Butter Cake with Cookie Dough Frosting

I tried a new butter cake recipe and I must have did something wrong. When I took the cakes out from the oven they looked pretty good. I let the cakes cooled down and when I came back to check on the cakes, all of them collapsed and became all looking dense. Well, I still have finished up what I started and hope that cake will still taste OK.

I wanted to bake a butter cake, complimenting the cake with a cookie dough frosting so I thought if I used the butter cake recipe on it's fresh strawberry cake except that my cake is a plain butter cake without fresh strawberries.
I have both good and bad news. Let me first review the bad news, my cake didn't result same as that of my source, my cake was very dense. But all didn't go to waste, the good news is my tasters were quite delighted with taste and denseness, cake has the density of a cheesecake and the taste of cookie, perhaps this was from the frosting :)

Oh, here is the recipe on the cookie dough frosting. from this site.

This was a farewell cake to our friend that has lived in VA for the last 40+ years and has been faithful to our church. She is moving to Montana to be close with her daughter. I thought I decorated the cake with a few hearts to show how much she is loved and will be missed.

Here are the pictures of the cake.

Mini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

What do they say...? Practice makes perfect, well I don't know if I will get there anytime soon but I am not giving up yet. I definitely need more practice. This was quite fun messing and playing with different ways on frosting these little cakes. So I say, bring it on ... practice and practice on the decorating! ;)

First, bake a batch of mini cakes. Let cupcakes cool down completely on cooling rack.
While cupcakes are cooling down, prepare cream cheese frosting.

I love decorating and frosting the cupcakes with a varieties of fun designs, though I am not a real fan of piling the frosting high :). I will also use mixed colors next time too, something to think about.

Ingredients:
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. butter
2 cup powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix and gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use

I learned that cream cheese frosting will not be my choice of frosting next time if I want frosting that can withstand summer weather. This frosting just won't work well on room temperatures.

2 Baby Shower Cakes for baby girls

Here are my cakes #4 and #5. I convinced my colleagues that I am amateur cake baker and I will bake them cakes at cost. So I am tasked to bake 2 baby shower cakes to be delivered tomorrow morning. I have scrambled to come up with 2 different girly designs for my cakes. One thing for sure, pink is the color.

I thought I did pretty on the roses design. But I got sloppy on the other cake as I got really tired and didn't have the energy to focus and/or fix my sloppiness. I know I can do better that that. ... no excuse and I am disappointed with myself for not producing a better result... I guess one cake on weeknight... work night is more sensible.