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If you’ve been reading this blog for quite a while now, then you know how much I love baking. It is fun and enjoyable. In fact, I love baking so much that I am having some weight problems because of it. I eat my own baking. This is really a hobby that can have some health issues. I had a stage once when every time I bake a cake, I’d heat at least half of it. I love to bake because I love to eat what I bake.

A few months ago I started this blog on the thinking that I might be able to motivate myself to lose weight and then use the blog to also share my recipes with others. It was a very rewarding experience for me. I met a lot of kindred spirits online through this blog. Aside from this, I was also able to make my body healthier and I found the discipline required to keep myself from eating everything that I bake. I can confidently say that this blog has made me very happy and it has definitely rewarded my life.

Unfortunately, I cannot be able to continue blogging as of this moment. This is because of a recent development in my offline life. I am finally able to convert my love for baking into an actual viable business. Through this blog, my first customers were able to learn of my passion as well as what I can do. At first I just took some commissioned work some friends and family. Then the orders started pouring in just from word of mouth. All my hours are devoted to baking now.

I’m barely sleeping as it is. I sometimes end up taking naps when I wait for the cake to bake. I actually bought a bigger oven now and more baking supplies and materials than I ever thought I needed. This is why my blogging will not be as regular. I have got to concentrate my time on my new baking business. This is why if you are expecting regular updates, please be patient. It may take a while before I can blog again.

My love for cakes started out even way before I knew how to bake. Of course, when I did start to learn how to operate the oven at home, I got hooked. I never looked back ever since. Baking is a part of who I am. It makes me, me. When I decided to go on a hiatus, I thought I could do it but I realized that I could never lose it as it is somewhat an extension of my whole being.

I wish that you guys also have the same kind of love for something you do. Why do something when you only just do it halfheartedly anyway? That does not make any sense at all. I believe that if you love something, you got to give it your all or else it would just pass you by. Being happy about something is still different from doing something that has become second nature to you. Yes, baking is what I do for a living but I have never felt like it is a job because I actually love to do it. I just wish that you guys feel the same way. If you have not found your niche yet, do not worry because sooner or later, it will come to you.

From my end, good luck and sweet dreams.

I have some great news to share with all of you! Today I decided to weigh myself and see if there is any improvement in my body after all my hard work during my gym sessions. I was quite anxious at first because I might get really disappointed and discouraged if I find out that I did not even lose a pound or worse, I could have gained more. But I gathered all my courage and decided to just check it and get it over and done with.

Amazing thing, I lost 5 pounds! That is so unbelievable! I honestly did not expect to lose 5 pounds in just a few weeks. Wow, working out on the gym and having a strict diet are really effective ways to lose weight. Funny thing, my cheat day did not even affect my weight. I honestly thought that I would even gain a few pounds because of that. But it turns out that I did lose weight.

I am in a really good mood. I feel so ecstatic and when I found out, I could not wait to blog about it and share it with you guys. I feel like you guys have also been a part of my journey and I just want to you to know that if I could do it, you could do it. It is a matter of hard work and the right determination. It will pay off in the end.

I feel so happy today! You want to know why? It is my cheat day today! I love it. Actually, I felt like I really needed it because I have been doing so well with my workout sessions and I have also followed quite a strict diet. So far, I have not really let myself eat a lot because I wanted to also complement my working out with a good diet. Ever since I started going to the gym, I also began watching what I consumed. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to achieve something and losing weight is no exception.

As a treat to myself, I decided to bake my favorite Lemon Chiffon Cake. It is one of the best there is and apart from Chocolate or Red Velvet, baking this makes me really feel good. You can probably call it my comfort food. If you want to learn how to bake this, here is a simple recipe for you guys.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon zest

6 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 1/2 cups lemon pie filling

8 slices lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar. Add oil, egg yolks, water and lemon rind. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until peaks form. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, and beat until very stiff and shiny peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain. Turn batter into ungreased 10 inch tube pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert cake and cool completely in pan. When cool, loosen edges and shake pan to remove cake.

To Make Filling: Beat cream to stiff peaks. Fold in lemon filling. Chill until stiff.

To Assemble Cake: Slice cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Fill layers with 1/3 cup of filling. Spread remaining filling on top layer. Decorate with lemon slices.

I feel so great eating my favorite cake after going on a diet for weeks now. Hopefully, this would not let me gain more weight or else all that hard work was all for nothing.

Today has been one of the most exhausting days ever in my life. After I decided to go back to baking and still maintaining to work out at the same time, it has been quite challenging. Today was the most perfect example.

I woke up earlier than usual to hit the gym because I knew that I had a lot of cupcakes to bake plus a birthday cake for my aunt’s daughter later today. I started out really positive because I thought I could really juggle everything. So at the gym, I did my usual routine of running on the treadmill for one hour and did some sit-ups and weights for another hour.

After my session at the gym, I went straight home to start baking cupcakes. Literally, I felt like my whole body ached and all I wanted to do was lie down on my bed and sleep the pain off. Normally, I would have finished baking fifty cupcakes in just a short time but today, I felt like it took me forever to even finish a couple of batches. So when I finally finished the birthday cake too, I was so ready to call it a day. I really was that exhausted!

Due to my sheer determination to lose weight, I have decided to take a much needed hiatus in baking. I know you might think that this is too drastic or I should not be doing this to myself since baking is after what I do. But I realize that I also need to take care of my body and gaining weight because of eating too much sweets can be really bad for me. Not only do I gain a lot of weight because of it, I also could get diabetes because of this. Having a sweet tooth is fine but having too much of something is definitely bad.

Do not worry. This is still not the end of my baking career. I am just merely shifting my priorities and right now, losing weight is more important to me than anything else. I am sure that I would not be able to resist baking for a long time but until then, I am going to say goodbye for a while. I know I am going to miss baking and the smell of a freshly new baked cake but I have to do this for myself. I am just trying to put my best interest at heart.

So I started working out yesterday and let me tell you, I honestly felt really good about it right after. Sure it was so exhausting but the feeling that you get after working out is so great! I do not know if it was just because it was my first day but I was so excited and energetic to go on the treadmill. I did not even complain when I stayed on the treadmill for like an hour. I even alternated between just walking and running on it. Overall, I am so proud of myself because I got through the first day without collapsing or admitting myself to the hospital due to tiredness. In fact, I am looking forward to my next session! Hopefully, with my determination and positive energy, I can continue doing this until I can see that I am shedding off some pounds off my body.

I know that I can do it. I am not giving up. This is just like baking a really hard recipe of a really delicious cake. That is that. I will be able to lose weight and I am finally going to be happy about myself. Well, let us see the power of positive thinking.

One of my favorite shows on television today is Food Network’s Ace of Cakes. Do you guys not like it? It is really the best! They make the most amazing cakes there is. Plus, the level of difficulty of what they do is unbelievable too. I am just really crazy about this show.

Here is a little something about the show.

Meet Chef Duff. Shaping cakes with drill saws and blowtorches, and staffing his bakery with fellow rock musicians, he’s not your typical baker. However, he’s one of the most sought-after decorative cake makers in the country. Every week at Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, Duff and his team of artists try to meet the demands of creating up to 20 cakes a week, some of which take up to 29 hours to build! From a tilted Dr. Seuss-like seven-tiered wedding cake to an almost perfect replica of Wrigley Field, Duff can build it. Go behind the scenes to see how he and his fellow cake bakers dish up sugar and spice in the most unexpected and entertaining ways.

These are the three geniuses on the show. They are so creative that whatever they do seem to look so amazing and beautiful. I cannot imagine making a really huge cake that looks like hockey rink or a baseball stadium. But these can and they do stuff like that every single day. No wonder their show is a big hit and I am a big fan as well.

Look at that! It would take me such a long time to do that for sure. I am no Chef Duff.

I have always loved a delicious Red Velvet Cake. This is probably one of the first few cakes that I have ever learned to bake when I was just starting out. Personally, it is the most perfect cake to serve when you have guests over or if you have a party at your house and you decide to whip up some dessert for your guests. If you want to bake a homemade birthday cake, you can easily go ahead and do a Red Velvet instead of the usual Chiffon Cake. However, today I decided to do cupcakes. It is cuter and the fun-size effect of this is perfect when you have a lot of people to feed. It is more practical for you and it is much easier to distribute unlike a real cake that you have to slice them one by one and then you still have to serve them on a plate. It is a win-win situation for you, really.

Here is an easy recipe that I got online for you guys to try it out at your kitchen. Do not be afraid to make a few mistakes the first time. Once you get the hang of it, surely you are going to be like Martha Stewart. Remember, practice makes perfect.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 fluid ounce red food coloring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with 20 paper baking cups.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and vinegar. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter and frost with desired frosting.

Baking has always been my first love. However, the issue that I have with it is that it makes me gain weight. I love sweets and eating what I bake is very natural for me. Some say that when they cook or bake the food, they end up feeling full and they would not eat what they prepared anymore. With me, that is definitely not the case. The more I see that I am baking something really good and delicious, I tend to get all excited and hungry to taste it myself.

Of course, my resolution would be to work out in order for to lose the weight that I gain every time I eat just one more slice of a cake. If only it was just a piece of cake, I would have gotten started with it years ago. However, I do not feel motivated enough to drag myself to a gym. But I think it is about time that I do so because I do not want to balloon anymore and reach a really big size that it would be much harder to lose. I must start now. I am going to sign myself up to a gym tomorrow. Treadmills and weights, here I come!