Just when you thought it was safe to get back into the water. Or kitchen.

There are several blogs I follow, an eclectic mix that is equally as mixed together as a bag of party nuts or better yet, my ipod.

From fellow writers and people in mourning, ever faithful foodies and critics to daily life of anything and everything that is different from my own, the spectrum really is vast. I love this because at times when I should be curled up on a chair engrossing my mind in paper glory, I'm getting lost in a sea of well written and day to day stories, real life. It is still reading, but fits my reading ADD.

And because I'm that horrible person that reads the last 30 pages of a book somewhere before getting through the first 100 because, well I don't really have an answer for that.

Right, there is meaning behind this mish mash. I have a slight obsession with food.

We are best friends. My lady jigs (aka love handles) most assuredly can attest to this.

I love to cook, it’s therapeutic and can be challenging. Somewhere along the road I began collecting cookbooks and typically work my way through every single recipe even if it is a semi jelly bit that includes god awful ingredients that make your house smell like hell, make you vow to never repeat what those ingredients are to your guests and yet turns into a savory dish that you skillfully put together.

Baking, I shudder at the thought. Following instructions and exact measurements makes me automatically want to rebel. A couple of years ago I broke down and bought a kitchenaid. There were months where I would wander through out a department store and gaze at the equipment. Touch the price tag and walk away. The merchants at kitchen stores and chef warehouses became familiar with me and answering my 20,000 questions, always asking but never purchasing until something snapped and I caved to the splurge. It was a silent plea to becoming someone who could do both: cook and bake. With extravagance.

Duncan Hines ain’t got nothin' on me.

I stumbled onto a one foodie blog, that was carbolicious and something that not only grabbed my attention but made me appreciate baking from a different perspective. Rather than seeing just a picture and a recipe that followed, I was able to actually hear the tribe and tribulation of piecing the final product, figuring whether butter cream could hold something together or by the grace of vodka could an order be completed. Enter the Cakeologist and a blog that I tend to follow and turn to when, and now, in the mood for braving the dark waters of the kitchenaid.

I fell hard with her photos and how far she takes a cake on different levels of the extreme. Whether it be a sheet cake or structured out. She has a skill with baked concoctions, a craft that is something to be mentioned. And then recently she did the unmentionable.

She made cake pops, something I have been dying to do but for some reason steered clear of. After reading through both of her renditions I figured it was time.

Time to get back into the kitchen (as if I ever left, I did make a gorgeous vegetable platter but who's counting, this IS technically about baking) and finally attempt the cake pop.

With an upcoming get together with friends, I figured bite sized bits would be perfect so for that I whipped up Red Velvet batter and also the Barefoot Contessa's coconut cake and turned it into a pop. Oh holy jesus. My mouth and eyes had an orgasm just at the sight of my refrigerator.

It was filled with cake pans of sugared bliss, all of which I will refrain from eating because:

A. Just say NO, I’m veering from the sweets right now (or at least I’m telling myself I’m not eating starchy foods)

B. I’m not big on overly sweet treats, this includes candy coatings and would much rather give them out as little gifts…or indulge in a glass of wine instead

C. Baking Extraordinaire, hardly but I’ll walk away with the nickname of goddess instead! I’m always nervous about when someone takes that first bite of whatever it is I’ve made (and we all know I’ve ground up glass and sprinkled it on top with the oreos…one too many glasses of wine while baking)

Despite these little insecurities (because they’re cute as a button) I feel like a proud mama hen, they turned out magnificently. To be a little more adventurous, this is the last week for the designers (see last post-SYWBAD)so I've put together a bouquet of assorted cake pops and other goodies (5hr energy drinks, fresh fruit)for them because they're going to need some sugar to get through the next 50 sum odd hours of their final competition. And who DOESN’T want a little sugary love?

It felt good to spend that time getting caught up in a new cookbook, venturing out of my comfort zone. Though I will openly admit that the molds scare the hell out of me. All I can do is say thanks to a one Cakeologist (thank you!) who put the motion back into a wheel that had gone slack. My personal favorite was the coconut boas because of their frilly appearance but the red velvet don't look too bad themselves!

With that, here’s a hazy [mobile junk] picture of the mixed platter of cake pop treats.

Simple white cake w/crumbled oreos, Red Velvet with chocolate swirls and Coconut Boas

Voila!


If you haven't already jetted along to the baking blog of the Cakeologist, please do to see what it's all about and where the inspiration for these baked goodies came from. Happy wandering!