Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Image: BitrebelsI'm amused and horrified by this Sta-Puft figure. (BitRebels)

Not sweet per se, but still a baked treat. The history of the Cornish pasty! (History.com)

How to make fake cupcakes. A valuable life skill! (CakeSpy for Craftsy)

Oatmeal banana bread pancakes. YES! (Whipped)

Master recipe for biscuits and scones. Yes! (NY Times)

No blurred lines here: a guide to different types of lines in drawing. (CakeSpy for Craftsy)

Who knew? Unexpected uses for honey. (Philly.com)

You knead to know: how to test yeast. (Taste of Home)

DIY Nutella. It's such a good idea. (CakeSpy for Craftsy)

Incredible white chocolate brownies. (The Perfect Brownie)

Caramel apple pie scones. Just absorb all of those things together. Add clotted cream. YUM! (United Cakedom)

Say hello to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum (!) (Food World News)

I'm sorry, but did you miss these white chocolate candy cups filled with sugar cookie dough? Too much joy! (Crazy for Crust via CakeSpy)

It's early in the season, yes,, but I'm so into pannetone French toast. (Colavita)

The art of the conversation: how to draw people talking (CakeSpy for Craftsy)

Book of the week: Southern Biscuits by Nathalie Dupree. Because the south does biscuits best (no offense, rest of the world) and this is the bible of how to do biscuits right! Om nom nom.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Candy corn upside-down cakeHow to get your food blog noticed. (Foodcandy)

Homemade Velveeta. Not kidding. (Foodista)

Here's what you do with your homemade Velveeta: make fudge. Really. (CakeSpy archives)

DIY Cashew-coconut creamer (Have Cake, Will Travel)

Help my friend Gluten-Free Girl bring her all-purpose gluten-free flour to market! (Kickstarter)

Frankenstein Monkey Bread. It makes me happy. (Pillsbury)

Learn how to illustrate like a pro (ME!) with this free e-guide! (Craftsy)

Seriously. Homemade Snowballs. (WannaBGourmet)

Cute: "Wicked dessert puffs" with store-bought puff pastry (Pepperidge Farms)

Cake, and loss of a loved one. A beautiful essay and recipe. (Shauna Sever)

New favorite website! (Bite Me More)

Stuffed pumpkin cupcakes. I'm so into this. (Epicuricloud)

Candy corn rice krispie treats. These just make me happy. (Baking Bites)

Dessert wines for an all-dessert dinner. (!!!!) (Jameson Fink)

Pumpkin wheat dinner rolls (I know they're not sweet per se, but imagine using 'em for French Toast?). (Heather's French Press)

Chocolate cake with instant fudge frosting. Instant! (Crumbs & Cookies)

Book of the week: McCall's Cooking School: Step-by-Step Directions for Mistake-Proof Recipes. If you love retro cookbooks like I do, this one is worth your investment.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Apple cider doughnuts. Tis the season! (CakeSpy for Craftsy)

Here it is, world: the official Cronut recipe, from Dominique Ansel (Good Morning America)

Chocolate-peppermint birthday cake. You'll want to eat this thing. (Naptime Chef)

Dessert-ify your nails! (ModCloth--thanks Pam!)

What's an Asian Pear? Find out, and also score a recipe for Asian pear bread. (Ninja Baking)

Strawberry and cream cake. SERIOUSLY. (Shauna Sever)

Hooray for tres leches! Here's a beautiful recipe. (WannaB Gourmet)

Yums: apple crostada! (The Cultural Dish)

Tips for using fresh flowers in cake decorating (CakeSpy for Craftsy)

Food ingredient marketing? I had fun poking around this site. (Food Ingredient Marketing)

Tips for drawing clothing on your characters in illustration (CakeSpy for Craftsy)

Lovely and proper Scottish shortbread (Food52)

I'm sorry, are you still baking your brownies in a pan? Try 'em in a pumpkin! (The Perfect Brownie)

Magical princess cupcakes. (CakeSpy archives)

Wok and Roll: tips for making perfect stir-fry (not sweet, I know, but I wrote the article for Craftsy!)

Can we talk about the awesomeness of this bad-ass unicorn tee? (Plasticland--thanks Ren!)

Princess Leia cupcakes. (JustJenn Recipes)

Praline bread pudding with caramel-pecan sauce. Reminds me of New Orleans, in the best way. (Bake or Break)

Book of the week: Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes From Our Kitchen. Because I have visited the bakery behind this cookbook, which is located in Los Angeles, and everything I ate was delicious. Since I don't live in Santa Monica, I would like to be able to replicate the goods on a daily basis, please.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Photo via Smart Girl AccessoriesTHIS SHIRT. I WANT IT I NEED IT. Via Smart Girl Accessories.

GIVEAWAY!! Win a copy of the cutest cookie decorating book ever.

I love this: root beer float cupcakes (that look like little mugs!)

"Krispie treat" style...but made with Honey nut cheerios and banana. Yum!

Craftsy cake decorating classes are on MEGA sale right now. Take advantage!

Sweets inspired by sopaipillas. Love it!

Passionfruit Meringue Coconut Cake. Try saying that five times fast!

Raw chocolate almond truffles. These sound good.

Interesting read for fall bakers: what is pumpkin pie spice, exactly?

Helpful for artists: how to digitally remove a paper background from an illustration in Photoshop.

Shortbread Nanaimo bars. Just as amazing as they sound.

A fascinating look back at the Columbian Exhibition of 1893 in Chicago - when many modern foods were debuted.

Clever Hen: a recent discovery of mine. A cute online shop with plenty of specialty baking products.

Bowl desserts. Live the dream. 

Book of the week: The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu. Want to know why we eat toast in the morning but make toasts in the evening? Read this book. An awesome look at food words from the point of view of a smarty-pants linguist.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Today is National Chocolate Milkshake day! Enjoy this sweet recipe (pictured above).

Because, quite frankly, it still feels like summer to me: how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker.

It's not something I have ever thought about, but it's true: before there was cooking, there was just food.

A sweet recipe for French "conversation" tarts--and the conversation-starting story behind them.

How to turn your art into greeting cards! 

Add collage to your pen and ink work: a sweet tutorial by me.

Nostalgic snack round-up: how many of these do you remember?

Shoe Bakery. OMG WANT IT ALL.

Fun read: biggest food flops of the boomer generation.

Helpful if you're making pie: apple buying guide.

The history of cornstarch and corn syrup. An interesting read. Pecan pie recipe included.

Strawberry pudding cheesecake cookies. OMG!

An awesome collection of historic NYC restaurant menus.

Biscuits with sugar butter. Yes, it's a good idea.

Book of the week: The Ministry of Thin: How the Pursuit of Perfection Got Out of Control by Emma Woolf. This beautiful book describes our obsession with looks. In addition to touching on creepy plastic surgery and beauty standards, there is also a huge chunk of the book devoted to the obsession with being skinny. Basically, it amounts to this: food and joy are so much better than skinny.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

I got the above cookie (chocolate rugelach) at Whole Foods in Santa Fe. It tasted better than I thought it would--in fact, it tasted really, really good. 

This link has literally nothing to do with cake. But it has something to do with a magical unicorn that paid a visit to hospice families, and it warmed my heart to the max.

I find LeAnn Rimes extremely unfortunate. However, I *love* her birthday cake.

School's back in session, but it's still HOT. You deserve a fashionable ice cream pop.

It's late for Labor Day, but still prime time for grilled desserts while the weather still permits!

How to add motion to your illustrations. A helpful guide for artists!

In case you missed it: awesome creative prompts for artists of all sorts.

A fantastic article about the history of eating out in New York.

How to draw mixed media flowers. Vibrant and cool.

Emulsify like a pro with this sweet breakdown of emulsification in baking. 

Somewhat related: the many purposes of eggs in baking.

Can you use waxed paper in baking? Yes and no...it depends on what you're doing. Find out more here.

Book of the week: Ovenly: Sweet and Salty Recipes from New York's Most Creative Bakery. I had never heard of the establishment which published this eponymous book, but I'd like to visit, after discovering this treasure trove of recipes including (but not limited to) blueberry cornflake muffins, banana nutella coffee cake, burnt sugar cookies, mustard spice cookies(!), and more.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Let your garden be your muse: a sweet art tutorial (no cake involved, but still pretty sweet)

Tree nut star tarts. Yum.

Did you miss the awesome roundup of my recent edible adventures?

These cinnamon rolls in Nebraska have an interesting story.

Learn a bit more about Racine Kringles.

10 awesome pug cakes. Seriously.

A love letter to crullers, both the cake doughnut and the eggy French sort.

"Autumn Blaze Bubble Bread". Don't you love the name?

Make your cakes sparkle--literally. How to use edible glitter on cakes!

Tips for adding emotion to your original artwork. Helpful and sweet!

Marvelous marble swirl cake.

Chocolate covered cake on a stick!

Book of the week: Alpha-Bakery Gold Medal Children's Cookbook. Did you have this cookbook growing up? I did, and I just found it again at a used book store. It has cute illustrations and surprisingly easy and good recipes for every letter of the alphabet. Aside from the nostalgia, I'm just happy to own it again. Bring on the "X-Tra Special Celebration Cake"!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

In case you missed it: brown sugar swirl cake. Brown sugar frosting. #winning

Homemade gluten-free pizza dough: tips and tricks.

Best ice cream I've had in a while: Sylas and Maddy's, in Lawrence, KS.

I'm going to New Glarus, Wisconsin. Naturally I will hit up this bakery.

My birthday is on Tuesday. If I have any leftover cake, I promise to make birthday cake French toast.

Or I suppose I could use the leftover cake in one of these clever and tasty ways.

But with a cake like this, there probably will not be leftovers. 

Dear heavens: oreo banana pudding. Make me a vat!

Just about the best frosting ever, if you ask me.

Homemade ho-hos. Wait, what did you call me?

For fun: reminisce with me about how I killed a bunch of Little Debbie Snack cakes that one time.

A free doughnut e-guide. All things doughnut: recipes, decorating tips, etc! 

How to test cream of tartar for freshness.

Book of the week: My book! The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts! Because it's my birthday this week and this book includes the story behind, plus a recipe for, birthday cake. Awesometown!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Baby elephant ears. Delicious babies.

Why didn't I ever have a class trip like this when I was young? 

OMG, you guys. My mom wrote an amazing post for Craftsy about preparing an illustration for publication. She's a famous illustrator in case you didn't know!

This thing. It's what I wish I was eating right now.

Strawberry cream cake: doesn't it look so summery and just...happy?

Cookie stuffed crescent rolls: I am so, so very down with this.

Barbecues are all about sides and desserts. Here's the tasty guide I made to all these things on the side.

This guide to the food of Lisbon includes a lot of valuable info on sweet specialties. Maybe I should go there next?

Stir-fried desserts? Why not?

101 amazing doughnut shops from around the USA.

When is it time to declare an illustration finished? Here's how to know.

Though it's just a picture, I'm linking because it made me so happy to know it existed: Danger Mouse Cake!

Do we still care about bacon in desserts? If so: Chocolate bacon ice cream. 

Book of the week: Craft-a-Doodle: 75 Creative Exercises from 18 Artists. This is really a wonderful book for anyone who loves to create--the creative prompts get your mind working in a way that is productive for any type of art, from baking to writing to, of course, drawing. I'll admit this is a slightly self-serving suggestion: I'm one of the contributors who came up with prompts for the book!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Reading cookbooks as history. Unlock the past, deliciously!

If I ever have kids, I hope they are like these kids who launched a "Candy Unicorn Mini-Mart".

Would you eat an ice cream sundae in a can?

I think it's time to add to my United States of Ice cream compilation. What's your favorite place to get ice cream? Either comment on this post, the post linked to, or send me an email. 

In case you missed it: a dessert you never ever have to share.

Would-be robbers don't get money, but do get some doughnuts.

Ombré ice cream pops. Don't you want one right now?

An interesting little background on the story of one of the most important food volumes there is.

Sausage and apple pie. Dinner, or dessert? Depends on if it's a la mode, I suppose.

I would like someone to throw me this exact Hello Kitty themed party, but for my 33rd birthday instead of my first.

Mistakes happen. However, if your mistakes are in watercolor, I can help you fix them.

You all know how devastated I was to hear of the closing of Angel Food Bakery in Chicago. BUT the story is not over: the owner is now offering classes in how to make her bestselling treats!

Speaking of Angel food, the cake, not the bakery, here's an interesting insight into its history.

Book of the week: Fix It In Foil. This book is all about foods that you can grill (or bake) nestled in foil. Because if you enjoyed my cakes grilled in orange shells, the dessert chapter in this book has awesome ideas along the same lines...s'mores burritos? Banana boats? Apple crisp? Yes, yes, yes.