I take my cake and pastries pretty seriously. I mean, if you’re going to indulge, you want it to be indulgent. Big Guy and I discovered Cakes for Occasions in Danvers, MA, when we got married. Owner Kelly Delaney was a delight to work with and helped us have our perfect wedding cake experience. We had a small main cake and another 15 or so small cakes that served as centerpieces for our guest tables at the reception. Each one had a white chocolate plaque with the table number on it and we had a variety of flavors. Our guests were encouraged to mingle with other tables and barter for their favorite flavors. It was definitely a hit and some of them are still talking about it (for better or worse!) more than six years later.

Cakes for Occasions isn’t only delicious; they are a nut-free bakery. When Bug was diagnosed with allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, egg and soy, we had to give up a lot of things, but we didn’t have to give up our favorite bakery. In fact, for Lady Bug’s first birthday, they made us a yummy egg-free chocolate cake. Of course, it turned all of the guest’s mouths blue (see that cute blue circus cake up there?), but it was worth it. Now that Bug has outgrown his allergies to eggs and soy, we can enjoy all of the treats Cakes for Occasions has to offer, which includes cookies, whoopie pies, and tarts.

Right now, they’re selling cupcakes and cookies to support Japanese relief efforts. The cookies are beautiful:

Unfortunately, it’s not all that easy to ship a cake, especially one covered with a thick layer of butter cream. But Cakes for Occasions is giving one VERY lucky Quirky Fusion reader the choice of a dozen tulip cookies (pictured, but without pot), a care package full of whoopie pies, cookies and other goodies, or a loaf of pumpkin bread.

Want to win?

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THE TWO RULES. IF YOU’RE CONFUSED, JUST ASK!

The Prizes:

• One reader will win their choice of one of the three items linked to above (cookies, care package or pumpkin bread)

To Enter (once per person/household):

1. Leave a comment on THIS post (right down below) telling me what you’d buy if you could choose anything from their online store.
2. Make sure you enter the correct email address in the email spot on the comment form so I can reach you. Please DON’T put your email in the actual comment.

Details:

• Contest will end at 11:59pm Eastern on April 18, 2011. Entries received after that time will not be valid.
• U.S. addresses only (sorry, international friends!)
• Adults (18+) only
• Winners will be chosen via random.org. Winner must comply with all rules mentioned here, or a new winner will be selected. I will have the final decision in this matter.
• I will email the winner who will have roughly 48 hours to respond and claim their prize.

Bonus Entries:

• Subscribe to this blog via email/RSS (once)
• Blog about this contest using the full url *no shortened links* (once)
• Tweet about this contest (max 1 per day)
• Fan/Like Quirky Fusion on Facebook (once)

To claim bonus entries, please post one comment on this post per bonus entry (include permalink or tweet url).

Questions? Contact me.

Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Cakes for Occasions. I received no compensation. The opinions contained in this post are my own.

Related posts:

1. Day 16 – Win a Mother’s Day Cookie Bouquet from Dancing Deer
2. Polenta Traffic Light Treats with Country Crock
3. Day 23 – King Arthur Flour Cake Kit Giveaway

LadyBug's Presents From Mom & Dad

LadyBug has turned two and with the new number comes a new attitude. She’s always been sassy, but now she’s she got the confidence of a toddler. Her screams of outrage are morphing into shouts of determination. She and Bug still fight, but they are now just as likely to be in cahoots in some grand adventure. It’s not any less tiring, but secretly I get a kick out of the two of them working together in a mischievous way. It’s funny and cute and gives me hope that they will grow up to adore each other and be best of friends.

We had her birthday party last Saturday. It was a pretty small party, but our family standards. There were 18 of us. A few folks couldn’t make it and then my in-laws apparently decided to ignore our invite list and bring an additional person without letting us know. Yeah, I know. Somehow I’ve come to expect that sort of behavior.

Anyway, it was supposed to be a cookout, but we had to move inside due to rain. Big Guy and I didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye on how much food to make so we were scrambling a bit in the end to make sure there was enough meat cooked. I always overbuy food and he always underestimates how much we need. We’re a match made in heaven!

The little kids had a great time on the porch on the trampoline… the older kids were kind of bored, but that’s a phase we all have to go through in life. Our families, meanwhile, practice a sort of segregated cease-fire. Our parents will talk to each other if left together, but our siblings just seem to ignore each other. They always manage to end up in different rooms and celebrate their own individual parties. If they actually spoke to each other, they might realize that they have some things in common, but I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. Awkward.

No worries, because the birthday girl had a blast. Before we knew it, it was time for cake! For those of you who are new here, Bug has food allergies. Nuts and eggs to be specific. It’s stressful worrying about everything he puts in his mouth, but it’s also just a giant pain in the neck. Every time we get a birthday party invitation, all I can think about is 1) How can I talk to the host about the allergies without seeming rude?, and 2) Damn, I need to bake yet MORE cupcakes. From scratch.

And here I have to thank the lovely people at Divvies, who sent us a dozen chocolate cupcakes, two dozen sugar cookies cookies, a bag of caramel corn and a bar of chocolate, all dairy, egg and nut free and all delicious. Divvies cupcakes arrive nicely packaged with a very generous tub of frosting and some sprinkles. THose who chose to enjoy the chocolate cupcakes had fun piling on the frosting and decorating with sprinkles. Some folks decorated their sugar cookies as well (that chocolate frosting is so yummy)! I’m posting the full review separately, but I need to say that the baked goods don’t suffer a bit from the lack of dairy, eggs and nuts. You wouldn’t know they were allergen free if no one told you. Our guests agreed!

LadyBug also got some lovely gifts. We weren’t sure how she’d do with the gift thing, but on her actual birthday, she ran into the living room and started opening gifts before the rest of us knew what she was doing. I just heard a rustling of paper! At the party, there were mainly gift bags (note to self and future guests – two year olds like to tear off the paper, gift bags aren’t nearly as much fun), but she dove right in. She got some super cute outfits, but screeched at me whenever I tried to hold them up to see how she’d look. The highlight of her day was most definitely a very girly baby carriage and highchair. Complete with baby doll. I knew they were coming, but I wasn’t prepared for her playing with them exclusively for two straight days. I want her to play with blocks, of course, but she likes what she likes.

The party was a success, but I’m a little sad that my baby is now two. Then again, she’s a lot nicer to be around than she was a few months ago. I’m willing to let go of the baby years if it means that we’re all able to enjoy each other a little bit more…

Related posts:

1. LadyBug, Vomit and Christmas Cheer
2. The 6th Birthday That Almost Wasn’t
3. Play Ball