Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Why, hello blogging world! It’s been a minute… or a year and a half!? Goodness gracious!

Although not lately, this blog has seen me through many changes in my life. I started this blog shortly after getting married, documented what I was baking while serving lattes at Starbucks, waxed poetic about healthy eating and cake decorating simultaneously while baking at Whole Foods. The last post I wrote on here was an attempt to keep up with the blog just a little since I had put it on my resume for Arizmendi! (apparently they didn’t look at it anyway… haha!)

This morning, I am coming to this abandoned-but-not-forgotten space with a head full of decisions to make and a heart full of gratitude for the time I had with my amazing co-owners/co-bakers/friends at Arizmendi. My time as a co-owner and baker at Arizmendi Bakery has been enriching, challenging, fun, freeing, and wonderful in so many ways, but it is drawing to a close.

I hope to write a longer post about Arizmendi soon, but for right now, I need to figure out what I have learned about myself from my time at Arizmendi that will give me a clue as to what to do next. I have two very different possibilities on the table right now: I go in for a tryout at the Sacramento bakery of my dreams tomorrow. The position I am trying out for is for a swing shift (11pm to 7 am!) cake decorator. It will probably be a pay cut for me. BUT it will be a quick commute, my cake decorating skills will soar, and it is a place I would like to be able to stay and work my way up and around in. It is in line with my current long-term goals of decorating wedding cakes.

The second opportunity is to work for a larger company with awesome pay, benefits, and schedule, but I would be sacrificing the development of my skills as a baker as they only make about 20% of their product from scratch. I would gain management skills, as it is a supervisor position.

What have I loved about Arizmendi? I love the people… I love not having a boss and being equal to everyone I work with despite age, experience, or seniority. I love working with my hands every day and creating something delicious and amazing. I love seeing something that’s not working well or could work better and finding a solution or a system for it. I love that every day is the same and different all at the same time.

What I haven’t loved… being tired all the time. Having very little time with Mr. Webb or friends outside of the bakery. Commuting and traffic.

Just a mini ramble trying to sort out my thoughts! I am a tumble of emotion right now between thinking about leaving a job and people I love but knowing it’s the right thing to do… feeling excited about the next job but unsure about which is the best choice… excitement about a new adventure in a new town and a new house with Mr. Webb… being closer to hubby’s family and some friends!

I need to remember to not be afraid of making the wrong choice, because it doesn’t have to be forever. Our actions have consequences, but we also have the power to change our lives at any time.

<3, Mrs. Webb

A Bride and Groom Cake

A couple of our friends are getting married in a little over a week. (!!!) For some crazy reason, they are trusting me with making their wedding cake. The only reason I’m not completely hyperventilating is because it is their wedding cake, but it’s not the wedding cake. They ordered a plethora of cupcakes from a professional bakery for their guests, and they asked me to make a cake just for the two of them to cut into. Of course, when they asked, I jumped at the chance, as making wedding cakes is a dream of mine! And what an honor! Thanks Matt and Cassandra!

The bride is a super sweet second year teacher and about as far from a “bridezilla” as can be. Working off of her request for strawberry shortcake, which is traditionally more of a biscuit with whipped cream, I made a buttery yellow cake, stuffed it with fresh strawberries, and frosted it with a super light vanilla swiss meringue buttercream. As whipped cream wouldn’t have survived the Fresno heat, I think this cake is a pretty good stand-in. Strawberry shortcake all dressed up for her wedding day, perhaps? I just hope the bride and groom love it as much as I loved making it!

Carrot & Pineapple Cake for Dad

Hello blogging world!

Just checking in to say that Mrs. Webb is still indeed in the kitchen! (she’s just not been at the computer or behind her camera in a while)

Maybe you recall last year, if you’ve been with me for a while, when I made and sent my Dad carrot cake cookies in the mail. This year, I also was not able to see my Dad for his birthday, as he and my Mom were on a one-month road trip around the United States. Lucky them! However, as soon as they returned and I had an excuse to visit, I busted out my cake pans, grabbed a pound of carrots and a heap of cream cheese, and created my Dad’s favorite treat in honor of his missed birthday.

I used an Ina Garten recipe, which called for a whole pound of carrots and had the interesting addition of diced pineapple. It resulted in very moist and flavorful cake that was still very toothy due to the cup each of walnuts and raisins inside. My Dad swore that this was the best carrot cake he’d ever had!

I envisioned a cake completely covered in rosettes (great how-to video here!), but as I ran out of frosting, I had to improvise a bit. Before I added the mini pearl candies around the border, the cake looked rather off-balance and top-heavy, but the border seemed to do the trick. These photos make it a little bit difficult to see, but I also added clusters of pearl candies on some of the rosette centers and sprinkled crystal sugar for extra sparkle. Don’t tell my Dad, but that gingerbread square that Happy Birthday was written on? That may or may not have been left over from a ginger bread house that never came to be back when my friend Amy and I got together in December! This cake was made in April, but still… it’s amazing how long gingerbread lasts!

I highly recommend making this carrot cake next time someone you love in your life requires a carrot cake. As for me, this may be the last recipe I ever need to try!

Check out the recipe here!

PS- Click here to see what I made for Mom this year! I didn’t get out my camera in time, but I snapped an instagram shot! It’s a tribute to her favorite childhood dessert, the Hostess Snoball!