If you asked me what my favorite hobby was, I’d tell you it was baking. Especially if you’re a newbie. Because answering with “watching porn” just wouldn’t fly. 

That’s what I look like when I try to pretend I’m shoving an entire cake in my face. It is by far the most elegant pose I’ve ever done. It also took three tries because I get the giggles. Anyhoozles, that’s a German Käse Sahne Torte made with mandarins. I’ve tried to translate that into English but it all comes out sounding weird. 

These are the Black & White Cookies I absolutely had to make. The recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Cookies. They were freaking fantastic. Thank you, Martha. 

I made these Red-Velvet Cake Truffles for my friend Erin’s birthday, which happens to fall on St. Patrick’s Day and she just happens to be Irish. They were a huge, huge hit even though I didn’t dare try them. I think I knew too much (read: sugar bombs make my body twitch). I adapted the recipe from Bakerella. She calls them Cake Balls but I can’t do that AND hold a straight face. So Truffles it is. 

These were going to be Funfetti Cake Pops (also adapted from Bakerella) but I was running out of time so… voila. They worked just as well without a popsicle stick jabbed into their cake-y goodness.

This is, by far, one of my ultimate favorite cakes. It’s a Strawberry-Almond Meringue Torte. It’s German. ‘Nuff said.

That right there is a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. Yes. It’s German too. And it has liquor in it. And cherries. And chocolate. And blissful goodness. This was my first time working with that particular recipe and I think some changes will be made in the future. I was fairly okay with the turn out none the less.

Last, but not least, this is the Almond Peach-Pomegranate Layer Cake I made for a dear friend’s baby shower. I shouldn’t really call her a friend since she’s MUCH more like family. I tweaked the original recipe from SmittenKitchen. Let me tell y’all something. This mothertrucker came out amazingly. It is by far one of the best creations ever to come out of my oven. The cake itself was moist, almondy and just sweet enough. The frosting was airy and not at all over the top. I like to call this perfection on a platter.