Martha's Cake.

My close friends know that Martha was and is my hero.

Growing up, while most my peers were busy watching reality television shows and reading tabloids, I was busy watching the Food Network and reading Martha Stewart magazines. Our keen interests in, and passion for, cakes, food, crafts, color, flowers, weddings and all things beautiful and wonderful, were shared. Simply put, Martha and I spoke the same language. I was such a "domestic goddess" (according to friends that is) and a homebody that my friends frequently joked I was a middle-aged homemaker of the 50's/60's stuck in the body of a modern-day teen.

When Shira of MS Weddings contacted me asking to create a cake for the blog this past February, I snorted, laughed and then sat in front of my laptop in silence for a really long time. A million thoughts crossed my mind. Initially, I was scared. There are so many, and I do mean SO many, talented cake designers out there and I just did not feel qualified. I did not want to embarrass myself nor disgrace the artistry and industry. Then, I felt an overwhelming, almost bone-throbbing, sense of gratefulness. I am so lucky. Like the feature blog post reads, I am indeed still an amateur. Everything that has happened thus far has been pure luck. Really, serendipity has been so kind to me. Ultimately, after hours of thinking, I decided to embrace the opportunity as I feared it may never come my way again. For twenty-something years I've been riding life's roller coaster with my eyes shut. I figured it was finally time to take a little peek. : )

As requested, I wanted to, and kept, the cake simple. However, to that cupful of simplicity, I added a tablespoon of retro, a teaspoon of modern, and a pinch of happy-go-lucky.

Special thanks to:
Shira for the opportunity but mostly for being her amazing-spirited self.
Sylvia G Photography for the amazing photographs.
Carrie Sellman of Half Baked for becoming a huge part of Miso Bakes' identity.
You (yes, you reading this post) for your curiosity, support and well wishes.

What I Love to Bake.

People always ask me what I like to bake the most-- aside from cakes that is.

As many of you know, I love making fruit tarts.
Something about making them is so calming and soothing.
Not to mention, the components are so simple yet so bold.
They are always a wonderful accompaniment to a mug of of strong coffee or floral tea.

The pastry cream and the pate sucree (the shell) serve as a blank canvas for me.
A touch of caramel or citrus zest or extract can completely change the flavor profile of the tart.
Therefore, I encourage all of you to test your boundaries and venture out into different flavors and textures.
You may be pleasantly surprised.

Orange Pate Sucree 

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

Garnished with Strawberries

Chocolate Pate Sucree 

Pistachio Pastry Cream 

Garnished with Pistachios

Chocolate Pate Sucree

Caramel Pastry Cream

Garnished with Blackberries

Aren't the strawberries gorgeous? The color was so bright that I actually had to tone it down a bit!

Mini Spring Chick Cake.

Spring is here!
If you have time to spare
please head over to here.
If you do, the children will love you this year!

I Hope You Dance.

I don't know where to begin or what to say.
I am surprised, shocked, ashamed, embarrassed and humbled all at the same time.

Many of you know of my journey; of my struggles, hesitance and imperfections.
It breaks my heart to admit that this blog had been brushed aside for the past few months due to my semi-new job as a pastry cook. Working in a restaurant environment consumes all my energy and by the time I get home all I want to do is clean myself and crawl into bed.

I... no, this blog, recently made it to the 5 current favorite list of UK's Making Cakes and Bakes Magazine (Issue #2).

A part of me feels so guilty as I know there are plenty more dedicated bloggers and informative blogs out there. Do I deserve this? I think not. Am I happy and excited and jumping up and down? Yes, like a maniac.

However, before I get too happy, I would like to take the time and thank all my followers. Without your support I don't think I would have made it this far. Really, I would have called it quits a long time ago. You don't know how many people turned me down because I wasn't good enough or experienced enough or known enough. Sad, but that was, and still is, our reality. My reality.

As I was nervously ripping the wrapping off the magazine today, a favorite song of mine came to mind.
It was Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance". I first heard it on the radio many years ago and I instantly fell in love with the lyrics. Rumor has it that Lee Ann wrote the song for her daughter, and if I were to become a mom I would give the same advice. Unfortunately, I am no where near becoming a mom, and today, I am receiving more emails than ever seeking advice and relating to my difficult beginnings. Therefore, I dedicate this song to all of you struggling.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance 
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
...


I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance when you hurt.

I hope you dance when you fear.

I hope you dance when you struggle.

I hope you dance when you fail. 

I hope you dance when you succeed.

I hope you dance when you are humbled.

I hope you dance when you are brought to your knees. 

I just hope all of you continuously dance because one day, someone will notice.

And one day, when somebody does, I hope you remember the dance and are reminded of your humble beginnings. 

Button Cake Version 2.

The most popular post and cake on my blog is the Cute as a Button cake I created a few years back. Well, I've always wanted to recreated it as it was one of my first cakes out of culinary school and my skills were quite limited back then.

Earlier this month, I had the perfect opportunity to recreate it for a friend's daughter who turned 1!

I stuck to the ombre trend and gave the cake ruffles for a more feminine and cute appeal.

To learn how to make the vintage doily, please visit my post on Half Baked.

I've been getting quite a lot of emails regarding the buttons. I don't use a mold (I don't really favor them in general as I think they limit one's creativity). I use any shaped cutter I want and punch the holes out with a piping tip! Here's a brief picture tutorial!

Extremely simple! 

Happy button making! : ) If you do recreate this cake, please tag me on Facebook! I'd love to take a look at your button cakes! 

More Valentine's Day Ideas!

Need more Valentine's Day ideas?

Try some sprinkles on your macaron shells!
Just sprinkle some on as they wait to dry.

Or, try making some jello cups! The concept is similar to the Stained Glass Jello!

Keep it simple and have fun in the kitchen! : ) 

Not Pink.

Every Valentine's Day I think of a certain person and laugh.

I have a particular friend who absolutely dislikes the typical Valentine's Day colors.
Every year, since the year we became friends, she'd ask, "Why pink? Why red?"
Every year I'd respond with, "I don't know. I didn't choose."

This year I made a pink-less and red-less Valentine's Day cake just for her and her loved one.

Pretty simple, right?

Please do be careful when placing the cake in the box. I got too excited and scraped the top of the cake with the lid and had to make more espresso buttercream and fix the boo-boos.

Need more Valentine's Day ideas?

Take a look at my Sweethearts Cookies or Ombre Cookie Pops or Oreo Hearts!