I am so so SO excited to share with you a new feature on my blog!!! One of my passions has long been admiring the talent and skill of the folks that are able to beautifully style food. I personally find cake to one of the hardest foods to style, and am constantly searching for new and creative ways to share baked creations.
Since my talents are so very limited, I thought it would be fun to see what the best in the business could come up with!
I asked 12 different fabulously talented bloggers if they would be up for a little challenge. With $25 total and the common theme of Chocolate Cake, I was dying to see what they could produce. I requested that they shop only second hand, but were able to buy and use any props within their budget.
January is all about the fabulous Kristen from Dine&Dish.
I am a long time fan of Kristen’s ability to style her food and pictures. Every time I go to her site I want to immediately make what she has shared!
Kristen also shared her about her experience on her site, and it is definitely worth checking out!
I asked Kristen a few questions about her experience:
Did you find the Food Styling Challenge to be easy or difficult? It was a mix of easy and difficult. We don’t have any antique stores near where I am, and if we did, going there with a 3 year old in tow would not be my idea of a good time. So instead, I hit up Goodwill. Goodwill is one of those places where it’s either hit or miss. The price is often right, but whether you find what you are looking for with just one trip can be the challenge.
Cake decorating is not my forte, at all. My daughter is currently taking a cake decorating class so I am having fun learning along with her. Even though I didn’t nail your rose technique, I loved trying it. Following your tutorial made it so easy – mush easier than all those things we are learning in her class.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 4 ounces high quality white chocolate squares, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cups butter, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup pastel sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare your baking pans by sprang with Pam Baking Spray (see note at end of recipe regarding pan size).
- Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt.
- Heat milk in a microwave safe bowl until hot (not scalding or boiling). Stir in the chopped white chocolate pieces and stir until melted.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter, sugar and sour cream together until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla until well incorporated.
- Turn your mixer to low speed and add melted chocolate mixture followed by the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
- Turn off mixer and remove bowl. Using a wooden spoon, fold in pastel sprinkles until just incorporated.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan(s). Note: I baked mine in mini 5 inch spring form pans for 20-23 minutes. For 2 8 inch round pans, bake for 18-20 or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Top with your favorite Vanilla Buttercream
- Adapted from wilton.com White Chocolate Cake with Raspberry
What a totally fun series! I can’t wait to see what everyone else comes up with.
And I agree – even though the tea kettle is pretty, my favorite picture is the last of the bunch.
Thanks Rachel!!! Isnt Kristen amazing?? So much talent!
Love love love this!!! Kristen did an amazing job!
Couldnt agree more!
I love this, and Kristen did such a beautiful job!!
Agreed!
Have a blessed day Deborah!
This is such a great idea – I loved seeing what Kristen came up with (and I knew they would be gorgeous!) and I can’t wait to see the rest of this series.
Didnt she rock it??? I am super excited too!
I LOVE this series! So fun to see what you can do with just a little moolah and determination. Kristen did a fabulous job with this cake!
That should be the new tagline… “a little moolah and a lot of determination” Brilliant!
GREAT job Kristen!! I love the shot with the tea kettle! I never would have thought of that prop with a cake!! is the tablecloth your backdrop? love that too!
Ohhh… I didnt even think to ask that! Great question!
It’s actually just a wallpaper sample I have pasted onto a piece of plywood
What a fun new feature! Love the simplicity of the last photo the best – awesome job!
Kristen really has a gift for simple elegance!
What a gorgeous cake! Kristen did a fabulous job and what a fun challenge! I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Me too Joanie! You are right, Kristen can certainly make a gorgeous cake!
Thanks so much for having me, Amanda! I’m honored to be a part of it.
Honored to have you!
kristen did an awesome job!
I want to try this too, but I don’t know.
I can create, but decorate, oh boy. lol
You should do it!!!
love this series!!!
Thanks! I think it will be fun!
Wowzers! I love this series! So fun!! And I could look at Kristen’s images all day long
Sigh… me too.
The trick is to make it seem effortless and elegant… always tough. You have always done well at it.
Cool idea! Thanks for sharing. Food styling is something I struggle with as I’m just learning, so these posts will be helpful to me.
This is stunning, Kristen!! I love the styling, so romantic and that cake – GORGEOUS! Great series, Amanda, so fun!
What a fun challenge. I love that all elements were Goodwill finds. The photo makes me want to sit in the formal living room with a good friend, a hot cup of tea and chat over luscious cake. Great work Kristen.
I love the first pic in the post, love how the pink pops and you can see the reflection in the teapot. Question about photo editing programs, does everyone use them? (I know I have to) and do some photographers/bloggers feel like thats cheating or is that the new normal way to take pics?
Great question, Michelle. I use photoshop on all my food pictures, but typically just to brighten or sharpen my images. I knew with these photos I wanted a vintage feel to them, so I used an action from Totally Rad Lab to do that.
I don’t think it’s cheating, but that’s just me. Everyone has their own style and own opinions so I’m sure some people don’t approve, but I think great photoshop skills are just as valuable as great photography skills
What a fun series! Kristen is one of my favorite bloggers and photographers. Her photos always inspire me to try to do better. This one is beautiful…as always.
What a fabulous idea! Love it, as well as Kristen’s amazing images.
What a great series Amanda! Kristen, I love your styling. Do you find it challenging to not only styling the food in a stylish manner but keeping it simple at the same time? Thanks for sharing!
How fun and inspiring!
This is a GREAT challenge! I cannot wait to see what the other bakers produce.
Learning how to become a “master” food stylist is on my ultimate bucket list! Kristen did an amazing job.
Kristen did an amazing job!! I just want to dive right into that frosting!!! Yum!
And the photos-are beautiful…as always!
Love this new series! I like the first photo.
I know I will love this series! The first from Dine & Dish cake looks great. I look forward to the next one.:-)
Susan from Susan’s Decorated Sweets -Facebook page:-)<3
I always love Kristen’s photography, with its beautiful styling and soft romantic feel. I’m really liking that first photo best!
Love Kristen and your new series! The picture is perfectly vintage with a romantic twist.
This cake is so pretty, Kristen! Buttercream roses are one of my favorite ways to decorate cupcakes and cakes. LOVE this series already, Amanda!
What an inspiring shoot! Thanks for the reminder to peek in at the Goodwill on a regular basis:)
What a fun challenge! Kristen, you did a beautiful job.
This is so cool! And I love that teapot. There is no way I would ever need to use it, but I’d love to have one just for photos. And that little cake is too cute!
I cant wait to see the rest of this series! So fun and awesome to see what things were purchased for the shoots
Such a pretty cake too Kristen!
What an amazing way to challenge yourself! Kristen, you did an excellent job!
I love the tea kettle!
What a cool idea! I’m so looking forward to the rest of this series. Beautiful job, Kristen! I think my favorite is your favorite as well (although I did like the teapot). My favorite thing about the photos is the calming grays and then BAM — hot pink icing. It totally pops, and I love it.