Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, filled with friends and family, laughter and delicious treats.  2012 is here and I’m quite excited about the upcoming year here on Half Baked!  So much has changed over the last year for this little cake blog….  so many talented individuals have shared their cakes, parties and recipes with us!  I’ve personally been blessed with incredible opportunities to share my own work on a bigger stage.  It’s been a year full of new challenges, new ventures, new contributors, and a new city.  And with each and every post comes new readers and new friends!  You all are what keeps me blogging… your kind comments, emails and likes!  I could not be more grateful for all of the growth my little site has seen this year.  It’s actually not so little anymore!

Before we continue on with bigger and even better posts for 2012, I think it’s only appropriate to pause and take a quick look back at the last year.  I’ve made my way through the 200+ posts from 2011 to find the posts you loved the most.  Based on your page views, here are your favorite 16 posts, in no particular order.  Plus 4 of my own personal favorites.  It’s a quick year in review….  The Top 20 Posts from 2011!

The top Recipes of 2011, based on your page views….

1.  Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes :  created by our contributor, Lauren of Crave. Indulge. Satisfy.

2.  Caramel Apple Cake Shooters :  created by yours truly, for my daughter’s 1st birthday party.

3.  Blueberry Rainbow Cake :  created by Lisa Lundqvist of Sockerrus.

4.  Puff Pastry Stars :  created by yours truly, for a guest post on Hostess with The Mostess.

The top DIY Projects of 2011, based on your page views….

5.  Paper Rose Cake :  created by our contributor, Miso of Miso Bakes.

6.  Modern Christmas Cookies : created by Callye of The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle.

7.  Vintage Milk Bottles :  created by yours truly, as part of the MILKaholic Baby Shower.

8.  Cupcake Liner Witch Hats :  created by yours truly, for Halloween party inspiration. 

The top Cake Designs of 2011, based on your page views….

9.  Santa, Penguin, Snowman Cake : created by Sheryl Ong, owner of BunsInTheOven Cupcakery.

10.  300 Layer Crepe Cake :  created by Kate Dunbar, owner of Petite Rêve Chocolates.

11.  Chevron Cake :  created by yours truly, for the November issue of BRIDES Magazine.

12.  Coco Chanel Pearl Cake :  created by Lisa Rochelle, owner of Sweet Grace Cake Design.

The top Parties of 2011, based on your page views….

13.  MILKaholic Sip & See :  created by yours truly and featured on Hostess With The Mostess.

14.  Sock Monkey Baby Shower :  created by Elizabeth Seaton of Posh Paperie.

15.  Angry Birds :  created by Debbie, of Save the Date Events with a cake by Intricate Icings.

16.  Little Lamb Birthday :  created by yours truly and featured on Hostess With The Mostess.

And last but not least, my personal favorites of 2011….

17.  Retro Cafe Flowers :  created by yours truly for BRIDES Magazine’s 20 Most Beautiful Cakes.

18.  Gender Reveal Cupcakes :  created by Trisha and Amanda, co-owners of Cream & Flutter.

19.  Honey Cupcakes :  created by our cupcake contributor, Lauren of Crave. Indulge. Satisfy.

20.  Peaches & Cream Cake Trio :  created by Emily Lael Aumiller, owner of Lael Cakes.

As we usher out 2011, I want to thank each of you for reading and following Half Baked.  I hope you’ve enjoyed this last year as much as I have!  Hold tight, because 2012 will be another great year with even more cake, baking and party inspiration headed your way!  I’ll continue to blog, as long as you continue to read.

Wishing you all much happiness and many blessings in the upcoming year!    ~ Carrie

I am officially signing off for a few days to spend the holidays with my family.  But before I go, I thought I’d leave you with a quick recap of our holiday cake series….  it’s been 12 days of festive cake inspiration here on Half Baked.  Hopefully it has inspired you to holiday cake greatness and made you very merry!  It’s 12 bakers baking…. it’s The 12 Cakes of Christmas! Ho, Ho, Ho!

The 1st Cake of Christmas…  A Gingerbread, Candy Cane Fantasy created by Pink Cake Box.
The 2nd Cake of Christmas… A Wintry Enchanted Forest created by Cake Opera Co.
The 3rd Cake of Christmas… A Scottish Tartan Ruffle Cake created by Maggie Austin Cake.
The 4th Cake of Christmas… A 3D Santa Penguin Cake created by Amanda Oakleaf Cakes.
The 5th Cake of Christmas… A Gold & Navy Winter Wedding created by Sharon Wee Creations.
The 6th Cake of Christmas… A Snowy Winter White Cake created by AK Cake Design.
The 7th Cake of Christmas… A Mini Merry Snowman DIY created by Miso Bakes.
The 8th Cake of Christmas… A Santa, Penguin, Snowman created by BunsInTheOven Cupcakery.
The 9th Cake of Christmas… A Snowy, Sugar Flower Scene created by Lael Cakes.
The 10th Cake of Christmas… A Winter White Houndstooth Cake created by Erica O’Brien.
The 11th Cake of Christmas… A Ruffle Christmas Tree created by Bubble and Sweet.
The 12th Cake of Christmas… A Nutcracker Cake created by The Pastry Studio.

A very merry thank you to all of the talented designers who shared their incredible cakes with us!    Be sure to check out additional designs from these and other talented cake artists in our Holiday Cake Gallery.

May your holiday season be full of love, joy and laughter… and many, many sweet treats!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

When I was little, my family had a tradition of going to the ballet at Christmas time.  What a treat to put on a party dress and spend the night oohing and awing over the gorgeous sets and costumes… the graceful dancers gliding across the stage.  It’s a magical event and a memory that is held dear by many little girls and boys.  So, today’s cake definitely speaks to the little girl in me!  What a perfect way to conclude our holiday cake inspiration, The 12 Cakes of Christmas.

A Christmas classic is reinterpreted in this incredible cake by Sherri Meyers and her team at The Pastry Studio.  Gold damask and ornate scrollwork come together to capture the glorious mood of the ballet.  Topped with a red bow, this show-stopping design wraps up our holiday cake inspiration.  It’s the 12th Cake of Christmas…. a festive and oh-so-glam Nutcracker Cake!

Sherri shared a few thoughts about her incredible cake:

“This festive Nutcracker cake was created for a beautifully talented ballerina performing in The Nutcracker this holiday season.  When creating this design, I knew it had to be rich is color and style.  I immediately thought of using a metallic gold and a heavy damask pattern.  My client wanted a touch of color so we decided to add pearl balls to the top layer to bring in the colors of the Nutcrackers.”

A Ho, Ho, Ho and huge thank you to Sherri Meyers and her team at The Pastry Studio for sharing this incredible Nutcracker Cake with us today!  Just like the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Land of Sweets, it is a beautiful finale to our dreamy, holiday cake inspiration.

I hope you all have enjoyed The 12 Cakes of Christmas here on Half Baked.  I know I did!  So many talented cake artists inspiring us to holiday cake greatness!  Such a fun way to celebrate the holidays and the beauty of cake.  Thank you to all of the amazing bakers who shared their cake creations with us.  You can find all 12 cakes from this series in our Holiday Cake Gallery, plus additional designs from cake shops across the globe.  Enjoy!

The Pastry Studio:
Web:  thepastrystudio.com
Be a Fan:  The Pastry Studio on Facebook
Tweet:  The Pasty Studio on Twitter
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