Desiree is the mom and wife behind one of the cutest and sweetest families we know: Alfonso + Desiree + their two cutie-pie kids (Saray and Elijah, who is sort of promised to Averi!)=The wonderful Lopez family.

She is interested in learning to do cakes and cake decorating.  I am a novice, but I have a little experience, so we set out to do a pink and brown polka-dotted cake for her birthday.  I baked a 10″ x 5″ chocolate cake with strawberry filling for the bottom tier and an 8″ x 4 3/4″ pumpkin spice with cream cheese filling for the top tier and then Desiree and I made several batches of fondant a couple of days ahead of assembling and decorating the cakes.

It was my first time to do chocolate fondant and we are so-much-the-wiser on that now, but it is actually pretty doggone delicious!  Looks like a giant tootsie roll, kinda. :)  Tastes like one, too.  I won’t tell you how 5 pounds of the chocolate candy-icing was nearly thrown across the room by my usually-sweet-and-level husband, whose muscles we needed to roll out the huge stuff.  No, I mustn’t reveal.  But Desiree was such an adventurer!  I gave her the tools (bags, tips, etc) and she went to it!  She did a great job!

Suffice it to say: Happy Birthday, Desiree.  Happy day and days of the whole year!  I pray this will be a year of favor for you – in your marriage, your ministry, your daily walk wth Jesus and in all your friendships and relationships.  May you blessed in all things, and blessed to be a blessing!

I have you in my heart…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  Less powdered sugar, 1 full cup cocoa!  Yum.

pictured: Desree and 3 batches of the fondant; Desiree decorating; Saray using up the scraps and bits to make her own pretty ymmies; Desiree and the final outcome