Let them eat cake!

Strawberry Basil Shortcake

When I moved (returned) to my little town I knew I'd be giving up all the delights a big city offered in the way of bakeries, cafes... entire shops devoted solely to cupcakes. *sigh* But if these things were readily available, I don't think my passion for baking, which lay dormant amid the plethora of choice, would have risen (even to my surprise) to the challenge before me. I needed an oasis in this desert town. If I wanted cake I had to figure out how to make it. If I wanted a pretty little cupcake, I had to figure out how to make a cupcake pretty...and delicious.

Plenty of dried out, crumbly mistakes later I think I'm finding my stride. Though I'm still in search of the ultimate moist but not greasy carrot cake...so far it eludes me! But here are a few that, if I could, I'd attack with a fork and a cup of tea:

1. White chocolate cake, white chocolate buttercream with raspberries and lime zest filling and white chocolate buttercream frosting
2. Chocolate hazelnut cake and chocolate hazelnut buttercream filling and frosting
3. Maple cake with maple buttercream filling and frosting, garnished with loads of toasted walnuts
4. Sweet potato cake with cream cheese buttercream filling and vanilla buttercream frosting
5. Dark chocolate and espresso cake with dark chocolate ganache filling and frosting
6. Lemon chiffon cake with lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream frosting
7. Chocolate caramel cake with salted caramel filling and whipped chocolate caramel ganache frosting
8. Strawberry basil shortcake