On May 19 2009, I wrote my first blog post . Today marks my 500th! I never set out to write a blog. It happened accidentally. I joined an online group who were baking their way through Peter Reinhart’s tome, “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice”. I was hoping to increase my bread baking skills beyond the simple challah I baked each Friday.
The premise of the group was that we would work our way through the book, alphabetically, from Anadama Bread to Whole Wheat , one loaf each week, for 43 weeks. Group members would share their experiences in a Google group. I noticed that some members were chronicling their journey via blogging. It seemed like a cool idea, so I stayed up all night and figured out, with the help of wordpress.com, how to do it.
Here is a shot from that first post. My bread turned out perfectly, but clearly my photography skills needed work.
There were 212 of us, from all over the world, who started the challenge together. Only 12 of us actually finished! I loved the whole process! At heart, I think I am a born storyteller, so blogging really spoke to my soul. I love to create, so baking, taking photos of the process and telling stories about it really fed my creative needs.
After I finished my final loaf, I just kept on blogging. Along the way, I bought a better camera, took some online classes in food writing, and photography and attended several workshops on food styling and photography. One of the best investments I ever made was purchasing this online course from Rachel Korinek, of Two Loves Studio. She is an amazing teacher and extremely generous with her time. I have also been inspired by the effervescent Bea Lubas. Her ability to tell stories is unparalleled.
Another outstanding teacher is Joanie Simon of The Bite Shop. Her youtube videos on food photography, released every Thursday, are the highlight of my week. I have learned so many tips and techniques from her. All of these mentors have helped me along my journey, but the most important tip I have learned is practice and perseverance. Nothing replaces these.
With 500 blog posts under my belt, I am excited to see where the next 500 take me. I have a loyal group of followers who encourage me by leaving me questions and comments. Thanks from the bottom of my heart. It’s so nice to know someone is out there reading what I’m writing!
I am so grateful for the community of food bloggers and photographers. For the most part, they are people who are generous of spirit. I adore the trait of generosity. My fellow food bloggers and photographers share knowledge and offer gentle and constructive criticism as well as heaps of praise. I feel like I have found my tribe.
To celebrate this milestone I decided that a special cake was in order. This cake is quite spectacular. It starts with three layers of moist apple spice cake. Each layer is covered in silky cinnamon Swiss meringue buttercream. To finish this gorgeous cake, I added a drizzle of apple cider caramel.
The cake batter is crammed full of diced apples. I used three huge Honeycrisp for mine. When you mix the batter together you will think you made a mistake because it is so thick. It basically looks like bits of diced apples, barely held together by batter. Don’t worry. As the cake bakes, the apples release their moisture and your cake will be perfect.
This cake recipe is barely adapted from John’s recipe on The Preppy Kitchen. His knowledge of cake baking is mind-boggling. He taught me about cake strips. They help prevent domed and cracked tops and over-cooked edges.
I went with a silky Swiss meringue buttercream, accented with cinnamon. While admittedly a bit more work than a simple American buttercream, I just adore the light and velvety texture of a Swiss meringue buttercream. If you are curious, here is everything you ever wanted to know about buttercream from the über-talented Stella Parks.
For the shiny caramel drizzle recipe, I went straight to Tessa Huff’s gorgeous book, Layered, for inspiration. In a traditional caramel sauce, you use water and white sugar. Tessa suggests reduced apple cider and brown sugar instead. The tang of apple cider is perfectly balanced by the toasty notes of brown sugar in the cooked caramel. It really helps to offset the sweetness of the buttercream.
I added a little surprise of crunch between each layer with a ginger-pecan crumble, because texture is important in everything.
Truthfully, we didn’t drink the Prosecco (in the first photo of this post) with this cake. My first slice I had with some ice cold milk, and the second (and third, if we’re being honest), I had with tea. My fourth slice I just ate standing in front of the fridge. I ended up making this cake three times, before I got it exactly where I wanted it, so we had lots of cake. Even the mistakes were delicious. The first cake was served at our Rosh Hashanah dinner, with a birthday candle for my cousin Barbara. The second and third cakes were sliced, photographed and then wrapped and sent off to my husband’s office, where most of my baked goods go to have a happy ending.
Click here to print recipe for Apple-Cinnamon Crunch Cake with Caramel Drizzle.
Congratulations Cindy on your 500th blog.
I really enjoy reading them and trying recipes.
I look forward every week to receive my email with the new recipe !!
Xoxo
Thanks Brigitte. You are one of my favourite fans. You cook and bake everything I blog about!!
Congratulations!! That cake looks amazing! It’s hard to believe the BBA challenge was that long ago. It took me a lot longer than I thought it would, but I managed to finish, too. Whew! Fell off the blogging wagon something fierce, but so glad you continued and flourished. Your blog is gorgeous! Here’s to 500 more post! *clinks pieces of cake* 🙂
Thanks so much Kelly. So sweet of you to take the time to send a note. Are you still baking bread??
Thanks Cindy for creating this lovely blog – I enjoy your writing style and you inspire me with your creativity and your mad cooking skills! I continue to be very jealous of the recipients of all your efforts. Your husband is SO lucky. Congratulations on your 500th post. Keep it coming!
Thanks Victoria. You always leave me the nicest comments!
Hi CIndy, my sister Karen’s cafe, Good Eats, will open in its new location tomorrow (473 Albert St near Bay and Bronson)). The cafe gallery’s first exhibitor is David Becker, photographer. We have artists lined up for each month until next July I think. If you go in there, you could take a look at the space as I am still hoping you would put up a food photography exhibit of your own there! You are the best! I’m sure you could sell your work – or would doing a fundraising for your favorite charity temp you to decide to exhibit? OK, other fans of Cindy and Salt and Serenity, what do you think of this idea??
Michelle, I am certainly going to go by Good Eats and check it out. I will take a look at the exhibit. Looking forward to seeing it. Thanks for your confidence in my photos. Not sure if I’m ready for this next step, but I’ll keep it in mind. I always appreciate your insightful comments!
Congratulations, Cindy, on your successful blogging journey! 500 post/recipes is A LOT of work! Many people don’t realize quite how much goes into food blogging. There’s the food, the photography ( plus styling and video), and the writing. You are a pro at all of them. I learn something from each and every one of your recipes, many of which have become favorites at my house! Watching your photography journey has motivated me to seek mentors to hopefully improve my own photography. I’ve loved watching you find your photography “style” and am in awe of the results. And the writing……Thank you for sharing your thoughts, your insights , and your family. 🙂 As I read your posts, I am often amazed at the commonalities in our lives, but I am always awed by the talent, love and grace with which you navigate life and family.
Thanks Wendy. I think that after my mom, you are my biggest booster! Your comments always make me smile and feel so good about myself. I’m so grateful that somehow, in this huge blogosphere, we managed to connect. I always look forward to your thoughtful comments!
Hi Cindy,
I completely remember your bread baking escapade and was thoroughly enthralled. I have over 100 of your recipes printed and there are many favourites including the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie! You inspire and entertain me each week. Another favourite was your ‘Eating Through Umbria’ for obvious reasons. Congratulations and can’t wait to see the next 500!
Linda M
Thanks Linda, I so appreciate all the lovely comments you have sent me over the years. I especially love it when you send me pictures of things from my blog that you and the kids have made.
I love your blog and look forward to it. This cake looks amazing. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Thanks Betsy. I really appreciate hearing that you look forward to my blog posts. Always nice to know there is someone out there reading what I write. Happy New Year to you and your family too!
Congratulations Cindy! It’s obvious that you’ve found your passion and you’re so good at all of it! I love the recipes, the stories, the photos and most of all the samples I’ve had the pleasure of sharing. Watching you assemble your photo shoots is inspiring. You are a true artist. I agree with Michelle that you should have an exhibit of your best photos. I’m proud to call you my friend! Looking forward to at least 500 more!
Thanks Lynnie. You are one of my favourite people to cook with and for! You’re always up for anything I want to try.
Hi Cind! I am so proud of you! I so admire how you continue to learn and grow and perfect your craft. It is inspirational. I learned to chop standing by your side oh so long ago at the Beaverton cottage, and I continue to learn to be a better cook from your blog. Yours are the recipes I use the most! Looking forward to many more blogs, and lots more cooking and eating together. Xoxo
Thanks Sandy. Cooking together in Beaverton are some of my happiest memories too! You are a wonderful student- always curious and wanting to learn how and why!!
Congratulations on 500 posts! That’s quite an achievement. This cake is absolutely stunning!
Thanks so much Nickki. I blogged every week, whether I was feeling inspired or not. Consistency is key!