VANILLA BEAN CAKE

CAKE

5 EGG WHITES (ROOM TEMPERATURE) 

1 WHOLE EGG (ROOM TEMPERATURE)

1 CUP WHOLE MILK (ROOM TEMPERATURE) 

2 1/4 TEASPOONS OF PURE VANILLA EXTRACT 

3 CUPS OF CAKE FLOUR, SIFTED 

2 CUPS OF WHITE SUGAR 

1 TABLESPOON + 1 TEASPOON OF BAKING POWDER 

3/4 TEASPOON OF SALT 

12 TABLESPOONS OF BUTTER, COLD AND CUT INTO 24 PIECES 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare to round baking pans with butter and flour. 

In a bowl combine egg whites, whole egg, 1/4 cup of milk, and vanilla. 

In another bowl combine all dry ingredients and mix together with a mixer. Add the butter cubes a little at a time until flour becomes a crumb mix. Slowly add milk using the mixer until slightly moistened. Add egg mixture in 3 separate batches, using mixer to mix well. 

Divide batter between the two cake pans into even layers. Bake 20 minutes, then test with a knife and if it comes out clean pull out of oven to let cool. If the knife does not come out clean, bake another 10 minutes then check again. Once cakes are done, let cool 20 minutes, then place in the freezer for another 15 minutes. 

Add vanilla bean frosting between the two layers on a cake stand (using the frosting recipe below). Add a layer on top of cake and around the sides to create a crumb layer. Set in freezer for 20 minutes. Remove from freezer and frost cake with remaining frosting. Serve & enjoy! 

FROSTING 

3 STICKS + 2 TABLESPOON BUTTER, SOFTENED 

3 CUPS OF POWDERED SUGAR, SIFTED 

3 TABLESPOONS OF MILK 

1 VANILLA BEAN, SCRAPED 

1 TEASPOON OF PURE VANILLA EXTRACT 

PINCH OF SALT 

Beat the butter until creamy and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and use a mixer to combine well. Place in the fridge until cakes are done baking.

{Recipe found on Sweetapolita} 

IPHONE//APRIL

MET A NEW PHOTOGRAPHER FRIEND//MOLLY 

SECOND SHOOT MY FIRST TIME 
SPRING PHOTO SHOOTS 
CHOCOLATE CAKE 
TEDDY GOT CONED :( 
BLUE BELL ICE CREAM 
NEW BLACK FLATS
BREAKING IN NEW BLACK FLATS  
GRILLING OUT 
NEW SHAMPOO 

OUR WEDDING//DO'S & DON'TS

Joel and I have been married for almost 2 years now, and I've had a lot of time to think about what I loved and didn't love about our wedding. Over all, I give our wedding a HUGE thumbs up. It was all I could have asked for, and I loved every bit of it. There are however, little details I would have changed or altered to fit our needs a bit more. Over the years I've thought of little things I would have done differently, and after seeing Katie Nesbitt's post on Confession of a former Bride, I was inspired to jot down my thoughts as well. Katie's post is definitely something worth reading. She is a lot bolder in her post than I am, especially the parts about the wedding party. Thank you for your words Katie! I can agree with a few of those points, although I'll never admit which ones! This post SHOULD be on my Kaytee Lauren Weddings blog, but since I have completely gone a different way than planning weddings, I have basically shut that blog down, but I can't let go enough to close it! The following points are just a few things I loved about our wedding day, and a few things I might have changed a bit. 

THINGS I LOVED

PHOTOGRAPHY: When I was planning my wedding, photography was the number one thing for me. I was really picky about who I wanted as my wedding photographer. I was so blessed to land my DREAM photographer. Seriously, I could not have asked for better wedding photos. I am so thankful that we were picky about who to hire and went with someone we truly loved. I am so in love with my photos. 

DAY OF COORDINATOR: Since I studied wedding planning and worked on a few weddings myself, I realized the importance of a wedding planner. As the bride, I could not possibly control everything on the wedding day, so I hired a day of coordinator to keep everything on schedule. I'm actually not sure what I would have done without her, the wedding might have possibly been a disaster. Everything ran smoothly and on time, thanks to my coordinator! 

NO KIDS: We didn't have any kids at our wedding (except two). We asked guest to please not bring their kids because we really wanted the relaxed and calm feel of just having adults. Totally worth it. When I say we asked for no kids to be there except two, I was a nanny at the time and wanted my nanny kids to be there. Hey, it's my wedding, I do what I want! 

LIVE BAND: Joel and I wanted a rustic country feel, so we hired a live folk band to do the ceremony music and music for the first half of the reception. The live music really brought life to the wedding! Even just someone with an acoustic guitar would probably have made a difference. I am so thankful we made this decision, the band did awesome and everyone loved them. A few people even bought a copy of their CD from them for about 5 bucks, a great "gift" for guest! 

DJ: After the live music, Joel and I wanted to have a dance party. We wanted a long reception with a TON of dancing. We picked out our favorite songs, and we hired a friend who had DJ experience to run the table. He did a truly awesome job. A computer with a playlist just wouldn't have had the same vibe! 

VIDEOGRAPHER: Hiring someone to take a video of the wedding was a great choice. Even hiring a friend to take a video is worth it! Pictures and videos are the only thing you have left after the wedding besides your memory to remember your day. It's worth it! 

WROTE OUR OWN VOWS: As much of a traditional person as I am, I would have been fine with the traditional vows, but writing our own just fit our wedding so much better! Everything about our wedding was as handmade as possible, so writing our vows made even the ceremony that much more personal. 

INVOLVE THE PARENTS: Your parents are just as happy on your wedding day as your are (in most cases), and involving our mothers was a sweet thing. Instead of giving them the usual flower for their wrist, we made each of them a personal bouquet to carry down the isle, even my grandma got one! In addition to the bouquet, we asked both of our mothers to read their favorite scripture during the ceremony, and tell us why they wanted to read it to us. That was a super personal thing for us, after all, they've been married and around a lot longer than we have! 

ASKING MY BROTHER TO WALK ME DOWN THE ISLE: Right before Joel and I started dating, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. A month after we got engaged, my dad passed away, 6 months before the wedding. Although completely devastating, it wasn't completely unexpected, and I had some time to think about what I would do if my dad didn't make it to the wedding. I decided to ask my brother to walk me down the isle. It's not uncommon for the bride to walk herself down the isle, but asking my brother was such a special thing! Other than my husband, my brother is the only other close family I have (besides Joel's family of course!) 

FANCY GET-A-WAY CAR: It's not always in the budget to rent a fancy car to leave the reception in, but Joel and I were lucky enough to have parents who had an awesome car on hand. Joel's parents drove away from their wedding in the same model, so we thought it would be extra special to do the same like a tradition. This little detail added something really special to our reception. 

HANDMADE DRESS: I knew right away I would not find what I wanted in a bridal shop. I had my dress handmade, and it was perfect. I am in love with it. I know getting your dress handmade is perfect for everyone, but getting your PERFECT dress alone is what makes the dress so special. My advice would be to wait until you find THE dress, I believe every bride has one! 

WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY 

INVITED MORE PEOPLE: Yes, I said more. We had a long list, and only wanted to keep our wedding at 150, but looking back, I wish I had kept some of the people on there that I took off from the original list. You only have one wedding day (hopefully) and you want everyone you love, friends and family, right there to celebrate with you! 

WEDDING PARTY: Joel and I love our friends, but looking back, there were a few people we didn't have in our wedding party that truly mean a lot to us, and we regret not having them there standing with us. Although we did already have 7 on each side! 

B & G PORTRAITS: I would have left more time for portraits of Joel and I alone. Those are some of the most special moments and we don't really have a lot of them with just the two of us. 

NO FIRST LOOK: I know doing a first look is all the rage right now, but I would take it back. I regret not having that moment when I walk down the isle and Joel sees me for the first time. On the flip side, my photographer was able to get some AMAZING wedding party portraits, so it helped her out! 

BRIDALS: I didn't do bridal portraits, I didn't think I needed them. Looking back, I see the importance of them. On the wedding day, there is a lot of chaos and crunch time. There isn't a whole lot of time for portraits of just you in your wedding dress, unless you leave significant amounts of time. Taking portraits after the wedding would kind of be lacking the same vibe, but taking portraits before in your gown is all part of the wedding experience leading up to the big day! 

BEAUTIFUL LADIES//

What I have been up to lately: photographing beautiful ladies like these. Meet Evie & Betsy. Evie & Betsy are best friends who run their own event planning business. They asked me to do head shots for the business, how lucky am I?! They're so beautiful and talented. Thank you Evie & Betsy for blessing me with the opportunity to photograph you and help your business grow!

CHOCOLATE CAKE//

About a month ago, I got a craving to make a chocolate cake. After searching for all types of recipes, I came up with this one by Barefoot Contessa and thought I'd give it a try. Then I found this version by The Vanilla Bean Blog, and liked that one better, so I used that one. However, the recipe is still by Contessa. It requires a little coffee in the batter, so I was a little turned off not being a coffee drinker myself and not knowing how to make it, but I had my grandma do that part! She is an expert coffee drinker. My cousin mentioned warming the cake just a little for before eating, delicious! This will forever be my chocolate cake recipe. Thank you Contessa. 

CAKE 

1 3/4 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR 

2 CUPS OF WHITE SUGAR 

1/4 CUP OF DUTCH-PROCESSED COCOA POWDER 

1/2 CUP OF UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER 

2 TEASPOONS OF BAKING SODA 

1 TEASPOON OF BAKING POWDER 

1 TEASPOON OF SALT 

1 CUP OF BUTTERMILK 

1/2 CUP OF VEGETABLE OIL 

2 ORGANIC EGGS 

1 TEASPOON OF VANILLA EXTRACT 

1 CUP OF FRESHLY BREWED COFFEE 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Using round cake pans, cover the bottom of each pan with butter, then toss with flour until flour covers the butter. Line each with parchment paper to fit the bottoms and set aside. In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa powders, baking soda, and baking powder. Add salt and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed. 

In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly beat dry mixture into liquid mixture, adding a little at a time. Once completely combined, slowly and carefully add the brewed coffee. Continue to mix on low with the mixer. Turn mixer off and scrap down sides with a spatula. 

Pour cake batter evenly into each pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Once done, carefully remove cakes from oven and set aside to cool for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, using hot pads to set them on, place them in the freezer for another 30 minutes while making your frosting. 

FROSTING 

6 OZ OF SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS 

2 STICKS OF BUTTER, SOFTENED 

1 EGG YOLF, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE 

1 TEASPOON OF VANILLA EXTRACT 

1 1/4 CUP OF POWDERED SUGAR

In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Beat another minute on a low speed. Slowly add in powdered sugar a little at a time. Scrap down bowl for excess sugar. Chop chocolate chips into chocolate shreds to help when melting down. In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate for 10 seconds, take out carefully and stir, then place back into microwave for another 10 seconds. Repeat the stirring process and continue stirring until completely melted. Might need to set back into microwave one more time for another 10 seconds. Stir melted chocolate until no more white batter is showing. Taste test to make sure it taste good! 

Pull your cake out from the freezer and remove from pans carefully. Tip: spread plastic wrap over top of the pans and seal around the edges, then turn cake upside on a flat surface and beat the bottom of pan. Cake should come out clean. Place one layer of the cake onto a cake plate and spread a large amount of frosting in the middle. Using a large spatula, spread icing over the cake layer leaving room on the edges. Place the second cake layer on top and spoon another large amount of frosting in the middle on top of second cake layer. Spread frosting thinly and evenly over cake including sides. Place the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes to create a crumb layer. After 30 minutes, remove cake from freezer. Spread a second layer of icing using the same method, being a little less messy this time, until cake is completely coated with second layer of frosting. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Once ready to serve, set out for 30 minutes. For best results, microwave individuals slices for just 20 seconds in the microwave to warm and serve with vanilla bean ice cream! Yum! 

HAPPERLY EVER AFTER//

FIND ME ON HAPPERLY EVER AFTER TODAY! 

IPHONE// MARCH

PAINT JOBS 

DOG BAKERY 
HOLGA FILM 
COUSIN DINNERS
EXPERIMENT COOKING WITH BEER  

WALKS WITH TEDDY 

TACOS

DATES WITH FRIENDS 

BIRTHDAYS 

CUPCAKES 

GELATI CELESTI 

DONUTS! 

NEW LENS 

HOT CHOCOLATE 

JASMINE STAR WORKSHOPS! 

STYLE FEATURES 

NEW KICKS 

JAZZ NIGHT 
GAMES WITH FRIENDS
SNOW
OFFICE MAKEOVER 
NEW IPHONE 
BUSINESS LICENSE 

FRENCH TOAST ON FRENCH BREAD 

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES 

GOURMET CHOCOLATES