Of course I made her cake, and what a special cake it was! I got to use my new giant cupcake pan that my mom got me for Christmas--it is similar to this wilton one, but is silicone. To make it especially festive I added a few tablespoons rainbow sprinkles to my favorite white cake recipe (mix them in with the dry ingredients to prevent them from sinking to the bottom) to make a homemade confetti cake!
the trimmed bottom layer before frosting
not so pretty before icing...but the shape is fun
Ta-DA!
iced with the birthday party color scheme
Some important things to note when using this kind of pan:
-Since it is an incredibly deep pan it is best to use a "low and slow" baking method. I baked the cake at 325 F for about 90 minutes (checking every ten or so minutes after an hour) before it was cooked through.
-I also over-filled the pan. Though the recipe I use is officially for cupcakes Martha gives instructions in the book on how to bake it as a two layer cake. I made the full recipe but probably could have gotten 4-6 regular cupcakes in addition to my giant here. (that would have been really cute...a momma cupcake w/her babies! ) I will probably only fill the pan's compartments 3/4 of the way full next time I use this pan.
-It was kinda scary to cut! We ended up just slicing it like a regular cake, but making the top and bottom halves distinct pieces (I don't know if that makes sense...but that's what we did :)
Everyone LOVED it and it was a super fun cupcake themed party!
The night before and morning of we decorated the house and it was so cute! My friend and her husband planned a Gorgeous setup with pictures and mementos all over the house so we could see highlights from her first year.
Happy birthday!!
It was just wonderful to spend time with Jordan and being able to serve her by helping out with the party--she has done so many wonderful things for me over the years and has been a true friend through everything--it is rare to have someone so special after so very many years! We have stuck by each other and gone in and out of closeness, but are always able to pick right back up where we left off. I love you dearly Jordan!!
two of the most beautiful ladies I know :)
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It was honestly hard leaving. I drove home on this rainy afternoon listening to melancholy music and thinking. I went to their church with them this morning and the pastor is another dear friend from my youth--the church and birthday party both had so many people that I know and love from Bowling Green where I live now, but they have moved on. It felt like I was just at home--but then I had to leave. So often after visiting friends I feel like my life picked up and moved but forgot to take me! I guess that is part of living in a college and "transitional" town. So many dear friends have now moved to the Nashville area or Louisville--I'm just kinda stuck in between.
Most of the time I am so thrilled with my life, but at times like this I realize that I am missing some of the deep and vulnerable relationships that I used to have. Moving where my friends live now would not make it like it used to be (I need to remember this) because we have all changed, and it seems that even my friends who all moved to the same town don't see each other that often! I just need to step out in faith and seek those types of relationships again. It is just hard after you give so much of yourself to people and get so used to them moving away. I have honestly shied away from the Bible studies and discipleship that I used to be involved in because I got so tired of having another group of friends pick up and move again--it is emotionally draining. But we are created to have community and fellowship so it's time for me to start seeking that again. Thanks to all of you--my bloggy buddies and "real-life" friends who keep up with all of my random thoughts and escapades and encourage and pray for me through it all. I guess this is another thing to add to the resolution list!
-Since it is an incredibly deep pan it is best to use a "low and slow" baking method. I baked the cake at 325 F for about 90 minutes (checking every ten or so minutes after an hour) before it was cooked through.
-I also over-filled the pan. Though the recipe I use is officially for cupcakes Martha gives instructions in the book on how to bake it as a two layer cake. I made the full recipe but probably could have gotten 4-6 regular cupcakes in addition to my giant here. (that would have been really cute...a momma cupcake w/her babies! ) I will probably only fill the pan's compartments 3/4 of the way full next time I use this pan.
-It was kinda scary to cut! We ended up just slicing it like a regular cake, but making the top and bottom halves distinct pieces (I don't know if that makes sense...but that's what we did :)
The night before and morning of we decorated the house and it was so cute! My friend and her husband planned a Gorgeous setup with pictures and mementos all over the house so we could see highlights from her first year.
Happy birthday!!
Such a special day! And I finished a little hat for her while I was there and she looks so cute in it!
It was just wonderful to spend time with Jordan and being able to serve her by helping out with the party--she has done so many wonderful things for me over the years and has been a true friend through everything--it is rare to have someone so special after so very many years! We have stuck by each other and gone in and out of closeness, but are always able to pick right back up where we left off. I love you dearly Jordan!!
two of the most beautiful ladies I know :)
It was honestly hard leaving. I drove home on this rainy afternoon listening to melancholy music and thinking. I went to their church with them this morning and the pastor is another dear friend from my youth--the church and birthday party both had so many people that I know and love from Bowling Green where I live now, but they have moved on. It felt like I was just at home--but then I had to leave. So often after visiting friends I feel like my life picked up and moved but forgot to take me! I guess that is part of living in a college and "transitional" town. So many dear friends have now moved to the Nashville area or Louisville--I'm just kinda stuck in between.
Most of the time I am so thrilled with my life, but at times like this I realize that I am missing some of the deep and vulnerable relationships that I used to have. Moving where my friends live now would not make it like it used to be (I need to remember this) because we have all changed, and it seems that even my friends who all moved to the same town don't see each other that often! I just need to step out in faith and seek those types of relationships again. It is just hard after you give so much of yourself to people and get so used to them moving away. I have honestly shied away from the Bible studies and discipleship that I used to be involved in because I got so tired of having another group of friends pick up and move again--it is emotionally draining. But we are created to have community and fellowship so it's time for me to start seeking that again. Thanks to all of you--my bloggy buddies and "real-life" friends who keep up with all of my random thoughts and escapades and encourage and pray for me through it all. I guess this is another thing to add to the resolution list!
I love that cake, and I completely understand what you wrote about needing those vulnerable relationships. It's been hard for me to make lasting friendships since leaving grad school, and while I have held on to some friendships from college and grad school, I would also like to be able to make friends where I am now, but it's just hard and I don't know how to do it!
ReplyDeleteThe cake looks wonderful!!! Love you!
ReplyDeleteThat cake is so cute! Great job! And it's funny you wrote about your old friendships and how everyone has moved on.. I was just visiting my college town this weekend and had the biggest feeling of "man I wanna move back here. I love this place so much that I never want to leave!" and then I realized, the reason I loved the place so much was all the people I knew there.. All those people that graduated and moved away 5 years ago. Moving back would accomplish nothing because there's nothing left for me there.
ReplyDeletethanks for the encouragement ladies!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, it was wonderful having you down here and I did have thoughts of "what could get sarah to move down here" and trying to figure out the ins and outs of these things :) I know that isn't the solution for either one of us - we both need to develop deep friendships where we live - not abandoning our current friendships (of course!) but branching out a little.
ReplyDeleteI am excited about being able to come to BG more and that while we won't be together as much as we were in say, high school or college, we will be able to spend more time together!
Thank you for cooking the food, baking the cake, helping decorate, and every other thing you did while you were down here this weekend. I love that you were able to help celebrate this time with us!
Sarah!!! We miss you sooooo much. Yes, we've all moved to Louisville, and formed relationships with others, but nothing will ever replace that precious time we spent in bible study. I do pray, though, that God will bless you life with meaningful and deep fellowship. It is VERY important and such an incredible blessing. I love you very much. You will always be very dear to me, and I hope to see you soon!
ReplyDelete