Eating It and Having It Too

I like cake. I have not always liked cake. I like MY cakes. Although in my lifetime I have come across some fabulous bakery's that have caused me to change my thinking about cake. Like the Chinese-Mexican Bakery in Chula Vista, California...I know...a strange name...but a great bakery. Our church would often order their fresh strawberry with whip cream frosting sheet cake. THAT was good. Or Hans and Harry's in Bonita, California...yep...two Austrian brothers making fabulous cakes. My wedding cake was to die for . It was both layers of fabulous chocolate, and layers of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting iced delicately in a lace design to match my dress. Yum!
Now a days I'm the neighborhood baker for most things requiring a celebration. It seems like spring makes for many occasions for cake. One of the main sources of inspiration for me has been the Whimsical Bakehouse. I just recently found them online having read their book years ago. Their site offers a fun gallery, as well as tutorials for some of their creations. I first found out about them with this book The Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-to-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look! What really drew me to them was first the cake designs which were...well...whimsical. Wonderfully fun designs in buttercream and chocolate. The second thing that made the find so wonderful was the buttercream recipes. Kaye's Buttercream is just that...made from butter...and the best cake frosting in my opinion hands down. I highly encourage you to look for their book, or go online and try that cake topping.
Another recent baking find is Cupcake Bakeshop. The site is now 'closed', but is still available for a great list of recipes and beautiful photographs of lovely baked creations. The Green Tea cupcakes look challenging, but worth the effort.

And let's never forget Bakerella...Trish has that site linked up on the right. LOVE that site too...have you tried your hand at the mini cupcake pops? Oh, those are so much fun and fabulous too. The kids are way too eager to have their hands in that task. I love her ganache recipes and my new passion, brownies, is often inspired by her recipes and exceptional photos.
There are just so many great ways in life to be creative. I love the challenge, and I love the reward of the effort. And with cake and buttercream, even the mistakes are yummy.
So what baking sites inspire you right now?