Evolution Of Cake

Welcome to my blog! I received a beautiful book called, "American Cake", by Anne Byrn, as a gift from my mother-in-law. As soon as I looked through it, I loved the concept and was inspired to work through the book in chronological order from front to back. It shows the evolution of cake in America from the year 1630 to the present time. I really like the idea of learning some history while expanding my experience with cake making. I thought some people may like to follow along on this project to learn something along with me, and to smile at my successes and possibly laugh at my failures!

A little bit about me: I have always loved to bake. Cookies are a part of my anatomy. My grandma baked, my grandpa worked for Pillsbury, and my mom continued the tradition and passed the love down to me.

The water is my other love; I was a rowing coach for about 12 years for a high school girl's club team in Seattle. The young women at my club helped inspire me to follow my passion of baking, so I found a job at a local neighborhood bakery named Repast. This job had enough flexibility to allow me to bake and coach. I was so spoiled; I spent the morning around scrumptious food and got to spend the afternoon out on the gorgeous water with young athletes that would grow into powerful women.

At the bakery I learned a lot about pastries such as croissants, scones, and muffins. We made soups and sandwiches and did some catering as well. I came to understand the joys and the stresses of owning a small business from my boss Debbie Brindley. Owning your own business looked hard, but satisfying. I could sense her pride when things went well and she took pleasure in knowing she produced quality products. It became my goal to eventually own my own bakery.

I am married to my college sweetheart. We have a 3 year old boy named Tommy and a 2 year old girl named Maddie. We just moved away from the city to a small town about 45 minutes away that is about to boom with growth. I am looking forward to being a positive part of that growth. I sell some baked goods online at www.smooshiesbakery.com but I am waiting until my kids are both in school full-time to create an actual brick and mortar store. I am excited to see my dream become a reality, but for now I am trying to soak in my days with my babies while trying to find time here and there to practice baking things that I have very little experience with, such as cakes, so that I can expand my knowledge and my future product list:)