Money Magazine

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

For the June 2012 issue of Money Magazine, I got a chance to make a cake covered in dollar signs. How fitting :) The cake gives off a retro feel, esp with the cherries sitting on top! Check out the issue on stands now and get some insight on low-risk "recipes" for investing. 

1st Birthday Train Cake

Friday, June 15, 2012

1st Birthday are the best...cute kids + cute cakes. 
Here's a train themed cake we made recently for a baby boy's 1st Birthday.  

Monday, June 11, 2012

Update from my last post.
I'm back in the States and had such an amazing experience in South Africa!  I ended up teaching 21 women how to bake muffins, cupcakes, cookies and bread.  They loved the baked goods so much and were thrilled to see how the various ingredients came together to form a delicious treat.  Enjoying the warm muffins and breads straight from the oven while tossing it from one hand to another to try to cool them as we were eating was such a fun memory.  My favorite session was when the women learned how to make cake frosting and pipped their names out.  They have never seen a piping bag or a pastry tip, so it was such an exciting thing to learn!

Between the 7 other workshop that were held by the team of professionals I went with, there were over 150 women who took various courses and received certificates of accomplishment.   Our "graduation" day was a such a beautiful time for celebration and it was such a proud moment in their lives.
The women I encountered were so eager to learn, hospitable, and joyful in the midst of their circumstances.  It was such a humbling experience to work with a non-profit like Zimele to bring skills training to Swayimane.   With this exposure to baking, some of the women were interested in getting further training in nearby towns and eventually develop their own small businesses. Hopefully this trip and the continued efforts by Zimele will lead towards the growing empowerment of the women in South Africa and act as a stepping stone towards working their way out of poverty.