The last time I checked in with a personal update was nearly a year ago!
Last September, I had a 2 month old, almost 3 year old, our 12 year old family dog just died, and I was adjusting to life with 2 young children. It was… heavy!
And now– suddenly it seems– our youngest just turned 1. Elise is crawling, teething, laughing, playing, pulling herself up, saying mama, and all the wonderful things babies and families get to experience in that first year. It’s been so exciting living these moments all over again, but in a new way because both girls are so different AND because our oldest is a big sister now.
I know you’re here for the baking, so let’s show off that 1st birthday cake. 🙂
1st Birthday Cake
I made a 6 inch banana cake, using my banana muffins batter. I added another 2 Tablespoons of milk to thin the batter out, used the melted coconut oil option, and sweetened it with coconut sugar. As far as desserts and baked goods go, this is a slightly healthier recipe. I divided the batter between 3 6-inch pans. (See my 6 inch cake recipes blog post for details.)
For the frosting, I used my cream cheese frosting recipe but removed 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar so it wasn’t quite as sweet. I added freeze-dried strawberry powder to half of the frosting. Remember this strawberry frosting? Same method. Grind a heaping 1/2 cup of freeze-dried strawberries into 1/4 cup powder, then beat it into half of the cream cheese frosting. I used regular strawberry frosting on my oldest’s 1st birthday cake too. It’s always a hit. I reused the same cake topper. The yellow cake stand is from Home Goods!
For the frosting, I used a large round piping tip to pipe rings of alternating frosting around the sides and on top. Then I used a bench scraper to smooth it all down. This look is called a “striped cake” but mine’s not quite as neat as most professional ones! It was very simple but fun, which was my goal.
I used these naturally colored sprinkles for decor. I LOVE THOSE! They make all desserts so much fun. My oldest loves the stars. We made drop sugar cookies with the same sprinkles, too. We’re celebrating again this coming weekend. Lots of fun!
Speaking of strawberry and cake, I discovered a new online bakery called Blondery. 100% women and minority owned, this virtual bakery is known for exceptional bite-size blondies. Owner and professional pastry chef Auzerais Bellamy reached out and let me know about the bakery’s newest summery sweet: an 11 layer strawberry cake and coinciding cake jars. They’re gluten free with strawberry blondies, chantilly cream, buttercream, and more. It was SUCH a special treat to receive one and each spoonful tasted like pure luxury. (Not sponsored, genuinely loved it!) Her menu is quite popular, but keep Blondery in mind when you need a unique and special treat for an occasion. You can follow Blondery on Instagram too!
Meet Simon
Another piece of exciting news! I’d like to introduce you to our new German Shepherd mix puppy, Simon. We adopted Simon from a rescue a few months ago and are so in love with this sweet snuggly boy. He came from a wonderful foster family with young children and another dog, so he fit right in here. He’s 6 months old and weighing about 50 lbs. He’ll be a big boy! He and Franklin, our 5 year old dog, are getting along wonderfully. Franklin was so sad when Jude died, but this has certainly got him on his feet again. They’re inseparable! And Simon is already bigger than Frank.
Slowing Down!
Things have been busy with 2 young children and now 2 wild dogs! I’ve never been great at work/life balance, but decided to be firm with those boundaries this year. For the first time in 10 years, I’ve finally taken the time to slow down! (I’ve been blogging for 10 years this December. Crazy!)
Another reason that I slowed down content and put a pause on various social media is that my team and I are working on something very exciting. We have a brand new website redesign coming out later this summer. It’s been nearly 2 years in the making as we’ve been taking in feedback from readers to improve the website’s functionality and overall experience. It’s finally coming together and I can’t wait to share more details soon! We’re updating many older posts, I’m refreshing old photos, and trying to make this the best site it can be for you.
One new feature already put in place: when you sign up for my email list, you’re automatically sent the most popular recipes & posts!
And Surprise! Cookbook!
And while I’m spilling all the beans today (thanks for listening/reading!), I might as well tell all of you wonderful bakers that I’m working on a proposal for my 4th cookbook!!!! That’s yet another reason I’ve been so quiet over here!!!! Slowing down and taking time off has not only been what I need on a personal level, but professional as well. Sometimes you need time and space to determine a plan, path, or goal. That’s what I gave myself this year and now I’ve never been more excited about a work project! And I’ve never felt more inspired.
Keep in mind that the journey to cookbook #4 will be a very long one because I need to actually finish my proposal before I can move to the next steps. (Including, um… testing all the recipes and authoring the entire cookbook.) Stay tuned because I will continue to share cookbook updates when I have them!
Some fun things to look forward to even if I’m not posting as often! I hope to continue updates like this, but I’m trying to keep everything just about baking. Thank you for being here and don’t forget about the July Sally’s Baking Challenge. Can’t wait to see all your turnovers!
Yay Sally! What a fun update! Can’t wait for the new book!
Thank you for the update! Happy birthday to Elise! Congratulations on Simon. So glad to see you will be slowing. Enjoy these precious moments. Exited that a new cook book is in the works! Another for me to add to my collection!!!
I am glad you are taking some time for you and your family. We adopted an eight month English Springer Spaniel who will be 3 next month. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy your blog. I have learned so much and gained fame at work with my variety of treats. Just today I made blueberry streusel and lemon poppy seed muffins. We had a break in the weather and I needed to replenish the freezer. I also made dinner rolls, but that recipe comes from my 1940’s how to be a good wife cookbook. LOL. Looking forward to the new layout.
Awwww, your lovely dogs. Thanks for sharing.
Loved everything you baked & shared! Your dogs! <3
Hi Sally! Wow, you have your hands full!! Glad life is so good for you and your beautiful family. While I miss your Coffee Breaks with little personal updates, I totally get it. So excited for the new website! Thank you for all you do for us! Take care and thanks for the update!
I am THRILLED that Coffee Break has returned! It’s wonderful that you’ve taken the necessary time to enjoy your family and puppies. Kudos ! Like others have said…I have truly missed my baking guru. You have been a wonderful teacher and I’ve become a much better baker to the delight of my family and friends, so a huge thank you to you, Sally! You are the only baking blog that I follow. All of your hard work has paid off,as your recipes are tried and true. Please know this …your baking friends LOVE you. Excited for the fourth cookbook, I have the other three. May God bless you and your sweet family. Bake on and be happy!
Idea proposals for your cookbook. Sally’s cupcake addiction,cake,quick bread/loaf cake addiction,Sally’s muffin addiction,sally’s healthy treats addiction,Sally’s savory addiction,Sally’s bread addiction,Sally’s fruit addiction, Sally’s bar addiction,Sally’s chocolate addiction,Sally’s peanut butter addiction, Sally’s caramel addiction and Sally’s pumpkin addiction. I am so excited if can’t already tell to see your new cookbook.
It’s so nice to hear (or read, actually) from you, Sally! Wishing you and your family wellness!
Loved reading this today. So excited for the new cookbook I cant wait to see it. Hope it will be available in Australia. Whenever I make one of your recipes and take it in to work I always get the comments, that was delicious is it a Sally recipe. ps loving your Sugared Lemon Bars and the lemon poppy seed bread at the moment.
Add me to the list of folks happy to hear your updates, Sally! The heart you infuse into your baking makes your recipes my favorites. It’s like I know you, and you’re in the kitchen with me! About those sprinkles that make a mess as you apply them to the side of the cake…I don’t know how to make some of them not fall off, but for a recipe I have that calls for nuts to be patted around the entire sides of the cake, I now set my frosted cake inside a large, shallow, plastic storage container and apply the nuts with cupped hands. (Any kind of large container or pan with sides would work.) The fall-out is collected in the container, so when I’m done and lift the cake out, I can easily gather the nuts that have fallen off and put them into a zip-top bag for use in another recipe. Hope that helps someone else.
Thanks for the great tip, Molly!
Like Trina said, this tip is so helpful!! Will definitely be trying it. Thanks for sharing and for all your kind words!
Hello sally
I wonder if writing books pays off well?i read about a crafter/sewist mentioning how much work goes into a book , how little the author gets paid .Is this true with cookbooks as well?if not all the best.(please do answer ,really curious to know about your experience.
Hi Maryam, it really depends on the popularity of the book and the publisher!
oh wow ,fascinating.Thanks for letting me know.
Whoop, whoop…so happy to click onto you site and see your Coffee Break post. I have missed your more frequent postings but hoped you were doing lots of fun family stuff and just taking some downtime after a very hectic and emotional year. It is hard to believe Elise is a year old…it seems like you just gave birth a few months ago. Having two little girls must bring so much joy and new surprises and gifts everyday.
And now…Simon. Oh my goodness…that face and those GS eyes/facial markings are to die for. We had three German Shepard’s at various times in my childhood and they are so smart and love their families unconditionally. I am thrilled Franklin has a new buddy. I always feel for any dog left behind after a companion passes.
I look forward to the website update and new and or update content. You are my go to site first whenever I am looking to make something yummy and a guaranteed success.
So happy to hear from you Sally! Glad that the babes are doing well and getting so big!
I’m very excited to see your website redesign and the new cookbook!
Thanks for delicious recipes as always. Enjoy all the family time !
I noticed you had been a little m.i.a. on instagram and was thinking, “oh no, where’s Sally?!” So happy to hear it’s all good things! Can’t wait to see the the new website AND a 4th cookbook. I always enjoy these coffee break posts
YAY!! I was so happy to see a coffee break post this morning, I have missed them so much! While of course SBA is about baking, I truly feel that your personal touch and stories have always been what makes yours stand out from the rest. So happy to hear that you and your family are doing well, even after a difficult year, and that you have had some time to focus on work/life balance! Congratulations on the upcoming 4th book – I could not be more excited for you, and cannot wait to follow along as you go through the process of writing it! All the best!
Great read! You’re a busy mom and baker and I enjoy all your posts. Looking forward to all your great adventures coming soon!
Life certainly is wild with two little ones, so while you’ve been busy and the site has been more quiet, I’ve also had a lot less time to peruse and definitely NO time to bake! Your fans are always here for you, whether you are busy or we are busy, we LOVE you and your site is always a special place to return to!
I have always loved these posts, before they were coffee breaks and maybe called bites of real life? You were one of the first blogs I started to read so I’m here for ALL the posts, baking or otherwise. Recipe testing ones were always great too. Congrats on the newest addition, sounds like you guys have your hands full over there, two girls and two male dogs. A nice balance of four kids! LOL
So so sooooo glad to hear from you! Glad everyone is good! I’m soooo excited about a new cookbook!!!!!
It was so wonderful to see a coffee break post on my feed this morning; there will always be room for these posts, they’re truly wonderful to read! I’m glad to hear things are going well behind the scenes! A 4th cookbook is super exciting and I can’t wait to hear more about it as more info becomes available.
It was awesome to read this Coffee Break! Life does get crazy! I remember when your 3 year old was born and now she’s the big sister and the little one is already moving around! Time really flies. So excited to hear you adopted another pup. Franklin needed a side kick. The most exciting was your mention if cookbook #4! Whoo hoo! Cannot wait! Your recipes make me a celebrity baker in my family! Thanks for creating and sharing such amazing recipes
It is great to read your update on your growing family and their adventures. I have been wanting to ask if you have considered having an app flor Sally’s baking addiction? It would be easy to catch up on updates without searching through email for your messages. I don’t know if it is complicated to do and will still follow where ever your posts are! enjoy the summer!
I can’t wait for your new cookbook! My many grandchildren have loved every recipe of yours I’ve made.
Also welcome back.
Welcome back Sally!!!! I’ve missed your posts oh so much. Although I completely understand that life has priorities and you and your family come first and foremost! So happy that you have Simon!! What a happy addition to the family! Looking forward to the new website and cookbook #4 also:-). How exciting
Like I said, it is so nice to have your personal post back. You’re a friend that we like to keep in contact with and when you write it’s like you’re sitting right her having coffee with us. . Sending you much love, support and happiness❤️
I was thrilled to see a coffee break post today! It had been far too long. In fact, you made my morning. Would have loved to see an updated picture of sweet Elise and Noelle but I’m content with an update 🙂 Simon is very cute and I’m so glad to hear he’s helped Franklin with his sadness from losing Jude! I was heartbroken to read about that. Sounds like you certainly have your hands full. Thanks for the updates. Take care, all of you.
I so look forward to your mails. Your sharing makes me feel like we are old friends. You sure have your hands full right now. Your new “puppy” is a charmer. We each lost pets about the same time. I said no more but it was so empty without him. I adopted an 8-year-old Chihuahua and he is running the place. Don’t stop your personal notes. We look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy the kids! Time goes by too fast.
I noticed that you put sprinkles on the sides of your cake as well as on the top. I like to do that too but find that it makes a mess and sprinkles end up everywhere. Is there a trick to applying the sprinkles to the sides of the cake?
Hi Mary-Jane, I wish I had some simple directions for this but I always end up– literally– tossing them onto the sides of the cake in hopes they will stick or I put a handful of sprinkles in my hands and cup it around the cake. Half of them always fall off. It makes a big mess. Again, wish I knew an easier way. I’m sure someone has a trick!
I was so happy to get your email update – I have missed you! I am also excited to hear that there may be a fourth cookbook. I have your other three and love them!
Enjoy your sweet family and puppies.
I’ve been baking all my life because my mom was a fantastic baker. Though she no longer bakes, (she will be 105 soon) she still enjoys eating freshly baked goods from scratch! At the beginning of the pandemic I began baking Artesian Bread & Flatbread Pizzas thanks to you! ♡ My latest obsession is your Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re LOVED by all who taste them. I wanted to say how much I’ve enjoyed your recipes and the sharing of your family. I’ve prayed for you in your times of sorrow & joys. I love your website and am grateful for for finding you. You’re so real and so special. God bless you and your family.