailey’s Irish Cream and the frosting is Bailey’s infused buttercream and it’s a lot of work. But oh my god, it’s worth it.

Orange and Cranberry Naked Cake

IMG_6042The prettiest? Nah. I mean, it’s definitely pretty, but I’ve made prettier. But this orange and cranberry naked cake with orange-infused buttercream frosting is a goddamn culinary miracle. I mean, have you ever tasted something you wanted to live inside? Have you ever taken a bite of a cloud or drifted off on a tasting exploration of divine holiness? Add in a splash of citrus and you have this cake.

It’s seasonal for winter, with cranberry and citrus, and baby, it ain’t good for ya, but if you need someone to eat their fruit, this cake will get the job done. In fact, I’d happily live out the rest of my life never eating anything else.

Baking is a release for me. As a writer, I often get frustrated by what I perceive as a lack of progress. After all, there’s nothing tangible about my manuscript until I’m very nearly done with the book, and holding my computer in my hands just doesn’t do it. But baking does all that. I plug in my favorite audiobook, tie my elephant apron tight and delve right in. It’s the tastiest therapy yet.

 

For more of my designs, check out my Instagram

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