My dad’s birthday is this Friday, he’s so lucky to have such a fun day. I don’t really want to spend on renting the pans again to make my mom’s favorite pumpkin cakes so I’m thinking simple. She gave me a recipe from a magazine she liked so I think that was a hint.

Then I happened to see this:

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per serving)
Calories 610
Total Fat 33g
Saturated Fat –
Cholesterol 150mg
Sodium 310mg
Total Carbohydrate 79g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Sugars –
Protein 7g
Calcium –

Wowzers. I’m not sure I can even make the thing in good conscience. I guess I’ve never really looked at things like that!

It’ll be a last minute toss up. Luckily he exercises a lot, for the rest of us it’ll mean a group session on the basement gym.

Making a magnificent vat of cream cheese icing, I managed to burn out the mixer. The $10 numbers do save me a bundle, just the second one in 8 years.

With a massive cake yet to make I had to get out my grandma’s vintage mixer that weighs more than a bodybag and isn’t exactly user friendly even sitting on the stand. I don’t normally use it unless I’m forced – too scared I’ll loose a couple fingers after getting my hand tangled up before. (In the little one, thankfully, still have all ten!)

Almost 60 years later the Dormeyer purrs with a consistent hum and beats a beautiful cake.   I suppose the arm muscles I build trying to hang on are worth it.  Here’s where “they don’t make them like they used to” comes in.

How cute is the fountain in the apples!

I shouldn’t complain, but I wouldn’t have minded a ribbon or something, come on! (I did have a photo of my “sticker” but it appears Braiden hasn’t learned he should delete from the beginning not the end.) Otherwise, a great time, I see why it’s my grandparents’ favorite festival.

Okay so I’ve got my next two recipe projects:

Cinnamon vanilla cupcakes with Mexican hot chocolate buttercream  - We know how I feel about cinnamon in any variation! Yummy!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake - I don’t eat pumpkin pie thanks to a frightful incident as a child (stringy pumpkin chunks anyone?) but I’ve learned to enjoy it in other things in small amounts. And I’m trying get a little more daring with it, beyond my Pumpkin Spice candle. I think this will be perfect.

Braiden will not be eating it and not because of the pumpkin. He said he’ll eat chocolate if it’s someone else’s choice for *their* birthday but otherwise no, he’s strictly a vanilla fella these days.  He will however love the first recipe.

My cheesecake is ready for the Apple Festival tomorrow – I hope it’s received well. I mean it’s no pie, ha, but it’s smelling really good.

Happy fall baking!

Saturday bonus.  I’m not even a big raspberry fan, but they are just the perfect compliment to cheesecake.

This little number is for an 25th anniversary dessert party – how fun.  I’m tucking away that one!

Woohoo! The fondant leaves came out great.

I’m quite proud of myself – I bought a portion of my supplies for this Saturday’s cake AHEAD OF TIME! I’m going to get started on some fondant fall leaves tonight so I can craft them out now and color them later. And probably cry less over a food product.

I really need to practice some non hideous writing styles. The next two are cream cheese icing which isn’t very forgiving at being scraped and re-iced.

Which is good because I need to make up a little icing for leaves on pumpkin cupcakes I made last weekend. Since there was real butter in the icing we won’t be eating them now…Braiden already ate his so these were mine play with.

Autumn Apple Cheesecake

I’m looking forward to another contest, yippee!  Just got the okay to enter in Kendallville for the Apple Festival next month as it’s not a county resident only event.

Since the judging happens immediately and things won’t sit around, I’m thinking it’ll be perfect for a cheesecake. I’m pretty sure I have my item decided on thanks to some helpful tastetesters tonight.  From the looks of it my entry will be in the “other” category…all the better to win it I hope!

I do not need another pan. I have enough pans to pop them in and out of the oven in a continuous cycle until the heating elements died with very little washing. I certainly don’t need a mini-cheesecake pan. But they’re so cute.

Someone asked about wedding cheesecakes last week and it just dawned on me how perfect these would be! So technically, I could try a pan out for research purposes.

I can just picture them with little fruit toppers or sugar flowers…

God bless the person who filled the candy jar because nothing goes better with cake planning than a Baby Ruth.

It’s unofficially decided that Braiden will have a birthday at the movies this year. There’s usually always something coming out right around that time we go see and this year is no exception (Madagascar 2!).

I spied some awesome cupcakes from a talented cakester, that I think will be just perfect to try. And another awesome baker had several options for the popcorn “buckets”. I love when things fall into place, he’s going to be so excited. More planning to come…