Kate Bakes Cakes

It's been *a week*... between having to leave the chilly, gorgeous Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to come back to flat, sweaty Florida, to then get home and caught up in the tail end of a police standoff during a dog walk, to then find out my husband's deployment was slightly extended, to finally watching the… Continue reading Because It's a Feelings-Eating Weekend

Due to the Black Friday sales gods, my husband was able to gift me a gorgeous matte purple KitchenAid mixer without selling any organs. I was beyond thrilled to test it out this weekend (I logged about 12 hours on the mixer alone yesterday for holiday baking). How was it compared to my old Walmart… Continue reading Happy Little Trees

I love October. It's the one month of the year I can let my inner Wednesday Addams out, and no one bats an eye because it's totally okay to be a spooky weirdo during Halloween festivities. Needless to say, I wanted to go full on gore and make a cake that was both shocking to… Continue reading A Cake That's Dying to be Eaten

Let me set the scene for you..it was the sixth day of October, and almost a full week of spooky Halloween excitement filled the kitchen. "Witchy Woman" played in the background while I was cloaked in black, throwing ingredients into my cauldron, getting ready to put on one heck of a spell. Okay, so the… Continue reading Witchy Woman Bakes Spooky Cupcakes

I spent Sunday morning putting up Halloween decorations outside the house while sweating profusely because it was 90 degrees with over 75% humidity at 9:30 a.m. I was determined to at least make the house look spooky even if it doesn't feel spooky outside...really, it feels *terrifying* outside because it should not still be over… Continue reading Time to Get Spooky

I live in a state full of beautiful sandy beaches (I also live in a state of denial, but that's a whole different blog post)...the ocean is a gorgeous shade of emerald, and the sand is pure white. Sounds like paradise, right? Well, I'm sure it is, if you're a beach person (I refer to… Continue reading A Mountain of a Cake

It's July, and it's so hot and humid outside here, walking feels more like wading through syrup. By about 11 a.m., it's too gross to even use the pool (think warm bathwater), and that makes me sweaty and upsetty. I know when people think 'Florida!,' it's usually palm trees, beaches, and umbrella drinks. The actuality… Continue reading Pina Colada Paradise

Every year, I try to make my husband a birthday cake that is cooler, better, and crazier than the last. Months ago, I saw a really awesome lumberjack cake on Pinterest, and I thought to myself, "It's so incredibly Canadian. It's absolutely perfect." Derek just happened to look over at my screen (or I shoved… Continue reading The Manliest of Cakes

To me, whiskey has always tasted like burnt motor oil. The smell alone makes me gag instantly and induces a face I make that is an exact replication of an angry toddler spitting out food. But you know what? Most people love whiskey. Honey whiskey, Irish whiskey, there's like a zillion flavor varieties, all of… Continue reading A Whiskey Revelation

I know of only one person in this entire world that loves a good dessert more than I do--my boss. I take the opportunity to try to out-bake myself for her birthday every year because she deserves a really good birthday treat, and unlike me, she does share dessert. She's a fan of boozy baked… Continue reading Death by Chocolate Cheesecake