This one looks so summery-yummy to me ...

Strawberry Custard Cake

I love to bake if I have some time off work and will get to just enjoy being at home. It's soothing to me and makes the house smell great. Nobody baked, or even cooked much, when I was growing up. I'm self taught and experimented until I got the basics down. I have a vintage milk glass cake stand that I love to use to display what I bake.

But I only enjoy it when I'm relaxed and not overly scheduled/stressed. If my son tries to guilt me into baking I say, "it won't be as good because it won't have enough love in it".

I love to bake! It's the one cooking activity that I look forward to. I've been baking since I was in kindergarten and it seems very natural and easy to me.

I confess that often the reason I bake is to eat the raw product before it goes into the oven, e.g., cookie dough and, gasp, pie dough. I don't even understand people who don't eat raw cookie dough.

Now that I live alone, baking presents problems as usually the output is way more than one person can or should eat. Not saying it never happens though. So I jump at the opportunity to bring a dessert to a potluck or other gathering.

Yeah - I think the key for me as well has to be that I'm "in the mood." If it's something I have to bake (for an event or function), I generally find that the fact that it's an obligation makes it more of a chore and less of a joy. I also think it has to do with having time off work and just being able to freely enjoy my kitchen.

Speaking of cake stands, I found myself mesmerized by a gorgeous Waterford cake stand on one of the home shopping channels last night as I was flipping channels. (No, I did not order it.) I used to have an old Fostoria cake stand, but I'm pretty sure my ex retained custody of it when I failed to retrieve it when we were dividing things up. I've also become a little bit obsessed with cake stands lately, having bought one at Home Goods (on clearance - $8!) that's "make do" for now, but nothing to write home about. (Bunnies. LOL!)

I prefer savory to sweet so I like to cook more often than bake but have been trying to make more cakes and snack bars for the kids rather than processed ones and have been enjoying having the kids take an interest in it too.

Several years ago I read the title, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and it intrigued me. Read about it and got the book from the library. Finally bought the book and all the equipment and I now bake bread. Good bread. And I love when people say, with incredulity, "YOU made this?" Yes, I do get in the mood to bake!

roarah, I think I'm going to make these Easy Skinny Strawberry Oatmeal Bars tonight. Would your kids like them?

westsider - bread making has long intrigued me, but I don't know that I've ever actually done a traditional loaf of bread (with the kneading and all). I used to have a breadmaker and used it a few times, but the "dumping in of the ingredients" bored me a bit and I eventually got rid of the thing. I'm going to take a look at the book you mention. Thanks!

As a single person, I don't routinely cook full meals OR bake but I do get in the mood to do both from time to time. There is no shortage of willing participants with which to share the baking products but I usually manage to consume the other cooking results myself :-) Except when I share soups or casseroles with my sister, who lives nearby (also single), or when I tire of the leftovers - usually after only a second serving - and dump the rest.

There is a standing order in my family for my lemon bars, which are a huge favorite of my niece's family. They are typically always a component of any family get togethers......last was Easter brunch.

Ooooh how I love lemon bars!

I'll share my cake stand if everyone promises not to judge me by my hideous countertops and backsplash. I haven't changed them because other major repairs keep coming up. And the whole kitchen needs a redo.

Les, that is one gorgeous cake stand! I just love that fluted edge and the hobnail base. So reminiscent of "yesteryear", and it looks perfect next to your KA mixer!

I keep finding recipes that look SO easy, like this one for Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies ... I'm gonna be as big as a barn, aren't I? ;-)

Linelle - something strange happened and I don't think your post showed up for me until just now. (Darn gremlins!) I hear you on eating the uncooked batter or dough! I don't know what comes over me (well - yes, I do - it's gluttony, pure and simple) but whenever there's batter in the bowl, I have to taste it and once I've poured it into the pan for baking, I have to lick what's left behind I the bowl (and off the beater). Homemade whipped cream, sweetened ever-so-slightly and with a hint of vanilla? HEAVENLY licked straight from the appliance, and I'm just glad there was nobody around to see me do it. I'm sure it was not a pretty sight.

I enjoy baking from scratch very much. (Wish I felt the same about cooking.) The problem is I want to eat it. Plus, DH isn't a big dessert person. He'd rather eat a steak. A lot of times I make small versions of the recipes. I like things I can freeze.

Cattyles are you Les from the old message boards? When Jen called you Les, a light bulb went off in my head.

I will occasionally lick the bowl or tools for whipped cream or for a frosting but never would I consider eating unbaked dough........that just sounds gross to me!!

Lemon Bars

Crust: 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup icing sugar. Mix well (I use the food processor) and pat firmly into a 8" square pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350F or until lightly golden.

Top: 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder. Sift together. Add 2 beaten large eggs, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice and the grated rind of 1 lemon. Mix well until light and frothy; pour over baked crust and bake an additional 25 minutes.

Cool thoroughly before cutting. Can be topped with a dusting of icing sugar (powdered sugar) - preferred by my fam - or with glaze of icing sugar and lemon juice.

My niece and her family are gluten free so I usually sub a 1-1 gluten free flour mix for regular AP flour in the recipe. Perfect results with no discernible difference from the original recipe. I also double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan, adjusting the baking time slightly.

D_gw, I lurked a lot on that home site and gardenweb and posted very little. My name was Lesterkitty, I think. But I could not access that name post Houzz.

Lester and Les are both nicknames from my real name. I always end up combining one of those names with cat or kitty. But I never went by just Les.

Ooops, sorry - I should've just called her catty and avoided the confusion! ;-)

Sheeisback - I don't really enjoy cooking either. Luckily, that's DH's "job" in our household, and he's quite good at it. I think he actually considers it to be "his" kitchen, so it's sort of a treat for me to get in there (alone) and bake.

gardengal - thank you so much for sharing the recipe! I'm copying it and printing it out to go along with the others I've been "collecting" today. I find myself drooling over 7-layer cheesecakes with chocolate ganache, but when it comes right down to it, what I really want to make are simple, homey recipes. The kind that don't stretch my abilities too much, but still make me feel somewhat accomplished because they come out looking and tasting great.

I love your cake stand!! I love bunnies AND cake stands! Here is mine, it is a family heirloom from my great auntie. The base is frosted glass with a face on each side. It normally lives in my pantry, but I pulled it out to sit on my island so you can see MY bunnies! It is well past Easter, but I love bunnies so much I keep them out til July 4th!

Oh, nini - that cake stand is gorgeous! I wonder how old it is? Looks like a gen-u-ine antique! Love the faces. Don't believe I have ever seen one like it.

Here's the Waterford cake stand I found myself coveting last night. It's Marquis, so the "lesser" brand of Waterford, but I still think it's pretty. What I like most about it is the cover, and the fact that it has straight sides that wouldn't even come close to pressing on a larger cake, the way that some domed covers might. I don't "need" it, but I'm still tempted.

I don't bake much and rarely have the ingredients needed on hand. Now that the temperatures are starting to rise, the oven won't be turned on for months. All of the cake stands you've posted are very pretty. I have a small glass stand like this one.

I look forward to inheriting my mother's cake plate which is not on a pedestal and has a metal cover.

Nini, that cake stand and your kitchen are both just beautiful.

Fun2B, I have one of the flat glass plates with a metal cover. It's the one I use the most.

I don't even think I have a cake stand. I really don't bake. I do not have time to do holiday baking due to exams. I usually make pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Cattyles, we have used the decorative glass plate to serve everything under the sun because it's a great size. The metal cover is not particularly attractive, but very functional. A few years ago, Mother was given a beautiful upscale cake plate and cover, but we tend to reach for the old one almost always.

I have a gorgeous blown glass cake stand with a blue base (I collect blue glass) but I seldom ever bake layer cakes!! I do use it serve cupcakes occasionally but more as just a serving dish with some height for cookies, shortbread or tea sandwiches. Yes, I like afternoon tea parties.......a practice I inherited from my British parents!!

Although I love to cook, I'm usually not much into baking. We're not cake lovers and with just DH and myself here most of the time, we don't want a lot of leftover sweet things around to eat. We generally eat desserts maybe twice a month. I'd much rather make great appetizers or soup, than bake a cake . . . but yes, I do get hit with a fit of baking frenzy every once in a while. As most of you know, I have a private healthful eating blog (or whatever you want to call it ) for our family practice clinic's patients, our close friends, and our family. I've filled it with lots of recipes, but I think there's only two or three dessert recipes on it (lol). Breakfast items do excite me, though. When I come across a promising muffin, pancake, coffeecake, etc. idea or recipe, I have fun adapting it for my site. And then, that usually spurs me on to create another and another recipe. Because we do try to avoid all empty carbs, finding or adapting recipes that don't call for wheat flour, rice flour, or cornmeal is challenging. But, getting big thank yous from my family and our patients when they find one of my recipes that they've made and love keeps me going. I am always on the hunt for new recipes to adapt!

Lovely cake plates! I have a few but they are nothing exceptional and are rarely used. I also love to bake but must be in the mood, too. I'm not baking much lately as I love to eat my baked goods, and I'm currently on a "no junk food" eating plan. Sigh. Even putting things in the freezer won't work for me, as I find cookies or whatever taste delicious even while frozen. I am going to make dessert, however, for my gym's cookout in a couple of weeks. Yes, I'm taking dessert to an event put on by my gym. I'm not sure what yet, so I'm open to ideas if anyone has something they like to take to pot lucks. Rhubarb is in season here and I'm dying to make some sort of rhubarb dessert, but I'm not so sure it'll go over all that well at a potluck. Rhubarb is somewhat of an acquired taste, I think.

Hmmmm ... this thread isn't nearly as racy as I thought it was going to be from the title. I'm glad I'm at the lake and have no baking ingredients b/c I am like idaclaire and can easily polish off half a cake (without help) when the mood hits.

I love baking and yes sometimes the mood stikes and I'm scouring the pantry for ingredients. DH is always in the mood . . . for ME to bake something.

I am a reasonably skilled baker and generally love to cook (although I do not love to cook 3x a day, 7 days a week). Pies (homemade crusts), cream puffs, cakes, bread, energy bars, ice cream, etc. I have done them and loved it. However, I only love it when I have the time to do it. I like trying new things, so sometimes am irritated when my mother asks for custard pie, again.

My daughter has celiac disease and is a type 1 diabetic so my skills have been tested lately on gluten-free baked goods. That means right now I am more frustrated than loving the process. However, we have tried many lower-carb baked goods made with almond flour and coconut flour and most have been quite good. When I am not in the mood, said daughter is quite capable of going in the kitchen and punching out some baked goods herself. She seems to enjoy it as well, which is good since her dietary needs make it a useful skill for her. Over-indulgence is not too much of a problem here, with kids 19, 16, 13, and 10. Everyone is very well aware of what their fair share is and will make sure that they get it.

In the cooler months I love to bake bread. Couldn't tell you the last time I baked a cake. I'm pie crust impaired, so that's not happening. Occasionally make blueberry muffins, fruit crisp, and cookies during the holidays.

In a word -- no.

Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful cake plates, and for sharing your thoughts and routines on baking. Nice to know I'm on the only one who takes it in fits and spurts. I've had the baking bug for about two weeks now, and continued to play around in the kitchen over the weekend. I made the Skinny Strawberry Oatmeal Bars and took them to a Panama mission team meeting that we had Saturday morning, where they were a huge hit (they were much better after being refrigerated overnight). With my leftover berries I made a Strawberry Custard Cake Saturday afternoon that was quite good (but I will definitely add food coloring the next time to alleviate the rather wan, fleshy color which isn't all that appetizing), and yesterday I made Banana Cake Blondies which were/are scrumptious.

At this rate, I'm going to weigh three tons by August.

I love to bake and I find it very de-stressing. Oddly, the more fussy the recipe the more relaxing it is for me. Ive also been known to "angry bake". On November 9th I made several dozen shortbread turkeys and dipped them in chocolate. ( talk about passive aggressive, lol) I also give a ton of baked goods away.

Majority of my baking is done for the big holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter). It's too hot here (Florida) to mess with baking now.

I still love baked goodies, bakeries work just fine for me. Actually the praise I receive when serving home made and bakery is about the same...

Ida, I love the Marquise cake stand you posted upthread. I havent been able to find it online. Was it on a shopping channel? tia

westsider - yep, it's on evine. (And I still want it.)

"Angry bake" ... I learned a new term today, and I love it! I can envision myself "angry baking" as well. It ain't pretty, but I'd imagine it's incredibly satisfying!

Ida, I would love the recipe for the banana cake blondies, please. (No rush.) They sound delicious! I decided to make browned butter Rice Krispy treats for my upcoming potluck picnics - they are always crowd pleasers.

Bluebell - here ya go!

BANANA BREAD
BLONDIES

Ingredients

For
Blondies:

½ cup
unsalted butter-melted

1 cup
light brown sugar

¼
teaspoon salt

1 large
egg

2
teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ -2
teaspoon cinnamon (to taste)

1 cup
flour

½ cup
mashed banana (one medium-large banana)

For Frosting:

¼ cup
butter

6
Tablespoons light brown sugar

2
Tablespoons milk

Dash of
salt

1
teaspoon vanilla

1 cup
powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat
oven to 350 F and line 8 x 8 inch baking pan with aluminum foil (leaving an
overhang on the sides to lift the finished blondies out) and spray with cooking
spray , set aside.

To make
the blondie batter, in a medium bowl mix together melted butter, sugar and
salt. Add egg vanilla and cinnamon and mix until well combined. Add mashed
banana and mix to combine.

Add
flour and mix until combined and smooth. Pour the batter into prepared pan,
smooth the top and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until center has set. Remove from
the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

To make
the frosting in a medium sauce pan melt the butter and continue cooking over
medium heat until reach nice amber color, stirring constantly (be careful not
to burn it). Add brown sugar, milk and a dash of salt, stir and bring to boil.
Remove from heat and cool for 10-15 minutes.

Whisk in
vanilla and powdered sugar. Spread over the blondies. Allow frosting to set
before slicing and serving.

Here's the batch I made. The next time I make them, I'll add chopped nuts to the blondies. I thought they were even yummier after having been refrigerated for a few hours too. Enjoy!

Lemon bars are one of my specialties too.

I've never owned a cake stand. I can't remember the last time I made a layer cake, probably when I was in high school in the early 60s. I will say that they're a lot more lovely to look at than cakes served from the 9x13 pyrex they were baked in, but I'm all about the taste, not the presentation.

Ida, when my daughter was in high school we once made a batch of chocolate cookie dough solely for snacking. Somehow we survived.

Does anyone have a silver cake basket? They used to be a popular wedding gift in Victorian days.

I have a sister who bakes and just sent me a pic of this. She made it yesterday with blueberries.

I wish I was a baker, but my attempts never turn out very well. :c(

Several years ago, my sister bought several really beautiful and different cake plates from a woman who said they were made in Portugal. She wrapped each one up and had me, my mother and my sisters all draw a number. This is the one I got. I don't use it very often, but I really love it.