July 6, 2011

a cake party

Danni and I have been wanting to have a HUGE cake party for like ever, but I was always busy with something or she was busy with something and we never got around to officially planning it. Thus, last minute we decided to throw a small one together filled with some blogging friends. The instructions: bring a cake and a cute cake stand! And that is just what everyone did...
a cake partya cake party
My contribution was a triple layer strawberry shortcake, which I didn't even try that day because everyone else's sugary goods looked much more appetizing.
a cake party
We even had a little crafting as Danni and I collected little plates and stands of sorts, so everyone could make their own mini cake stand. Mini cake stands are the cutest little things that can be used to hold desserts, or even jewelry, and they are so addicting to make once you start.
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Before everyone arrived, Danni and were starting to get pressed time for time and I was running around in the kitchen and I told Danni to feel free to roam the house and bring out props to decorate. She did such a good job as she pulled some stuff from the main living areas, the girls' rooms, my work area and it all came together so beautifully! It pays to have a house full of vintage goodies. I like to stock up for occasions such as this.
a cake party
The main course for the evening were all the cakes, but I did make sure to have some mini margherita pizzas on whole wheat bread for appetizers to give us all a little sustenance before the real indulging began.
a cake party
We had lemonade and wine, but the wine never got cracked open! If I weren't pregnant, I for sure would have been indulging with some dessert wine too.
a cake party
Of course, we had to have little favors for our guests, so we filled little bottles up with sprinkles, added a tag, and calligraphied everyone's names onto them. My calligraphy skills didn't want to work that day and I think I did everyone's name about five times until I got it right.
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What happens when you get eight bloggers together for a party? This...
a cake party
{picture taken from danni}

Of course, my BFF is the newbie blogger and was there with her little point and shoot. We are still trying to convince her to upgrade.
a cake party
Naturally, we couldn't forget the kids. Henny brought her daughter along (not her son because it was a girl party) and I had little treats for them too. We set up a little kid table, put some kid vintage chairs around it (thankfully, I have 15 to choose from that are littered throughout my house), and I made each kid her own set of play dough. The kids even got their own mini pizzas, except theirs had pepperoni, which I think most adults were sneaking to get some.
a cake party
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After they ate, they all naturally lined up to fill their plates with cake too. It was a cake party after all!

This is what everyone's plates looked like... a little bit of everything. It was so bad, but so good!
a cake party
Everyone made their own cake stands, mingled until the sun went down, and indulged in even more cake eating. Danni also had pink take home boxes to make sure that everyone would take home leftovers because we knew we would have them.
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Half of every cake was gone and what wasn't was taken home. It was such a pretty party and meeting everyone was even better. We all talked about things we loved most like crafting, photography, blogging, and anthropologie. It is so much fun to be able to nerd out with other like minded individuals who enjoy taking a gazillion pictures of a table setting. I think we were taking pictures of everything for 30 minutes before we dare destroy the setup. I tell you, blogging folk are funny people!

I was so happy to make new friends with Lillian (unstitched), Lauren (lauren elise crafted), Myra (double sided tape), Henny & Lucy (utterly engaged gals) and of course I already loved Linda (parked together) and Danni (oh, hello friend). Some of the ladies have already blogged about the party (here, here, and here) and the others will have their own recaps coming later this week. Seeing the other versions are funny cause of all the things missing in my home, I don't own a cake cutter, so if you check out the other posts, you will see what we used in its place. Note to self: get a cake cutter.

We are ready to throw another get together cause it was too much fun and really nerding out with other bloggers is just the best. What theme should we do next time?

Triple Layer Strawberry Shortcake (from Cooking Light circa 2002, but changed up to add an extra layer, see original recipe and instructions here)

Strawberries:
5 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
1/4 sugar

Shortcake:
4 cups all-purpose flower
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 tbsp chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
cooking spray
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 tsp sugar

Remaining Ingredients:
2 cups fat-free whipped topping
4-5 whole strawberries
1/2 cup honey graham crackers crumbled and broken up into bits

Instructions:
To prepare strawberries, combine strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Preheat over to 400° F.

To make shortcake, in a large bowl add all the dry ingredients and whisk together (from flour until baking soda). Next, cut in the butter that has been cut into small bits into the dry mixture with 2 knives. Then, add the buttermilk and vanilla extract, stirring dough until moist. The dough is really sticky.

Place dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead together with floured hands. Separate dough into two balls, with one ball being 2/3 of the entire dough and the remaining ball just 1/3 of the dough.

Using the 2/3 ball dough, place onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and pat into an 9'' circle. Brush top with egg white and sprinkle 1/2 tsp of sugar on top. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Carefully split shortcake in half horizontally using a serrated knife and allow layers to cool separately.

Once the top layer is cool, crumble the top layer into bits, sprinkle onto baking pan, and put back into oven for about 8 minutes. Take out and allow to cool and place crumbles into a bowl. Mix in with the crumbled honey graham crackers and this will be your second layer.

Using the remaining 1/3 ball dough, place onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and pat into a 9'' circle. Brush top with egg white and sprinkle the remaining sugar on top. Bake in oven for about 13-15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. This is the top layer of your shortcake.

Place bottom half of shortcake, cut side up on a cake plate. Spread 1 cup of of whipped topping over shortcake layer, and spoon half the strawberry mixture on top. Next, using the crumbled shortcake and graham cracker mixture, spread evenly on top of the strawberries. Then, spread the remaining whipped topping over the crunchy layer, and spoon the remaining strawberry mixture on top. Top with remaining shortcake layer with the cut side down. Garnish top with the whole strawberries, if desired.

p.s. My eyes are sleepy and I will get the strawberry shortcake recipe up on this post tomorrow. Check back... Recipe now up.

36 comments:

  1. Gorgeous photos. Looks like you had a wonderful celebration!

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  2. Such a fun idea! Everything looks adorable!

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  3. oooohhh lovely & yum!!!!!!!! x

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  4. OMG!! this is just the best idea ever. i hope you don't mind, i blogged about this:
    http://franklymydear-malea.blogspot.com/2011/07/cake-party.html
    i really want to have my own cake party now :)

    p.s....i LOVE your blog, it's my favourite & your girls are so adorable!

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  5. fun! earlier this year i hosted a pie night! {http://stylebookvintage.blogspot.com/2011/01/pie-night.html} i think cake's next on the agenda.

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  6. Oh this is just lovely! What fun! xo

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  7. Wow! this looks like so much fun (and so yummy)! Now I want to have a cake party, too!

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  8. Sweet sassy molassey that looks devine! I want to throw a cake party now!!!

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  9. Your parties always look so amazing!! sounds like tons of fun :)

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  10. mmm so delicious

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  11. Ahaha, I love that photo of all the bloggers out with their cameras. Priceless!

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  12. I'm definitely stealing this fantastic idea! Everything looked so cute too.

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  13. this party just looks like the best time... i mean all that cake how could you go wrong! Anxiously awaiting that recipe :)

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  14. this is the best idea ever! haha seriously drooling over all the cake and the beautiful atmosphere!

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  15. This is such a fun party idea, I can't wait to throw one myself!

    Looking forward to that strawberry shortcake recipe!

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  16. YUM!!! everything looks amazing!

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  17. What a great idea! It looks like so much fun.
    I'd love it if you posted how you made the strawberry shortcake.

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  18. yum!! what a fun idea! love all the photos and all the cakes look scrumptious!

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  19. Oh my gosh, that looks like one of the best parties ever! I think I may have to try hosting one of these with my knitting girls. And I am definitely stealing your idea for mini pizzas - yum :)

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  20. SUPER CUTE! Just want to know where u found those cute table umbrellas!!!

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  21. omgosh what a GREAT idea! and.. i wish i were there :( the cakes look delish and i esp love the diy cake stand idea! i'll definitely be hosting my own cake party soon!! hope you don't mind if i borrow some ideas! but, first up...an ice cream party! :)

    p.s. maybe i need more bloggy friends. i think my friends find it strange when i go overboard! :D

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  22. This looks like SO much fun! A cake party is such a fabulous idea, and a great excuse to bake! Love the photos xxxx

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  23. I like the image where I'm stuffing my face with PIZZA! I was so hungry, haha. I was like, I'm not waiting for no one! ;)

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  24. Ruby! Thank you so much for opening up your awesome home for a lovely night. I'm having so much fun reading all of our posts and the picture of all of us with the cameras is priceless!!!

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  25. Now that sounds like my kind of party! Your cakes all look so yummy it makes me want to bake something tonight! :)

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  26. Can't wait to see that recipe! The cake looks so good!

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  27. i wanna throw a cake party, too! i've been on a baking frenzy, lately, and just made momofuku's "crack pie".. you gotta check out the recipe. it is a little dangerous, though. can i just say, i've been on the search for the perfect plate and base to make my own special cake stand.. and after lots of thrift visits, finally found the perfect one. gotta blog about it soon. hope your summers doing great! <3 jo

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  28. so. much. fun. love your pictures. and thanks for the recipe. i've been dreaming about your cake for a while now. haha! everything was soo good. thank you again for the invite. and thank you for opening your home for us! really can't wait to do this again!! your cake, your kids, your home, and especially YOU - all so adorable! i miss everyone already. let's do this again soon. pretty pretty please!

    xoxo, lucia

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  29. This looks like an absolutely charming event. I think I'll have to make a mini cake stand!

    x Hilary
    thecleverlife.etsy.com
    oneclutteredlife.blogspot.com

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  30. This post, pics, cakes, people and displays all look absolutely awesome! Thank you for sharing your creative life and joy with us!

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  31. I want to be your friend in real life! Haha.

    What a lovely idea. All of the cakes look delicious! It sounds like everyone had a great time!

    How did you learn calligraphy? Did you teach yourself? I'm interested in learning!

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  32. awwww looks like soo much fun!! bloggers and their cameras teehee! wish i could have gone!!

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  33. I secretly want to be your bff. But I live across the pacific. so, for now I will only dream about coming to your fun and creative parties.... which I might have to copy and put one on myself (i love cake!)

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