How to Host a Bake Group – Featuring Mini Cakes

A few years ago, one of my good friend’s got a cookbook for Christmas. She was excited to try all of the recipes, but quickly realized it would take her weeks to try all the ones she wanted to make. A brilliant idea was born. Create a bake group! Invite other friend’s who also enjoy baking and have them each make a recipe from the cookbook.

We have continued to meet together every few months to share our love for baking. Something almost magical has happened over the years, we have gotten really good at baking, and have grown closer together!

Hosting a bake group is easy and fun! You can do it too! Here’s what you do…

No. 1  Invite a small group of friends, who enjoy baking, to join your group. We have 6 members in our group { one was sick this month }. These members don’t need to be professional bakers! Just people who like to bake and would like to better that skill.

No. 2  Choose a theme for your group and pick a date for your party.  Our theme this month was mini cakes. Each person chose a mini cake to make and brought one for each guest to try. We have done tons of different themes. Some of our themes have been…

• A favorite cookbooks {I have shared some of my favorites below}. Each guest selects a recipe from the same cookbook.
• An ingredient, like apples or pumpkin
• A recipe from a foreign country
• Holidays
• Pies
• Tarts

Here are some of my favorite cookbooks

No. 3  Set a pretty table for your guests to enjoy all of the baked goods. Sitting around a beautiful table, makes the desserts taste even better. We take turns being the host of the group. Serve your guest a light lunch so they don’t go into a sugar comma! Also set up a separate area for your guests to display their desserts on. They have worked hard on them, let me show them off!

No. 4  Now for the best part! Eat the desserts, sharing any tips or useful info about your recipe. Would you make it again? Was it difficult? Where there special ingredients the other guests should know about?

No. 5  Before your guests leave, plan your next bake group! Time will pass you by and you will not get it scheduled! I speak from experience. Choose a date, a theme and a new host.

There you have it! You have started a bake group!

Let me share our bake group table and recipes from this month…

I chose a pink and gold color scheme, because pink and cake compliment each other so well! The table cloth is a pale pink linen table cloth. It reminds me of the most perfect shade of pink frosting. This table looks like I spent a lot of time preparing, but really it was simple, it’s all in the little details.

Three large candy dishes serve as vases for the simple white rose centerpieces. These were so simple to create! I just clipped the roses to about 3 inches long and placed them into the dish. No foam, no fuss.

Little details on the table like the teacups to serve the salad, pink votives holding a single rose for each guest, tiny candy dishes with fancy candies, votives with candles and crisp white napkins make the guests feel pampered.

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{Click on the numbers for the recipes}

This was my dessert. I found this recipe called, ” The Best Coconut Cake”. Boy was the name true to the recipe! It was light and airy, and delicious. I added a thin layer of lemon curd between the cake layers, because the coconut lemon cake that the Nordstrom’s Cafe sells  is my favorite and I wanted to recreate it!

You guys, seriously all of these recipes are worth trying! We always say, “this bake group was the best one yet!” This one, really was the best one yet! The cakes all tasted as good as they looked. I have some crazy talented friends, whom I love sharing this hobby with.  I want you to have this much fun too!!! Go and start your own little Baking Group where you live and make something amazing, and then tell me all about it!

Shop this table

Shop Cake Stands

Happy Baking!!!!

xo

You can visit my room sources page for all of my dining room sources.

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