Freezing Cakes 101

Did you know that you can easily bake a cake, freeze it, and then defrost it right before you need it? Yes, you can! And it will taste great; no one will even be able to tell the difference.

This is life-saving knowledge that I wish I had known years ago. The weekend of my babe's birthday was a super busy one for me, so I made his cake on a Thursday and defrosted it on Sunday morning so that I could frost it that evening. It turned out so great and it was incredibly moist. We couldn't taste the difference whatsoever. You guys really need to try this trick!

In addition to cakes, you can also freeze muffins, breads, and more the very same way. Making 100 cupcakes for a school or community function will never be easier!


Here's how to do it:


The first step, obviously, is to bake the cake. Then, let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Wrap the cake completely in saran wrap (or any plastic wrap). I wrap my cakes twice, just in case.

Next, wrap the cake in foil.

 

Finally, lay the cake flat in the freezer. I lay mine on a plate for support, at least until it freezes.

 

When you need the cake, just take it out of the freezer. Leave the plastic wrap and foil on the cake and let it come to room temperature on the counter. It will be defrosted in no time at all- about an hour or so.

 

Although I have heard some people say that you can freeze cakes for up to 3 months, I wouldn't personally leave a cake in the freezer for more than a month. I also wouldn't ice it prior to freezing it. Many icings freeze just fine, but there's always a chance that it will sweat and look sloppy as it defrosts.

 

 

Happy Baking!

 

Banana Muffin Tops

Hello, hello. I hope you are all having a great day. I'm sharing another yummy muffin top recipe today. I've used the pan twice now and I absolutely love it. It was the best $6 I've ever spent!

I love banana bread and I love banana muffins- naturally, it made sense that I would make banana muffin tops. These muffin tops are perfect for breakfast or a snack and they freeze well, which makes breakfast so quick and easy! I think this recipe would be a life savor for getting adjusted to the back-to-school routine with kids.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 bananas, mashed
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375*F and spray your muffin top pan with cooking spray (mine really doesn't need to be sprayed- it's that awesome).

In a small bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until well combined.

Divide the batter among the cavities (do not overfill- 1/2 - 3/4 full is perfect).

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8/26: One Beautiful Thing Monday

Today was also the first day back to school for our local kiddos. That is possibly the most beautiful thing that could have happened. For me, the first day of school translated into: no wild children running around and screaming in the gymnasium, which is located next to my office. ThankyouLord.

It was a peaceful day without having to repeatedly tell children that:

1) No, you cannot skateboard on the deck of the rec. center. And pointing to the skate park on the other side of the parking lot.

2) Even though it is warm, you must wear a shirt while in a county building. And that means no bikinis, too.

3) No, it is not appropriate to dial 9-1-1 from our office phones and it is especially not appropriate to not answer the phone when the emergency operator calls back to see what your emergency is.

The school year is the best invention ever. However, it should be 12 months instead of 10.





The real One Beautiful Thing of the week was the amazing Blue Moon I witnessed on Wednesday evening. I wanted to slap myself for not having a camera on hand. It was huge! And gorgeous! Babe and I decided to head North for the evening and had a coffee date, went shopping, and had dinner. We were amazed by the moon that evening.

It was like this, but even more beautiful.

Source



Did you see anything beautiful last week?
If so, share in the comment box below :)

Tales of a Fitness Instructor

I want to begin by saying that I love my job as a fitness instructor and wouldn't trade it for the world. I get to make a difference in the lives of others and they certainly impact my life as well. I've been teaching classes since spring of 2011 and since then, I have definitely witnessed some interesting moments in class. I thought it would be a fun post to share just a few of those moments with you all today.



Questionable Attire

I remember my first month of teaching Zumba. I had a woman come to my class in a bikini. Yes, I live at the beach, but coming to a gym to take a Zumba class, where you will be jumping and shaking your booty, in a bikini is kind of inappropriate, especially if you don't have a rockin' bikini body. I met with my supervisor quickly before class and asked about the woman's choice of attire (as they have a dress code of no swimwear), but she said that the woman could take the class anyway. This woman literally held onto her boobs for the entire class. They were bouncing everywhere- because she was wearing a BIKINI- and her bottom kept riding up her um, bottom. I don't think I will ever forget that day. I'm scarred for life.



Awkward...

Living on an island also means that I see some of the same people each year, year after year, when they come visit while they are on vacation. One particular woman and her daughter came up to me after class a few years ago. They said they enjoyed the class, except for the fact that I smiled too much. She said that it just seemed so strange and unnatural for a person to smile so much and she asked me why I smiled so much. What? Who does this? I don't even remember what my response was, but I think it was something like, "would you rather I frown at you?" She came back the following year to take Zumba again and greeted me with, "hey, you're the lady that smiles a lot!" Sigh...



Statue Lady

I was teaching a circuit training class a few months ago and I told the class to choose any type of cardio for the particular 45-second interval we were doing. I gave several examples and said when to begin. Everyone was moving; there were a lot of jumping jacks, a few people ran in place, a handful did the skater and ski jumps, and one woman, in the very center of the room, crossed her arms and stood still. At that moment, it was so funny to see her just stand there! Everyone in the class was moving except for this woman. I remember shouting something like "do something!" and she continued to stand there, laughing.



Strange

This final story is the strangest. About a month ago, a woman came to my Zumba class and I had a very hard time keeping a straight face. She came to class late, I think we were in the third or fourth song, so she jumped right in and participated with the rest of us. At first, I thought she was mocking us. Her movements were super large and very exaggerated. And when I say large, they were ginormous. Some of her movements were nothing at all like what we were doing. We would be doing a grapevine to the left and she would be spinning to the right and doing squats. It was just strange. As the class progressed, I could tell that she was sincerely trying to do well- she was working up a sweat and was watching me the entire time. However, it's like she started moving before she could see what I would do next, or before I could give verbal/visual cues. About three songs before the class was over, she collected her belongings and left the class. It was so strange. It wasn't exactly funny, because I'm not the type of instructor who pokes fun of students. It was just very strange.




Ok- now it's your turn! I want to hear your funniest, strangest, or weirdest fitness story! It can be about your instructor, that guy in the weight room, the lady who let out a fart on the treadmill (hasn't everyone witnessed this?), or anything really.