I don’t think that it is any secret but I love to cook. But baking, well baking and I don’t really get long.
Some people might wonder if there is a difference between the two and there is. See cooking is just taking a bunch of random things a throwing them in a pan. Beautiful things then happen in that pan and you have something good to eat. But baking, well that takes patience and measuring and being exact. I don’t like that. It is just not my cup of tea.
And there is also the fact that I suck at baking.
I tried to make a chocolate with a nice caramel butter cream but apparently the cream was too creamy or something because the top layer slid off.
So I thought that I would stick to something a little more simple. Next I tried a plain boxed yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I guess you are suppose to wait for the cake to cool completely before frosting or it will not go well.
After these mess, I have given up. I know when I am beaten. I am just not a baker.
Never will be.
But thankfully there is someone else in our house that is.
Jeff has a real talent for making and decorating cakes.
Buried with children 
I would put myself somewhere between the two of you. I can successfully make and ice a cake, but it is nothing like that Nemo. Wow!
Does he want to come make a Blue’s Clues cake for me this weekend? Wow! That is impressive!
.-= Lauren´s last blog .. =-.
Jen, you are so cute and I love you.
You are right: cooking are baking are totally different. And, I rock at baking but COMPLETELY SUCK at cooking.
Can I give you a few secrets that make cakes great?
1. when you do the box thing, substitute milk for water, and add a tsp. of vanilla.
2. when you frost the cake, make double the amount of frosting. You always need extra. If it’s for a fancy occasion, do the first layer thin (after letting the cake cool!) and let the frosting set. Then do a second layer. That way, any crumbs will not show on the second layer.
An awesome book is the Cake Mix Doctor by Ann Byrn. You take regular cake mixes and turn them into incredible desserts, easily! You can do it!!!
I wish you could show me how to cook.
.-= Texan Mama´s last blog ..I {heart} faces challenge: Focusing On Angles =-.
Thank you so much for this advice! I am going to pass it along to Jeff, I have passed the cake making reins over to him.
At least you can cook.
I can’t cook OR bake.
I’d have still eaten your cakes, by the way. I’ve made a mess of many cakes and have still eaten the remants. My husband called me an animal as I licked up discarded frosting on the foil. But hey. Can’t let good stuff go to waste!
.-= Amber´s last blog ..Happy 3rd Birthday, Natalie! =-.
Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head. All of those cakes pictured were eaten and the frosting licked clean. 🙂
What’s wrong with your cakes? I think all that chocolaty ooey gooey goodness look mouthwatering. Seriously.
.-= Catherine @ Evolving Mommy´s last blog ..Nutty Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars =-.
You know what’s more important than how a cake LOOKS is how awesome it TASTES!! Who cares if your top layer slid off the cake…if it tasted good, that’s all that matters!!
Jeff’s cakes do totally rock…he’s the full package, isn’t he, Jen? A man who can bake…he’s a keeper!
.-= Helene´s last blog ..A tropical oasis awaits me… =-.
How do you know about his package? Did those pictures get out again? 😉
How far in advance do we need to place an order for Jeff’s cakes?! 🙂
Invite us over and we will bring the cake and by ‘we’ I totally mean Jeff.
Wow those are fab cakes. And yes there is most certainly a difference between baking and cooking.
.-= Lourie´s last blog ..Dancing with the Stars =-.
jeff’s cakes are impressive and yours, well…you know 😉 lol
What an awesome give-away! Hope Jeff wins!
.-= debi9kids´s last blog ..My (Almost) Birthday Boy =-.
LOL! Another reason why I love you girl! I love to bake, but even great bakers get out own little mishaps.
Oooh, I don’t know about anyone else but that first number you made w/the caramel frosting. It looks delicious. A hot mess, maybe, but absolutely yummm.
I’m a kick ass cookette. Baking? Meh. My daughter is great at both, so as long as she lives at home we’ll be eating really great 4 squares! Lucky us:)
.-= Christine´s last blog ..When a Black Bear turns into a Grizzly =-.
A hot mess is a perfect way to describe that cake! And it was sooooo yummy. I wish that I could remember how I made it so I could make it again.
I am with you. I made oldest child a horse birthday cake and everyone laughed. Oldest child informed me that it looked nothing like a horse…….
I am so bummed that Canadians cannot enter the contest……
.-= Momma´s last blog ..Diva =-.
my cakes aren’t the best either and I will never live down the cake I made for my sons 1st bday
.-= kristen´s last blog ..Becuase I am MAD…. =-.
Your pictures made me smile…just ’cause I’ve had a few look just like yours! But, did the flavors turn out? ‘Cause your cakes look like ooey, gooey goodness…shove some in a wine glass, top with whipped cream and your kids will think you are not a cake wreck, but a parfait goddess!
~kristin
.-= LoveFeast Table´s last blog ..VEAL SCALLOPINI – Remembering Childhood =-.
Oh, that’s a great idea. I am totally going to remember that for next time I make aka mess up a cake. 🙂
He does such a good job on those cakes:-)
They all made me want to grab a glass of milk and dig in!
.-= Double Wide Mom´s last blog ..The Curious Case of the Blue Paint =-.
Your Jeff is my HERO. Those are incredible!!!!
I am the same way with baking… I stink!
I like to think of myself as a pretty good cook, I can make something out of not much… but baking.. meh…
.-= Ruth´s last blog ..T minus two weeks =-.
those turned out great…even with the ooops!!!
.-= a thorn among roses´s last blog ..neena and pappp–ooooo =-.
You’re right, they are definitely 2 different things. But it’s ok to suck at one when you have a spouse who’s got mad skillz at the other.
.-= Live.Love.Eat´s last blog ..Sweet & Peppered Crab Legs =-.
Now I know you are practically perfect in every way, except baking:)
.-= mommy nurse´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday =-.
I’m much like you in the baking stakes!! I’ve only just started tampering with baking this year… yes… tampering!
That clown fish Nemo cake is AWESOME!!
.-= Louise´s last blog ..101 things in 1001 days. Day Zero project. =-.
Yeah, I’m not a natural baker/chef so it takes lots of mistake cakes to get to the point that I don’t completely ruin them
.-= Katie @ Why Bother´s last blog ..CTMH: The Ramblings of an Aging Woman =-.
See, now I can BAKE but I can’t COOK. We’d make a great team!
(And my husband’s claim to fame is that he can make cheesecake. From scratch.)
.-= Trenches of Mommyhood´s last blog ..The Pictures In This Post Say It All =-.
You had me at cheese. 😉
Texas Mama is right on the money with everything she said. That book rocks! Another thing you can do (but I don’t know why anyone would) is you can put the canned frosting in the mixer (not this mixer because I’ve already claimed it you see) and whip it up to make it lighter and fluffer. Less frosting = less calories. On the cake. But, if you’re like me and save the extra to eat later when no one is looking I’ll just say this – pretzel sticks dipped in frosting? Oh yeah – un.believable. Seriously.
.-= Leiah´s last blog ..Man! I Feel Like A Woman (Or not) =-.
I love both cooking and baking. Most of my baking turns out really well and I am definitely not an exact cook. Of course, I don’t do much with cakes.
.-= Wendy´s last blog ..I want to ride a bicycle =-.
Those are some seriously amazing cakes your hubby is turning out!!
.-= Jenners´s last blog ..Writer’s Workshop: No One Ever Asked Me… =-.
I can bake pretty well, but my husband can definitely decorate and frost MUCH better than I can. Jeff’s cakes look awesome!!
.-= Casey´s last blog ..Wordful Wednesday and Hippie Chic =-.
Amen! I just wrote my cake wreck post tonight. I don’t have pictures of my worst ones….
.-= Lolli´s last blog ..Even Worms Look Better With Bokeh – GMYBS =-.
Um, wow. Your husband is making me feel inadequate. His cakes look amazing! I’m sure yours tasted really good, though. 😉
.-= Megan´s last blog ..Restaurant Time Warp =-.
wow- that’s impressive that your husband can do so well. I’m just happy to have my husband be supportive of me taking the time to do them myself.
.-= amy´s last blog ..Happy Easter =-.