*Affiliate links are included in just about every blog post I share here on Pen + Paper Flowers.

 These links allow me to easily share with you the same or similar items and tools I use for recipes, crafts or projects. 
These links also provide me with a small commission should you decide to click on them and purchase something. 
The commissions, collectively, allow me to continue sharing ideas and content with you.
Thank you in advance for your ongoing support of my blog and small business.  xoxo, Jess

Hummingbird Cake is about as southern as it gets when it comes to cakes. In fact, this classic cake has been the single most popular recipe in Southern Living Magazine since it was submitted back in 1978. (Let me do the math for you on that...for 40 years!) 

So you would think this girl right here would have tasted this cake a time or two and even attempted baking it at least once by now, right? Nope.

I don't even have a good excuse for not having tried it yet. It could be that my memory just isn't the best...so maybe I actually have tried it in the past and it's just been soooo long ago it just completely slipped my mind?

Umm...yeah...I'm really not buying that excuse because now that I have actually tasted this cake, (as of this weekend), I just cannot imagine it ever "slipping my mind" because it's just really delicious.

Having officially baked it and tasted it now, I've determined the Hummingbird Cake to be the sister-cake to Carrot Cake. The crushed pineapple and bananas in the Hummingbird Cake certainly seem to give a nod to the Spring/Summer season while the shredded carrots in Carrot Cake shake hands with Fall - the peak carrot season. 

So yes...if you love Carrot Cake (imagine me throwing both arms up in the air with an emphatic "yes!" and waving them around like a crazy cake lady) then you will love this cake too! Guaranteed.

Thank goodness my oldest daughter, Clara, came to visit for the weekend.
She had one thing on her mind: baking...with me. (you know that made my mama heart happy).

So that's just what we did too. We baked.

One of the things we made was this cake.

I'd like to say we had things all planned out before Clara even arrived but that would be far from the truth. We simply sat down together once she got here and thumbed through a couple of Southern Living Magazines I'd picked up over the last couple of months: Southern Living Famous Southern Cakes + Pies and the Southern Living Special Collector's Edition Cakes + Pies - apparently I have a thing for cakes + pies. *wink*

The Hummingbird Cake caught our eye and was in BOTH of the magazines. We just couldn't say no.
I didn't have three 8-inch cake pans so we opted to do a smaller 3 layer cake and made cupcakes with the extra batter. (plus she got to take the cake home and the cupcakes stayed here with me - a win for the both of us).

We love how the cake + cupcakes turned out. So moist. So delicious. And did I mention cream cheese frosting? Ummm...hello...my very favorite.

I definitely encourage you to try it. It will not disappoint you or anyone who's lucky enough to sample it. I have an idea!! How about making it for any of those summertime potlucks and gatherings you've got on your calendar. (although be mindful that cream cheese frosting doesn't pair well with sitting outside in the heat - you'll want to make sure you have an air-conditioned space for keeping/serving).

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

by Southern Living Magazine

INGREDIENTS

CAKE LAYERS

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

2 cups chopped ripe bananas (about 6 bananas)

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

vegetable shortening - for pans

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup salted butter or margarine, softened

2 (16oz) pkg. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

ADDITIONAL/OPTIONAL

12- 24 pecan halves, toasted - for decorating top of cake

1/2 - 3/4 cups chopped pecans, toasted - for decorating sides of cake

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the cake layers: Preheat oven to 350ºF.

    Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring

     just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans.

2. Divide batter evenly among 3 well-greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

3. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. 

    Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, 

    about 1 hour.

4. Prepare the cream cheese frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on 

    medium-low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high,

    and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Assemble cake: Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter; spread top with 1 cup of frosting. Top with

    second layer, and spread with 1 cup frosting. top with third layer, and spread remaining frosting over 

    top and sides of cake. Optional decorating: Arrange pecan halves on top of cake. For a more "fancy"

    finish, gently press chopped pecans around the sides of frosted cake using your hand.

Tip: For cupcakes, bake for 18-20 minutes. Once frosted, roll edges in chopped pecans. 

(Thought you might also enjoy this step-by-step video for Southern Living Hummingbird Cake I found while typing up this blog post). 

Enjoy my sweet friends!!
I hope you'll try it and report back.

PS - Let me know if you'd like a cute printable Hummingbird Cake Recipe Card. I'm not really sure if you all prefer just reading the recipe right off the blog or if you love the free recipe cards I've created and shared before? Or maybe you want both? I'd love your feedback.

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL

THREE THINGS...

1. I prefer my cream cheese frosting to be a tad tangier than this version but it's still delicious. (And until I find the recipe I want to share with you this one will have to do). Ha! And by all means, if you already have a fave cream cheese frosting recipe...use it!!

2. Clara and I didn't realize I only had a bag of pecan halves instead of the whole pecans we needed to to decorate the top of the cake. So, we did what any good OCD baker would do and we painstakingly took time to try to match up pecan halves to make them look whole. I think we did a dang good job. I can hardly tell when I look closely at the photos. Ha!!

3. These photos turned out surprisingly well despite the immense pressure I was under to "hurry up". Clara was trying to head back home and she was behind schedule so with each push of the shutter button on my camera and every rearranged shot of the cake I made in an attempt to capture the perfect image,  I could feel her hot eye balls glaring at me while she stood impatiently nearby waiting to drive off with the cake.  Some things never change - she's never been very patient when it came to me + my photo-taking. I still love her though. And besides, this cake wouldn't have happened this weekend without her. Thanks Clara!! *wink*

HALLOWEEN | Spiders + Spirits Halloween Dessert Table

Remember this Spiders + Spirits themed Halloween party I styled and shared for Tuesday Morning a few years ago? 

Well I got to thinking about the fact that I've never shared all of the photos here on the blog and since it's still one of my very favorite themes for a Halloween party...well...it's just time the details were no longer kept under wraps..."mummy" wraps in this case since it's a Halloween party.  *wink*

Besides, I wanted to make sure you had access to the FREE "Spiders + Spirits" sign and matching food labels in order to make hosting your own party easy peasy lemon squeezy.

And let me just say, I'm not even a drinker and yet these Pumpkin Bourbon Milkshakes slay me. ("slay" is the current trendy term used to imply you are impressed or amused by something - my kids keep me on point folks). 

Links to the FREE "Spiders + Spirits" sign and food labels along with the recipes for the milkshakes and pumpkin bars are all at the bottom of the post!!  

Did you love all of the details?

Sure hope you're feeling inspired to host your own Spiders + Spirits themed party?

Or at least try out the spooktacular recipes for some added Halloween fun! *wink*

xoxo my sweet friends!!

Jessica

LINKS I KNOW YOU'LL WANT:

Pumpkin Bourbon Milkshakes Recipe <-------click

Whiskey Caramel Glazed Pumpkin Bars <----click

Spiders + Spirits Dessert Bar 12x24 Sign  <---click to download

Spiders + Spirits Dessert Bar food labels <----click to download

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Aside from wanting to provide you with the free printables from this party, the main reason I decided to post this on my blog is because the links to the original post on the Tuesday Morning site don't work anymore and although I was able to finally find it, who wants to have to do all of that digging around every time you want to see it again? *hand raised*

STYLING | Kisses + Confetti Baby Gender Reveal Party :: Hershey's

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I've been working behind the scenes on some exciting projects for a fabulous company...Hershey's!!  This brand has been a long-time favorite of mine...as I'm sure it has been for most of you as well!!

I'm not sure what your Hershey's favorites are but my love of peanut butter and chocolate developed early on as a kid thanks to my first two-pack of original Reese's cups. They are still a favorite of mine to this day. 

I've since developed an addiction for those delicious Hershey's Nuggets - specifically the toffee and almond combination. Oh my YUM!! I use them as part of my entertaining or celebrations whenever I can. Remember the custom watercolor wrapped nuggets I created for Clara's graduation party a couple of years ago?

With all of that said, you might say when Hershey's approached me about coming up with a few creative party ideas to help promote their newly released line of color foiled chocolates, I was ecstatic. I was obviously excited about working with one of my favorite candy companies, but even more excited about all of the color foil options now available to make party planning and dessert table styling even more fun!!

Today, I'm  happy to be sharing the first of three party ideas...

Kisses and Confetti Baby Gender Reveal

Baby Gender Reveal Parties have become really popular over the last few years with more and more expectant parents choosing to find out the sex of their baby in front of an intimate gathering of friends and family. (or expectant parents that already know the sex of the baby who then choose to turn the big announcement into an interactive, suspense-filled celebration for close family members and friends, again, using a creative reveal).

The "Kisses and Confetti" theme I chose for this gender reveal made the desserts, styling and reveal ideas extra fun since I was able to integrate Hershey's Chocolate Kisses and confetti thoughout all of the party details.

I decided on a Pink + Mint Green color scheme versus the traditional pink and blue, and incorporated some touches of gold.

I whipped up a simple invitation to highlight the confetti and balloon reveal idea of the party. (I'll talk more about the balloon in a bit).

I chose to do a simple dessert table/voting station combination.  The extent of the desserts were chocolate kisses, of course, as well as yellow cake cupcakes with a classic buttercream frosting. I topped the cupcakes with pink and green sprinkles and finished them off with a single wrapped Hershey's kiss, in pink or light green foil. I think they're adorable and tie beautifully into the theme!

For the dessert table, I filled the front drawers of a dresser with pink, gold and green foiled Hershey's kisses!

I created a centerpiece on the table using a beautiful cake plate and some KISSES + CONFETTI POPPERS!

These actually have three potential purposes.
1. A darling centerpiece on the table....as shown.
2. Favors for guests to take home.
3. A fun interactive "reveal" - guests pop them open simultaneously to reveal candy and confetti that corresponds to the sex of the baby.

See the full DIY Kisses + Confetti Poppers to see how easy they are to put together!!

As part of the simple dessert table, I included a "voting station" for each guest to cast his/her vote as to what they believe the sex of the baby to be. (just pick a mint green or pink hershey kiss and drop it into the corresponding glass carafe at the back edge of the table).   I created a quick DIY label holder using an individual Hershey's kiss. I just attached my label to a wooden skewer using a glue dot and stuck it right into the chocolate kiss. It worked beautifully and it's really cute...and simple.

I decided it would be fun to fill a giant black balloon with confetti and kisses to be used as part of the party decor, but also, to pop in front of guests to reveal the sex of the baby.

See the DIY for the Kisses + Confetti Balloon right here and to see a video of the balloon popping!

Such a cute idea, right? I just love it!!  I especially love that this theme can be used for a variety of celebrations - not just a baby gender reveal. Think bridal showers, Sweet Sixteen, graduations, birthday parties, baby showers and more.

Grab these FREE Kisses and Confetti Tags + Labels to use at YOUR "Kisses + Confetti" themed baby gender reveal!!

All of the cute party decor you see in this post came from Paper Crush!

My friend, Holly, owner of Paper Crush, has an online party store and just recently opened a brick + mortar as well! I'm so excited for her and hope you'll show her some love and support by using her pretty party products for your next celebration!

LINKS TO SOURCES
FREE Kisses + Confetti Tags + Labels - Pen + Paper Flowers
Kisses + Confetti Invitation - Pen + Paper Flowers
Blush Pink Paper Fans - Paper Crush
Gold Paper Fans - Paper Crush
Mint Paper Fans - Paper Crush
36" Black Balloon - Paper Crush mine was empty and I filled it with confetti + kisses *wink*
Balloon Tissue Tassels - Coral, Mint, Ivory + Gold - Paper Crush
Rectangle Confetti - Blush, Mint + Ivory- Paper Crush
Large Ivory Ruffle Cake Stand - Paper Crush - couldn't find the direct link to this one
2 Small Ivory Ruffle Cupcake Stands - Paper Crush
Light Green Foil Hershey's  Kisses - Hershey's
Pink Foil Hershey's Kisses - Hershey's
Gold Foiled Hershey's Kisses - Hershey's
Cupcakes - Cupcake Delights
Plastic Push Pops with Lids - Hobby Lobby
Gold Polka Dot Tissue Paper - Hobby Lobby - couldn't find it online to provide you with a link. *boo*

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THIS IS A SPONSORED POST BY HERSHEY'S.

PEN + PAPER FLOWERS HAS RECEIVED COMPENSATION AND/OR PRODUCTS 

IN EXCHANGE FOR CREATING CONTENT AND SHARING PRODUCTS.
  AS ALWAYS, FRIENDS + READERS, I ONLY WORK WITH BRANDS 
AND SHARE CONTENT I'M INSPIRED BY AND THINK WILL INSPIRE YOU TOO!

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KEEPiNG iT REAL
I wasn't kidding when I said the original Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were what kicked off my addiction for peanut butter and chocolate. You would've never known that in 9th grade, at 14 years old and barely 97lbs, my daily school lunches consisted of a pack of Reese's Cups, a bag of Cheetos and a carton of chocolate milk. *blushing*

FREE | Witch Shoes Cupcake Topper Template

I just LOVE these adorable witch legs + shoes cupcake toppers I shared a couple of years ago.
Looking back at the Easy No-Bake Hi Hat Cupcakes post it occurred to me I never provided you with a template for the witch shoes so that you could easily recreate these yourself.

Well I just HAD to fix that dilemma for you and I'm posting the FREE Witch Shoes printable cut-outs today. Cut them out with scissors or use your handy dandy electronic cutting machine!!

All you need now is a cute pack of Halloween party straws to attach the shoes to and some cupcakes!! You're welcome! *wink*

Want a mini witch broom to go with your witch shoes?

Here's a DIY for witch broom cupcake toppers I've shared previously.
And here's the No-Bake Hi-Hat Cupcakes tutorial too...just in case.

Download the FREE Witch Shoes Cut-Outs .pdf file 

I hope you love sprucing up your Halloween cupcakes and treats using these cute witch shoes!!
If you use the free printable and make some of your own I'd LOVE to see them!!
Tag me on Instagram using @pnpflowers or you can find me on Facebook and Twitter too!

Looking for MORE Halloween Inspiration?
I've got lots of ideas on my SPOOKY Pinterest Board, which is actually anything but spooky. It's filled with ideas for Halloween crafts, costumes, treats, and DIY's....including this hilarious "Witch Better Have My Candy" t-shirt, these cool Spiderweb Cupcakes, this adorable Cereal Bowl Costume, my Mini Monster Milkshakes and more!!

See you soon friends and as always...thanks for being here!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Still no progress on cleaning up my studio.
It MIGHT happen today - but no promises.

FREE | i Sugar Coat Everything Art Print :: The Cake Blog

It's up...

and it's live...

and it's ready for printing...

Grab July's FREE "I Sugarcoat Everything" Art Print over on The Cake Blog today!!

It's a sugary sweet play-on-words for all of the bakers out there!! I think the watercolor cupcake added just the right touch too!!

Not only is it available as a free printable, you can grab the files to turn it into digital wallpaper too!

Head on over to The Cake Blog to download the FREE files!!
I hope you are enjoying the free monthly goodies as much as I enjoy creating them!!

As always, while you are over there, be sure to check out all of the amazing cakes!
My favorites this time include this beautiful naked Strawberry Thyme Cake, this delicious looking  4th of July-festive Stars + Stripes cake and these adorable Roasted Blueberry Breakfast Parfaits!

Love you all to pieces!!
xoxo

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I hope to get back to sugarcoating everything ASAP!
Our oven is out of service after our house was struck by lightning a week or so ago.
The gas burners work on top but my oven is shot.
I've had some feedback from Instagram friends about suggestions for a new dual range
and I have to say these Big Chill appliances have caught my eye!!
Shhh...don't tell J yet though. I haven't even looked at pricing...I've only gotten lost in their
retro appreal!!

FREE | It's Always Spring with Buttercream Art Print :: The Cake Blog

You guys...."It's always Spring with Buttercream"!
Or...you could say "It's Blooming Spring with Buttercream"

Whichever way you say it, these brand new whimsical kitchen art prints I designed for The Cake Blog this month are posted and ready for you to download for FREE!! 

And so what if you aren't a baker.
I'm sure your baking friends or your favorite bake shop would LOVE for you to share this with them!
Head on over to get your FREE ART PRINTS today
and then be sure to check out these other posts on The Cake Blog that have me very intrigued and are must-trys for Spring...and beyond.

Edible Moss Cake
Lemon Meringue Cake

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Those frosted cupcakes were supposed to be a cinch.
Store-bought cupcakes. Easy.
Pre-made store-bought buttercream. Easy.
One working piping bag. NOT easy.
So just keep focusing on the art prints....
while I run out for more piping bags. *wink*

STYLING | Baby Love Baby Shower :: Shutterfly

I love party styling - but you already knew that.

What you may not know is that what I REALLY love about party styling is being able to use the decorative things from a celebration for something post-party.

Baby Showers are especially fun because if you are smart…you can transition the party decor right into the baby's nursery! It allows you to "shower" the mother-to-be with the gift of hosting a baby shower for her, in addition to supplying her with some super cute things for the baby's nursery.

I'm so excited today because I'm going to show you some fun ideas on how to do that using some super adorable Shutterfly products.

Using 1 Wall Decal,  3 Photo Cubes,  2 Sets of Glass Magnets,  2 Journals,  1 Table Runner, 1 - 16x16 Photo Gallery Pillow and 3 - 5x7 Curved Glass Prints I was able to create a Dessert/Sign-In table AND have fun things to use in the baby's nursery afterwards.

The inspiration for this heart-themed baby shower came from Shutterfly's Baby Love (Girl) Baby Shower Invitation. I fell in love with the fun color scheme and whimsical vibe of the imperfect hearts. 

I set out to create a really simple "Desserts" and "Sign-In" table combo by splitting the serving area in half… one side for displaying a few sweet treats and the other side for holding pens and a cute keepsake book for guests to sign in and jot down a message/wish for the baby.

I used this custom table runner I designed as the foundation for the dessert and sign-in table. 

I think it turned out so adorable!!

The 5x7 Curved Glass Prints were used for serving some cute iced sugar cookies on one side of the table and for holding pens on the other side of the table. After the shower, the curved glass prints can be used in the nursery to hold pacifiers, small toys, hair accessories or they can be stood upright for a cute display. 

The Glass Magnets were used to hold my signage onto the metal stand centered on the table. I am SO in love with these oversized magnets. You could also use the magnets as cute party favors by slipping one into a glassine bag and sealing the bag with a hand-cut paper heart.

I hand-cut colorful paper hearts and attached them to wooden skewers using a hot glue gun and then inserted them into the white coconut cream cake. I love how the varying heights of this homemade cake topper added instant height to an otherwise small cake and helped balance out the table.

I used the same technique for the mini cupcakes - using toothpicks instead.

The heart pillow was adorable on the table along with the photo cubes, journals, and table runner.
You could use the pillow at the shower to clearly mark where the mommy-to-be should be sitting.
The pillow can then be added to the nursery chair/rocker for comfort and a splash of cute décor.

THE BACKDROP!!! The heart backdrop was created using a multi-heart Wall Decal I designed. It was seriously the easiest backdrop I've ever put up - just peel and stick it to the wall. They come off easily without damaging the wall/paint and you can reuse them. Then…after the shower, the hearts can be added to the nursery walls!! LOVE this idea soooo much!!

Hand-cut paper hearts were made to create a garland which I added to the front of the dresser to tie everything together. I think it all turned out so super cute and it was really simple to pull together.

Present both journals to the mother-to-be at the end of the shower. One of them as the keepsake guest book with the baby wishes from all of the guests. The other to encourage the new mom to journal all about baby's first year.

Shutterfly has some amazing products.

They were so fun to use to create this Baby Love baby shower and I was super impressed with the quality of the products as well.

I can't wait to come up with some other fun things using Shutterfly products!

I hope you've been inspired!

HOW TO RECREATE THESE SHUTTERFLY PRODUCTS

1. Download my designs

2. Go to the Shutterfly website

3. Search the specific product you are looking to create

4. Click "get photos" and upload my designs from your computer.

5. Add image(s) to product template, preview and order.

KEEPING IT REAL

Can you guess what lucky girl is going to now have these things as part of her room decor?

See…I was even thinking ahead when I picked which baby shower design to use! *wink*

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. PEN N' PAPER FLOWERS HAS RECEIVED COMPENSATION AND/OR PRODUCTS FROM SHUTTERFLY IN EXCHANGE FOR SHARING, BUT FRIENDS…AS ALWAYS...ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN!