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cakes

Biscoff Spread Gooey Butter Cake

I am so not a therapist. I tell my students’ parents this all the time when discussing their kids’ motivation and social issues, to be sure they take any surmising with a grain (bag) of salt. I am just so not qualified to give psychological advice —

except insofar as I’ve read a lot, felt a lot, analyzed a lot, and pondered a lot throughout the years. One thing I’m thinking about a lot lately is the lost art of validation.

Validation is, to put it simply, affirming that someone else is competent and that their ideas make sense. Validation is not agreement, though it can accompany agreement. I like to think of it as communicating empathy: “I may or may not agree. I may or may not have been in your position before. Either way, I get what you’re saying and can understand why you’re saying it.”

Validation is nice, sure. But it’s important for a reason beyond being “nice”: it’s what makes real, effective, productive discourse possible.

Take the following two examples. In both, Jane and John are arguing about whether the toilet paper should be positioned with the sheets rolling over or under (quite the heated topic, if you guys are any indication.)

WITH VALIDATION

Jane: Can you please put the toilet paper on so that it rolls over?
John: I would rather place the sheets under, because the cat will unroll the roll otherwise.
Jane: Oh, I see what you mean. I understand why you care about that, but the cat has never done it. Can we try it rolling over and see how he does, because I really like it that way?
John: Sure. If he unrolls it, can we go back to “under”?
Jane: That sounds good.

WITHOUT VALIDATION

Jane: Can you please put the toilet paper on so that it rolls over?
John: Nope, the toilet paper should roll under.
Jane: No it shouldn’t! You don’t know what you’re talking about and you barely ever replace the roll anyway. Everyone I’ve ever talked to agrees with me.
John: Whoa, I’ve actually read about this extensively online and I know I’m right. Your opinion isn’t based on anything!
Jane: You’re being so ridiculous and stubborn! Why can’t you do this one little thing right? Why can’t you support me?
John: Because you’re crazy! This is just like that stupid argument about the dishwasher, and you were wrong then, too!
Jane: I hate you.
John: I hate you more.
*divorce*

Okay, it doesn’t necessarily escalate quite that quickly, but you get my meaning.

Invalidation (through name calling, calling into question someone’s credibility/authority/sanity, pulling unrelated issues into the argument, and simply refusing to listen/care for someone else’s point of view) produces frustration. Instead of a discussion where people are on one team working towards some sort of effective outcome, you get two antagonistic teams battling to the death — and any goals are left in the dust on the battlefield. No one’s mind changes, but lots of feelings get hurt. I see this all the time in arguments between friends and especially in arguments online.

The act of validating someone doesn’t give anything away. You don’t have to compromise your ideals in order to validate someone else’s. There are also different levels of validation (I love this article!), and you may not be able to get to the highest level if you really disagree with someone, but even the lower levels are supportive and productive.

I know that a discussion of validation isn’t necessarily the most relevant to dessert, but it’s been in my thoughts for quite awhile. I sort of what to strum a guitar à la Joan Baez and sing, “What the world needs now, is validation, sweet validation.” No? Okay.

But all I’m trying to say is that I think this sort of radical empathy, given just as generously as we can give it, takes nothing from us but adds a lot to the world. We need to acknowledge each other’s points of view as valid* in order to have real discussions and reach real conclusions.

Also, Gooey Butter Cake. There’s no good segue into this, but I made you a Gooey Butter Cake with Biscoff Spread and topped it with Biscoff Cookies and freshly whipped cream. It is pure insanity and you should eat it immediately.

And then go validate someone, of course.

*I personally, however, do believe there’s a limit. For instance, I will not validate discrimination.

One year ago: Blueberry Scones with Maple Glaze
Two years ago: (Freshly Picked!) Strawberry Cream Pie
Three years ago: Eggs in a French Toast Basket

Biscoff Spread Gooey Butter Cake


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Gooey butter cake is already completely insane, buttery, and delicious, but when you add Biscoff Cookie Spread, things get serious. I thought up this combo when working on my beloved Gooey Butter Cake theme and it is a real crowd-pleaser!

Crust Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, cold

Filling Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup crunchy Biscoff Spread (or other cookie butter)
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
icing sugar

Toppings Ingredients:
more cookie butter!
Biscoff cookies
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
NOTE: If you don’t have a skillet, I believe you can bake this in a greased 9-inch square baking dish (I’d use a glass one if you have it, and check it early and often. Remove when there’s some jiggle left.) Let us know how it goes if you try it this way for all the other skilletless people!

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together cake flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives (I use my food processor) until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling together. Press the mixture into the bottom (this step is a lot harder than it sounds, but be patient and use the back of a spoon to help spread/press the mixture down) and up the sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet.

Make the filling: Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale yellow (about 2-3 minutes). Mix in the cookie butter. Mix in the egg until just combined. Alternate adding the flour and evaporated milk, mixing after each addition. Mix in the corn syrup and vanilla. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle the top with icing sugar.

Bake and assemble the cake: Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake is nearly set (mine was probably ready around 48 minutes). Some jiggle is fine — do not overcook! It’ll finish setting up as it cools. Let it cool in pan for 2 hours. No really. If you don’t, it’ll just be pudding-y. In the meantime, beat heavy cream to stiff peaks. Top your cake with cookie butter, Biscoff cookies, and whipped cream. Eaaat it.

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cakes

Flan Tres Leches Cake

Before I say anything else, I have to make sure you understand that this post contains a recipe for a Flan Tres Leches Cake. Like, Flan and Tres Leches Cake in the same dessert (which turned out even more delicious than it sounds, if you can believe it.) Did you get that? Just checking.

Other than that, this post is about Buckle and my $600 leather couch, which was a hand-me-down from my sister because you guys know I’m a teacher, right? My furniture generally either comes from generous family members or Goodwill. Ikea is my splurge.

So owning a $600 leather couch was decidedly awesome.


“I was told there’d be cake.”

Buckle is also awesome. He’s a good cat. He’s sweet and fun. He looks and acts just like Milton from Office Space. I really couldn’t ask for anything more. Except, maybe, for him not to ruin my $600 leather couch.

Upon letting him out of his little cardboard carrier when we got home from the Humane Society, as a matter of fact, that was the one thing I was very clear to him about (well, that and not shredding the poodle): Please do not ruin my couch.

The first time I left Buckle alone, I was terrified he would decide my couch was a scratching post. But he met me at the door when I arrived home, purring and cuddly, and I didn’t find a single scratch. It was a kitty cat miracle.

As I left him alone more often and continued coming home to intact furniture, I think I got a little . . . overconfident.

Finally the weekend came where I needed to leave Buckle alone to visit Mike in Raleigh. I hired a petsitter to check in on him (Buckle, not Mike, although perhaps I should consider that), and everything seemed to go fine. I found a cheery note from her when I arrived home. But something just smelled a little off. I figured it was his litter box. Except that when I went to check, the door to his litter box closet was closed. So that couldn’t be it . . .

Wait. Closed.

The door to his litter box closet was closed.

Bless Buckle’s sweet kitty heart (which those of you who are Southern will be able to translate appropriately), he had apparently rubbed against his litter box closet door and closed it. With nowhere to potty, he had made the very best choice he could. You guessed it: to use the couch.

He couldn’t have used the carpet or, even better, the linoleum kitchen floor. It had to be the $600 leather couch.

If you’ve ever tried to deal with the uniquely pungent problem of a cat accident, you won’t be surprised that after a month or so of cleaning the cushions with every method known to humanity, the $600 leather couch ended up by the dumpster. All’s well that ends well, I guess: I received my tax refund, splurged on an Ikea couch and coffee table, and wedged a billion washcloths in Buckle’s litter box closet door so that it will never close again.

Buckle is helping me get used to the new furniture by using it as a jungle gym. One of my students actually asked me after the incident, “Are you going to take him back to the Humane Society?” But I’m happy to say that Buckle’s a part of my family now, flaws and all.

One year ago: Gooey Butter Strawberry Shortcake
Two years ago: Mini Doughnuts for Your Coffee Cup (a creative use for yeast dough scraps!)
Three years ago: Pasta Carbonara

Flan Tres Leches Cake


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking, inspired by and/or adapted from Bake Love Give and All Recipes
Yield: 10-12 servings

If you love flan and/or tres leches cake, you’re in for a treat. This cake has an incredible flavor and an even more fantastic texture. It’s also surprisingly easy to whip up. It’s perfect for Cinco de Mayo, but I hope you’ll make it all year long.

Flan Ingredients:
1 (13.4-ounce) can can dulce de leche (or make your own)
3 eggs
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Ingredients:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 eggs (To get 1/2 egg, break one egg into a bowl and lightly beat it; discard half)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Tres Leches Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and spray a 10-inch bundt cake pan really well with cooking spray. Pour the dulce de leche evenly over the bottom of the pan and set aside.

Make the flan batter: In a large bowl, mix together the 3 eggs, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 can evaporated milk, and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour this mixture evenly over the dulce de leche layer.

Make the cake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl (if you used a spatula to scrape all your flan batter out of its bowl, just use that one again), cream together the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add in the 2 1/2 eggs and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix well. Add the dry ingredients slowly, mixing after each addition. Pour batter over the flan layer in the bundt cake pan (it’ll sink in a bit — no worries). Bake for 40-45 minutes or until tester inserted into just the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Pierce the cake several times with a skewer or fork. Let the cake cool.

Drench the cake: Whisk together 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/4 can condensed milk, and 1/4 can evaporated milk. Pour this mixture over the top of the cooled cake. Cover and chill the cake overnight (or at least a couple of hours, I’d say — you want the mixture all to sink into the cake) before loosening with a thin knife or spatula all around the sides. Carefully invert onto a serving plate (caramel and milks will ooze — it’s a saucy dish — so one that has a shallow lip or even a slightly bowl-like platter is ideal). Whip up the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to stiff peaks and dollop or pipe it all around the cake. Serve chilled with strawberries.

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cakes

The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake

The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake

I am very new to indoor cat ownership. Buckle has been with me for a little over a month now, and I’m only just now starting to “get” cats. As much as you can ever “get” cats, I should say. He’s quite the enigma.

Here are some things I’ve realized. And that you should have warned me about, you smug cat owners.

The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake

1. Cats are fluffy.

Yes, they are cute-fluffy, but they are also fur-tumbleweeds-on-all-surfaces, must-vacuum-all-the-time, why-is-there-cat-hair-in-my-mouth fluffy. I don’t think I’ve ever used up an entire lint roller in my life, but since Buckle got here, I’ve gone through two. I have to dust, vacuum, and wash all throws/rugs every weekend without fail or the creep of the cat dander will eventually cover me like an evil, carnivorous fur coat.

He also hates his furminator and tries to attack it. Good thing he loves the prickly hairbrush.

The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake

2. Cats are busybodies.

If you have cabinets, they need to know what’s in those cabinets. They don’t want a cursory glance. They want to get in those cabinets and roll around until they have fully explored the texture of the cabinet contents.

If you have some dinner, they need to smell that dinner. And paw at that dinner. And if at all possible (for instance, if you have gone to retrieve a forgotten napkin or fork), taste that dinner.

If they hear a noise, see you pick something up, detect a motion in their peripheral vision, or just have a weird hunch, immediate and thorough investigation is essential.

The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake
What’s this? Cake? What’s cake? I’m going to need to investigate that…

3. Cats are terrifying.

Every now and then Buckle will go bat-you-know-what-crazy for no apparent reason, dive through the house, tackle an utterly-terrified Byrd, jump on three or four separate pieces of furniture, knock something over, and then hide under the buffet.

During this time, I close my eyes tightly and hope nothing expensive is in his path.

The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake

4. Cats sleep a lot. In weird places.

I emailed my friend Jamie shortly after Buckle came home just to make sure he wasn’t sick: “Are cats supposed to sleep, like, 20 hours a day?” Apparently, yes.

Buckle’s favorite spot to sleep is on my bright orange tray, using The Wednesday Chef’s amazing book, My Berlin Kitchen, as a pillow. He’s got good taste in literature, I’ll admit, but there are fluffy pillows and blankets all over the room. And he chooses to sleep squished into a too-small tray with the corner of a book digging into his side. I don’t get it.

The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake

5. Cats are worth it.

Worth the fur, worth the terror, worth the furniture cleaning (We had an incident. Don’t get me started.) I’m already forgetting what it was like without Buckle here at home with us. As I punctuated that last sentence, he just stretched out and curled into an even more absurd position in his little book tray, as if to underscore my point. He’s a big sweet baby, and I’m glad he’s mine.

* * *

The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake

Buckle’s already given his furry “thumbs up” to this cake — he tried his best to reach it during the photo shoot. I love all coconut cakes, and have tried this one and this one. Both were amazing in their own ways, but I knew it was time to Frankenstein together the ultimate coconut cake. And this is it.

This cake combines the perfect white cake from The Way the Cookie Crumbles‘s careful experiments, an insane coconut pastry cream filling from Zoë Bakes, a thick coconut syrup drizzled onto each layer to keep it moist, and a buttery coconut French meringue buttercream to top it all off. It’s a time consuming recipe, but if you’re as crazy about coconut as I am, it’s worth it.

My sweet friend Mara and I were both gunning to make this ultimate treat, so we teamed up to present it to you two different ways! Go see her version of this masterpiece at What’s For Dinner? I love her version so much — not only is it an awesome coconut cake, but it tells a story!

The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake

One year ago: Savory Sweet Potato & Chorizo “Cinnamon Rolls”
Two years ago: April Fool’s Day Cupfakes
Three years ago: Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Squares with Shortbread Crust

5 from 1 reviews
The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake
 
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This is it. The ultimate coconut cake. Perfect white cake is drizzled with coconut syrup, filled with rich coconut pastry cream, and slathered with coconut French meringue buttercream. If you love coconut, this one’s for you.
Author:
Serves: 14-16
Ingredients
Perfect White Cake Ingredients:
  • 2¼ cups cake flour (9 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 6 large egg whites (¾ cup), at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 inch vanilla bean seeds)
  • 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (11.35 ounces)
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened but still cool
Coconut Pastry Cream Ingredients:
  • 1 can (14 fluid ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
Coconut Syrup Ingredients:
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup coconut water
Coconut French Buttercream Ingredients:
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 large egg whites , at room temperature
  • 24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 3 cups sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
  1. NOTE ON TIMING: This cake has many steps, but none of them are particularly hard. For convenience, I’d split it up over 2-3 days. On the first day, bake the cake layers and let them cool before wrapping and freezing them. Make the coconut syrup and leave it covered in the fridge. On the second day, make the coconut pastry cream and frosting. Assemble the cake. Serve it then or on the third day.
  2. Make the cake: Set oven rack in middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or butter/flour two 9-inch cake pans very well. Add a parchment paper circle in the bottom of each and grease that too. You don’t want your layers to stick! Pour milk, coconut milk, egg whites, and extracts into a small bowl and whisk gently until blended.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks left.
  4. Add all but about 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Scrape down the sides of bowl before beating just a little longer.
  5. Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans and smooth the tops with a spatula before dropping it from about 3 inches high to eliminate any bubbles in the batter. Arrange pans on middle rack. Bake until a thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, 23 to 25 minutes. If you wait until the toothpick comes out totally clean, your cake might’ve gone too long and could be dry; be careful not to overbake! Check early and often.
  6. Let the cakes rest in pans for a few minutes before running a knife around the edges of the pan and inverting the cakes onto wire racks. Invert them again so they’ll be right-side up and let them cool completeley, about 1 1/2 hours, before wrapping in wax paper and plastic wrap to freeze until pretty firm, about 30 minutes.
  7. Make the coconut pastry cream: Heat the coconut milk, sugar, salt and vanilla bean or extract in a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and corn starch. Once the cream is hot, remove the vanilla bean (if used), scraping out any remaining seeds and returning them to the cream. Add 1/2 cup of the hot cream slowly to the yolks, whisking as you add, to temper the eggs so they won’t cook into an omelette in the middle of your pastry cream. That would be a bummer. Then pour the yolk mixture into the pot of hot cream and whisk. Continue to whisk with heat on medium-high for 3 more minutes. The mixture will turn thick and bubble. You need to continue to whisk for the full 3 minutes or the pastry cream will separate once it is cool. After the 3 minutes, whisk in the butter. Add the coconut flakes. Pour into a shallow dish to cool.
  8. Cover with plastic wrap pressed right against the pastry cream. This will prevent a thick skin from forming on the surface. Refrigerate for at least an hour or freeze for 30 minutes. Once it is cold, stir the pastry cream to loosen. Whip the 1/2 cup cream to medium peaks. Stir in 1/3 to the pastry cream to lighten. Fold in the remaining cream until the pastry cream is nice and light. Avoid eating entire bowl of pastry cream with a spoon.
  9. To make coconut syrup: Combine the sugar, water, and coconut water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
  10. Make Coconut French buttercream icing: Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil without stirring until syrup reaches 240° on a digital thermometer, about 5 minutes.
  11. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer on medium speed, gradually pour in hot syrup in a thin stream; avoid pouring syrup on whisk. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is cool, about 8 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. (If at any time buttercream appears curdled, beat on high until smooth, then reduce speed to medium and continue beating in butter.) Once all butter is added, beat on high speed until buttercream is smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla and coconut extract.
  12. Assemble the cake: Carefully slice each cake layer in half with a long serrated knife. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of coconut syrup over the “inner” side (the one that seems most porous) of each layer. Spread 1/3 of the coconut pastry cream filling onto the first cake layer. Spread it almost to the edge, but pipe a thick bead of buttercream around the very outside edge of each layer to ensure no spillage. Sprinkle with flaked coconut. Repeat with the other layers. Frost the cake with a very thin crumb coat and set it in the freezer to set for about 15 minutes. Bring it out and continue frosting the rest of the cake generously. Carefully push handfuls of fluffy coconut all over the sides of the cake and on top. Keep the cake in the refrigerator, but let sit out for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving so the frosting will be soft.

 

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cakes, other, pies and tarts

Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipes from Willow Bird Baking

It’s that time again: Valentine’s Day. You either love it or you hate it, but you have to admit . . . at least it’s an excuse to eat dessert? Here are a few that will definitely score you brownie points with your sweetheart (or your own solitary tummy as you sit on the couch and watch reruns of 30 Rock, thank you very much.)

By the way, I’ve included a difficulty rating after each recipe so you can pick one perfect for your skill level and schedule. And how much you love your partner. JUST KIDDING, just kidding.

1. Gooey Butter Strawberry Shortcake (very easy)
2. Thick Chocolate Cake with a Big Red (Velvet!) Heart (not hard, but probably easier as a 2-day process.)
3. Gooey Chocolate Skillet Cake Ice Cream Sundae (very easy)
4. Chocolatey Red Velvet Pull-Apart Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze (includes rising time; a 2-day process)


5. German Chocolate Cheesecake (not hard, but probably easier as a 2-day process.)
6. Red Velvet Cheesecake-Stuffed Cake Balls (advanced; easier as a multi-day process)
7. Heart-Shaped Palmiers (sweet or savory; very easy)
8. Red Velvet Cheesecake (not hard, but probably easier as a 2-day process.)


9. Boozy Icebox Cake (very easy)
10. Caramelized Banana Upside-Down Coconut Cake & Coconut Whipped Cream (intermediate)
11. Red Velvet and Oreo Kisses (advanced; easier as a multi-day process)
12. Valentine’s Truffle Heart (advanced; easier as a multi-day process)


13. Strawberry Sour Cream Pie (very easy)
14. (Freshly Picked!) Strawberry Cream Pie (intermediate; multi-step process)
15. Homemade Hot Chocolate & Marshmallows (easy)
16. Red Berry Pie (intermediate)


…and four more for the coconut lover like me:

1. Chocolate & Coconut Cream Pie Bars (easy, but do require 30-minutes of stirring)
2. Tres Leches Coconut Cake Trifle (intermediate; easier as a multi-day process)
3. Brownie-Bottom Coconut Chocolate Cream Cake (very easy)
4. Moist Fluffy Coconut Cake (intermediate; easier as a multi-day process)


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cakes

White Sheet Cake with Fluffy Whipped Icing

“I want to start a blog.”

Those 6 words take me right back to June of 2009, when I snapped a (dark, blurry) photo of some blueberry lemon cheesecake cupcakes with lemon frosting, waxed poetic about them, and hit “Publish” on my very first Willow Bird Baking post. When I hear those words now, part of me wheezes under the weight of the work I know awaits the speaker. Another part of me, though, feels excited about the fun they’re about to have.

Because that speaker will often go on to ask me for advice, I thought of doing a post to sum up my “You’re Starting a Blog!” tips and ideas. It sounds like such an easy task, but actually, I’ve been racking my brain to think of what’s most important to convey.

There’s all the easy advice you’ve heard before: start your blog on WordPress, write about things you care about, write at least one post per week, include photos, use natural light to take those photos, create a social media presence on various websites (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram) and interact with your friends and readers there to build community. But all of that advice has been given a million times over on a million other blogs. What can I add to this conversation?

If I say that my advice is to be authentic, I know you’re gonna groan. I know you’re going to secretly think of this article that makes fun of giving that advice. (Incidentally, I found that article frustrating in that it took a variegated, organic field and created, facetiously or not, divisions: an “in” and “out” crowd if you will. I think it serves us better to recognize that there are organic trends that ebb and flow and to not be judgy-judgy about other people doing their thang, even “all in fun,” but I digress.) But despite all the lip-service people give to being authentic, I think there’s more to be said about it. And I think I’m the one to say it.

So here goes: the most important piece of advice I can give you is to be authentic.

If you’re finished with your eye rolling (and they’re not stuck), let me elaborate.

1. Define YOU — your values, your goals, your style. To be true to yourself, you have to have a firm idea of yourself. When you blog, you run into ethical dilemmas all the time: whether or not to post about a certain product, whether or not to accept offers from certain companies, whether or not to participate in certain contests. You also run into opportunities to define who you are all the time: from deciding on the content of your posts to choosing the visual design and layout of your blog. Without a clear vision from the beginning, things can get muddy, contradictory, and forgettable to your readers. Or worse: ethical faux pas can be offensive or exploitative.

Awhile back, people made the connection that a blog was a brand you were creating. Your online persona and really your entire blog package was marketing your brand both to readers and companies that might want to work with you. I both hate and love that terminology. I hate it because it reduces this beautiful, passionate extension of my life to a sterile business and also, in my humble opinion, tempts bloggers to become profit-machines, contracting with businesses, pushing products, and viewing their blog primarily as a means of income. There’s nothing wrong with that — but those certainly aren’t the blogs I love to read and it’s certainly not the route I hope you choose with your blog. Call it a personal preference.

I also love that people have realized their blog is a brand, just like I’d love it if people realized they themselves were walking BRANDS: advertising with their words, actions, and values who they are and what they stand for. Realizing this breeds intentionality, and I am nothing if not intentional about things — maybe even to a fault.

So define yourself. Make a list of the values that are important to you. For me, some of my values include honoring God, analyzing and processing in writing the journey He’s sent me on, being adventurous in the kitchen, being honest, and being humble.

Make a list of your goals. Is your goal just to tell your stories? To build traffic and be heard? To create a community? To make money? (It’s possible to do, but make sure it’s not your main goal or you’ll produce another of those spammy blogs with tons of coupons offers, pinnable recipe roundups, and no real voice. Am I being judgy-judgy? I’ll stop.)

Make a list of the words that define you (and your blog) as a “brand.” For me, that includes words like comforting, home, sweet, simple, humble, laughter, realistic, welcoming, loving. And, okay, snarky. ‘Cause I can’t keep the snark at bay. I know; I’ve tried.

2. Be intentional. After you define yourself and your “brand,” make every choice to build that representation of “you” in your online space. Choose the colors that communicate you. Find the voice that communicates you. Take the photos that communicate you. Write about the content that communicates you. Accept the offers that communicate you (and politely decline the ones that don’t.) Interact with your community in a way that communicates you.

Being intentional also includes being deliberate about building that community. Reach out to others — starting with friends and family — to share what you’re doing in a genuine way. Don’t become a salesman and pitch it to them. Be yourself and share it with them. Make connections with other people doing the same thing and support them; you’ll find that they often want to support you, too.

Be intentional about the way you accomplish your goals. I’m betting you didn’t say your goal was to “get a ton of blog traffic no matter WHAT I have to do,” so don’t act like it. Don’t spam people, don’t annoy your Facebook and Twitter friends, don’t become what I call a “climber”: someone who only interacts with others for their personal gain. Don’t sacrifice quality of posts for quantity. Don’t resort to being churning out quick-and-popular posts like an SEO-obsessed robot.

Instead, revel in the fact that “networking” for you can really mean making awesome friends in the blogging community and enjoying relationships with your readers. “Dress for the job you want” by trying to make your work consistent and professional. Print up some business cards to give friends and people you meet. Know how to describe your blog in a sentence or two for folks who are interested. All of these things are positive, intentional steps to get the word out about the great stuff you’re doing without becoming a slave to “success.” Keep sight of your ideals. You can care about growing your readership (slow and steady) and getting your name out there while still honoring your values.

3. Be yourself, but be yourself in the unique ways. There are so many food bloggers. Don’t worry; I still want to read your blog, too! But I do want to know you and not just another Food Blogger (TM). I want to know about your crazy life as a dental hygienist by day, culinary student by night. I want to read about your horrifying experiences as a retail clerk at an unnamed superstore. I want to know about your puppy rescue and the heartwarming lengths you go to to save animals. I want to hear all about how your kid painted herself blue and ate only blue foods at daycare on what they dubbed Smurf Day. I want you to explain how being a Catholic-Jewish Elvis impersonator went for ya.

One thing people love to read on my blog (and I’m glad, because it’s what I love to write!) is stories about teaching. My students are so surprising and smart and hilarious — so those are the unique stories I have to tell. Think about what you have to say. What’s your story?

There’s a lot more I could say, but I really think whatever you do will be lovely as long as you define yourself and then are intentional about being yourself. Just to answer some of the questions you all left on Willow Bird Baking’s Facebook page, though, I got together with the awesome Kaitlin Flannery of Whisk Kid (you’ll love her blog — it’s wonderful!) and recorded a little Food Blogging 101 chat for you. Hope you enjoy!


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One thing I know you’ll enjoy is this white sheet cake. I’d been craving white sheet cake for awhile — one of those light, moist slabs o’ cake that you can pick up at Sam’s Club or Costco or Walmart slathered with white icing. And I don’t mean that crusty, heavy, dyed buttercream you scrape off, but the really light whipped icing. I don’t know what they put in that stuff, but it is all kinds of amazing! I’m always shocked that a store-bought cake can be that good.

After a little internet sleuthing, I made myself one of those satisfying white sheet cakes at home. This sheet cake is a white Texas sheet cake iced with a lovely whipped frosting I found on Cake Central. A hint of almond is what brings the entire recipe together and makes it taste bakery-quality. Since the cake is easy to throw together and comes out huge, it’s perfect for a birthday party! Or, you know, a Tuesday.

Do you have any blogging questions that didn’t get answered? Do you have some advice you’d add for new bloggers?

One year ago: Cheeseburger Bāozi (Steamed Cheeseburger Stuffed Buns)
Two years ago: Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies with Honey Cardamom Cream Cheese
Three years ago: Ugly as Sin Coconut Cake

White Sheet Cake with Fluffy Whipped Icing


Recipe by: Adapted from recipes found at The Girl Who Ate Everything and Cake Central
Yield: 24 servings

This quick white sheet cake is light and moist with a hint of almond flavor and whipped icing on top. Let the cake sit out for 10-15 minutes before serving so the icing can get nice and soft.

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup water
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon meringue powder

Directions:
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease (I use Wilton’s Cake Release) a 15 x 10 x 1″ baking sheet. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the butter and water to a boil. In the meantime, in a separate large bowl, whisk together the cake flour and sugar before adding the eggs, sour cream, almond extract, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine. While mixing, slowly pour in the boiling butter and water mixture. Mix to combine completely. Your batter will be very runny. Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 17-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in several places comes out with a few moist crumbs (don’t wait for the top to get golden brown, necessarily — mine stayed pale). Cool completely.

To make the frosting: Cream together the room temperature shortening and butter until fluffy. Cream in the powdered sugar. Add the salt, almond extract, vanilla extract, meringue powder, and whipping cream. Blend on low until just combined, and then beat on high until fluffy. Spread over cooled cake. Add sprinkles. Store in refrigerator, but let sit out for 10-15 minutes before serving so the icing can get nice and soft.

P.S. Here’s another great post on blogging you should read. And another.

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