We’re taking a moment to reflect back on the best of 2017.
Plus we want to hear from YOU as we plan for 2018!
Happy New Year! I can hardly believe what I’m about to type… but 2018 is here! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to kick off another new year. Personally I like to start each year with a little reflection and some goal setting. Even though it sounds cliché, this is something I’ve been doing for more than 15 years now so it seems very natural to me, but I completely get that some of you would rather have a root canal than to set goals (no offense to our dentist friends). I think the start of each new year is a great time to refocus on what matters to you most – health, relationships with family and friends, career, work-life balance, faith, finances – whatever that may be! Is goal setting something you do? I really love this goal setting series for anyone who’s interested but not sure where to start.
While I’m anxious to see everything that 2018 has in store, I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to last year. I’ve pulled the stats from our 1100+ posts to find the ones you loved the most in 2017. Based on your page views and social shares…. we’re taking a look back at the most popular posts from the last year, starting at Number 10 and counting our way down to the most popular post at the Number 1 spot. It’s apparent that you all were digging fresh flavors as our fruit based recipes were a clear winner this year. Plus chocolate – who can resist chocolate? Or adorable donut cakes? Let’s take a look…
Number 10: Blackberry Lime Cake by Carrie Sellman. Tender cake infused with lime zest, frosted with blackberry buttercream, topped with fresh blackberries and edible flowers. This recipe was a bright spot after a dreary winter and kept on chugging through the summer.
Number 9: Lemon Lavender Cupcakes by Lindsay Conchar. Easy lemon cupcakes with lavender buttercream frosting, topped with lavender flowers and fresh lemon slices. Another fresh and bright recipe full of spring vibes!
Number 8: Baking Temperature Comparison by Summer Stone. A side-by-side comparison of different baking temperatures, highlighting why an accurate oven temperature actually matters!
Number 7: Baked Apple Donuts by Carrie Sellman. An older post that is an annual favorite each fall. A recipe for homemade apple donuts, packed with fresh apple and apple sauce. Coated with a crunchy cinnamon sugar. Baked and perfectly delicious!
Number 6: Chocolate Flower Cake by Erin Gardner. How to make a giant chocolate flower cake, using candy melts and everyday tools. SO many of you have given this technique a try!
Number 5: Chocolate Truffle Cake by Olivia Bogacki. A chocolate layer cake recipe with dense, moist chocolate cake, silky chocolate truffle frosting and chocolate flakes. If you haven’t tried this one yet, it’s a great fit for Valentine’s Day!
Number 4: Drippy Ganache Cake by Erin Gardner. How to make a drippy chocolate cake, with perfect drizzles of ganache, purposefully placed candy pieces and shards of chocolate. This over the top cake trend is still going strong.
Number 3: Mini Easter Egg Cakes by Cakegirls. How to make Easter egg shaped desserts out of store bought cake and frosting, because shortcuts can be awesome too!
Number 2: Giant Donut Cake by Cakegirls. How to make an adorable, sprinkle-coated, giant donut cake that’s perfect for birthday parties, no matter your age.
Number 1: Lemon Blueberry Cake by Carrie Sellman. A tender layer cake recipe brightened with lemon juice, lemon zest and wild blueberries, frosted with a tangy sweet lemon cream cheese frosting. My personal favorite!
Now onward we march into the new year. Believe it or not, 2018 is the 10th anniversary of The Cake Blog!! Hooray for ten years of blogging – yes, this blog existed even before blogging was a thing. We’ll definitely have to do something to celebrate, I’m just not sure what yet. Let me know if you have any suggestions!
The one thing I DO know for sure is that I have big goals for our community as a whole. I’d love for our little spot on the internet to thrive with more conversation, more sharing, more learning from each other, and more positivity. There is so much negativity in the world today: sadness, grief, worry, anxiety, comparison, stress and isolation. I hope this is a place where you can come and learn something new, find the inspiration to make your life a little brighter and then in turn, share that light with those around you.
When you have a moment, please hop over to our Reader Survey to weigh in on what you’d like to see here in the upcoming year. Happy New Year friends!
