My Inspiration Series, Part Two: Dessert!

If you know me personally, you probably know that I love to bake. My most proud baking moment was winning the cream pie division of the Portland Pie-Off last year (watch out, 2010!) and Eric and I had pie from Baker & Spice at our own wedding. It should come as no surprise, then, that I’m usually pretty smitten with the beautiful desserts served at weddings. I had a little fun last week with desserts and thought I’d share this as part two of my inspiration series. Enjoy!

One thing I love about couples these days is that they go out of their way to do unique, personally meaningful things on their wedding days. I’ve seen lots of cool things on the dessert front, but I’m pretty taken with the variety I’ve seen. A little something for everyone is the name of the game. These two cakes are small (the white layer cake is only 5″ around and the bundt 7″) and I love how they could be part of a larger dessert buffet for a crowd.

This is a Martha Stewart cupcake recipe that I adapted — that’s right, these aren’t just for show. It’s a lemon cake (with both fresh lemon juice and zest in the cake) and a lemon-orange glaze. I love the very homemade comforting vibe of a bundt cake, and it’s a perfect fit for people who aren’t crazy about frosting.

The other small white layer cake is also a Martha Stewart recipe — it’s a coconut layer cake and it’s also super delicious (yes, I did extensive sampling throughout the baking process).

A little DIY tip from this photo shoot: I made the tissue paper poms following this Martha Stewart tutorial. They were really easy to make and they add such a festive feel. You can hang them or set them on a table for a touch of whimsy.

Yum! Is your mouth watering? Looking over this post makes me really excited to be photographing creative desserts all summer long at the weddings I’m so lucky to be a part of. Check back next week for another thing I love to photograph: flowers!