Twofer Challenge #38

It's the 10th of the month, and you know what that means, right?! Yep, time for another Twofer Challenge! Can I just say that I really enjoy putting my brain to work and stretching my stamps and dies?! And we've got another great prompt, too. You're going to love this!

CAKE!!!! If you're anything like me, you've got more than one cake stamp. I will admit that I have several...just because I can't resist ordering them. Or leaf stamps. Or sentiment stamps. Or bunny stamps. Or sooo many other kinds. I won't even get into the number of "happy birthday" stamps and dies I have, lol!! But we like what we like, and some people (me), will keep buying those stamps (me again) and dies (also me) that make our eyes and our hearts happy. And I know that you know that we're all the same in this, hahaha! Anyhoo, let's talk about the Twofer Challenge a bit.

Sometimes the ideas come flooding in, and I can make 3 or 4 cards with the same set/different designs. Sometimes, it's more of a struggle, but it's okay, I just dust off those rarely used brain cells and somehow manage to figure it out! Here's what I came up with for this month's prompt:

And individually:

The stamp I used on both cards is from Avery Elle, and it's called Cake For All. Very appropriate! The first card is a thank you card, in which I sent a Starbucks gift card, hence the EH "magic inside" sentiment. The little bunny is from Hello Bluebird. I did a little yellow blending behind the focal point then stamped the cake, colored it black with Copics, and cut off the base. Stamped and added some color to the bunny, and just like magic, a card appeared! (I am so funny...well, ok, maybe not...) For the birthday card, I went pretty traditional, adding a Verve sentiment, a scrap of stripes, and a teensy strip of black for emphasis. The cake was colored with Copics, and I used some star sequins for the candles. 

Now it's your turn. Head on over to The Twofer Challenge blog and check out the inspiration from our DT and GD! Then, break out those cake/cupcake stamps and create away! I can't wait to see you in the gallery! 

P. S. As an added bonus, I'm adding a favorite CAKE recipe to this post. It seems wonderfully appropriate for this month's prompt! For those of you who have followed my blog for a while, you know that I'm mostly a pie baker. The grandkids adore them, and I've been told that my fresh cherry pie is the best there ever was (by a person who's not even a family member, to boot!!). But every now and then, I like to make cakes. From scratch. Here's one of my favorites, and I hope you give this one a try! 

Cherry Almond Pound Cake

2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup ground almonds

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups butter

6 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup maraschino cherries, rinsed, drained well, and quartered

Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan. I can't recommend a non-stick spray... Do not, whatever you do, preheat the oven. 

In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, and mix thoroughly after each one. Add in almond extract.

Save out 2 Tablespoons of the all-purpose flour. Toss with cherries, set aside till last.

In a mediumish bowl, mix flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt.

Add the milk and flour mixture alternately. Mix until smooth. Fold the floured cherries into batter. Pour batter into pan. Tap the pan on your counter a bit to release the air bubbles. Set the pan on a cookie sheet and place into the cold oven. Turn oven to 350, and bake from 60-90 minutes, depending on your oven. Toothpick test to test for doneness.

I've also made a glaze with some of the maraschino cherry juice, a dash of almond extract, and powered sugar and just drizzled it over the top. This is a rich and moist cake. A big hit with our family.

There! Cards and cake. A perfect way to start the day! And as always...