You have probably heard of Bakerella, but just never realized it. I am subscribed to her blog so I get an e-mail every time she posts. And I love it! I swear that I gain 5 pounds every time I read about one of her latest baking experiments. At any one time I probably have no less than 3 of her e-mails sitting in my inbox until I can write down the recipe in that post. I have added a few cookbooks to my Amazon wishlist, too. Thanks, Bakerella!

If you’ve seen this book, or have even just heard of a cake pop, then you’ve more than likely run into her work. I am always astounded at how creative this woman is when it comes to baked goods and sugar. She molds these cake pops into all different shapes and sizes, and they all come out freakin’ adorable!

One of the most memorable (and my own personal favorite) posts that she ever did was around Christmas time. In the winter stores carry the novelty round Coke bottles that hold about 8 oz of pop. She was creative enough to make a snow globe out of it, using a cupcake as the stand, and her cake pop recipe to shape the polar bear that is placed inside of the cleaned out plastic bottle. Isn’t that adorable?? I have no idea how in the world she thinks of so many creative things! That’s why I love to open her e-mails every week. I never know what delectable piece of adorableness is going to greet me.

If you’re not into cake pops, that’s fine. She does many other things as well. Last week she posted about a Key Lime Cream Cake that she made, and which I had to save the recipe so that I can make it for Jay at some point. The week before that she experimented with Homemade Marshmallows that she had to try after finding a cook book filled with recipes. You just never know what you’re going to find when you open the e-mail!

At one point in time I thought about decorating cakes as a side job. I taught myself how to do a lot of the different techniques and then took a cake decorating class when it was offered locally. I don’t have many pictures of my creations, but this is a birthday cake that I made for my dad and sister a few years ago. Not my best, but not too shabby. I haven’t really enjoyed baking since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease and having to go gluten free. It’s so expensive that I hate to experiment, you know? I used to enjoy baking for my coworkers, but after I made some banana cupcakes and nobody ate them because they thought they were store bought I decided not to make them anything else. That and they truly didn’t appreciate the expense of the gluten free flours as compared to regular all purpose flour.

My creations aren’t nearly as adorable as Bakerella’s, but that’s okay. When I make them the person who is on the receiving end knows that they must be somebody special. I would like to do more baking, but my oven doesn’t work correctly and my waistline really doesn’t need it. I would bake a lot more for Jay, but he’s not really big on sweets. You’ve seen the pictures that I’ve posted. He’s scrawny. Does it look like the boy eats a lot of sugary sweets? It’s a bit disheartening, actually. What I wouldn’t give for a waistline like his!

Anyway, take a moment to peruse Bakerella’s website. It will be well worth it!