Strawberry Cake

You guys...this is one of my FAVORITE dessert recipes.  I love it oh so much that I've requested it for every single one of my birthdays for as long as I can remember.  It's called Strawberry Cake, and it's the the simplest and most fabulously delicious cake I can think of.  Infused with sweetened frozen strawberries and topped with a light and fluffy frosting I make out of vanilla pudding and cool whip, this cake DEFINITELY elevates a ho-hum boxed cake mix to new levels.  I'm sure you can muster up an excuse to make this 5 ingredient dessert!

Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes

In case you haven't noticed, I decided to take a week-long break from blogging and social media to do something that rarely fits into my calendar: relaxing!  And let me tell you it was glorious to unplug from my laptop and enjoy every minute of my Easter weekend in Pittsburgh and the start of my 25th birthday week.  Yay for turning a quarter of a century TODAY!  What birthday would be complete without sweets?  Not mine!  Luckily, my office isn't too far from Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes in Avon Lake, my favorite cupcake shop in all of Cleveland!  I've pretty much tried all of the shops around town, and I swear on my life that Kelsey does THE best job of balancing elaborate flavors with the lightest, melt-in-your-mouth texture.  Besides the day-to-day cupcakes (which are always changing!), she also makes macarons, cookie sandwiches, birthday cakes and wedding cakes.  All you brides out there - be sure to check out her sugar flowers.  I posted a few photos from her portfolio below - the flowers look so unbelievably real - and last time I checked she was the only cake shop in Cleveland that could offer them!

Magic Peanut Butter Cake

You will never believe what I'm about to tell you.  This lovely little cake I have pictured is made of 3 ingredients.  3 super healthy ingredients.  Did I mention it only takes 1 minute to "bake" in the microwave?  I'm naming this my Magic Peanut Butter Cake because, with 9 grams of protein and less than 130 calories, it really is magical.  Finally a healthy dessert that can actually satisfy my sweet tooth!  And it legitimately tastes good.  Trust me: when it comes to sweets, I'm a very judgmental critic!

Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day was great this year because it was full of surprises!  Howie and I tried Chinato, a fantastic East 4th Street restaurant that I hadn't been to before, a new type of wine, French Pinot Noir, which I didn't know existed, a new brand of chocolate from Lilly Handmade Chocolates in Tremont, and a new dessert recipe I invented: Baileys-infused chocolate cake with a chocolate mocha mouse and Heath bar bits.  Any day that involves you and a loved one consuming Italian food, wine, chocolate, and then more chocolate, coffee, and Baileys afterwards is bound to be an excellent day!