A Weekend of Baking

This past weekend I baked all the weekend long!  I lived, ate, and slept sugar basically...okay, I tried to stay away from the "eating" part so much, but who can resist a lick out of the bowl after the batter's poured out or a bite of the cake cut off the top to level things out a bit???  Maybe it's possible---if you're not HUMAN!!! Hee, hee.  Nonetheless, I was preparing some desserts for a church function when I find out my neighbor is about to BUY her birthday from the store (I know, sacrilege, right?!).  Well, I couldn't have her do such a thing and told her to have no fear, I would take care of it.  I was already doing three desserts, what was one more!  And that's how I came to my exhaustive but rewarding weekend of baking.  Take a look!

My sweet neighbor's scrumptious chocolate turtle cake with a pecan caramel filling, chocolate ganache frosting, topped with caramel and pecans!  And just think, she was going to buy one of those pre-made things.  Never!

 Amidst all the hard work and the mess of baking, you have to have a little fun, right?  Here we have my version of the oreo from heaven!  The crust I was doing for a cheesecake called for just the chocolate cookie part crushed so I thought I'd mess around a bit with that amazing, so-good-but-so-bad-for-you white stuff.  Forget "double stuff", Baby, we're going all the way!  (No, I didn't really eat this, although, my boys begged me to let them, to which I very respectfully declined!)

This is an orange chiffon cake with a light orange flavor to the cake itself and orange infused whipped cream for the frosting.  Delectable.

Mocha cheesecake.  For the chocolate and coffee lover in all of us!

This is probably my most-est, favorite-est thing I make.  I am not kidding you.  It is like paradise on a plate!  A chocolate pavlova with a crunchy outside and a dense, chewy inside, topped with fresh whipped cream and raspberries, and you have yourself pure bliss.......plus a few extra pounds the next day if you lack self-discipline the way I do!