photography portfolio with blurb books

 

today's post is something a little different then what i usually share on hey modest marce! instead of a recipe post i am focusing on the food photography & styling work i have created for modest marce over the years. i think it is safe to say photography is a huge part of my blog, but it made me sad that literally ALL of my content was digital. i had no hard work to show for it, just images sitting in a folder on my desktop. when blurb books asked me to create a photography book featuring all my hard work i was so excited!!!! i would FINALLY get to see my pictures in print & in the exact style i imagined.

blurb books is an independent, creative book-making platform that helps you create *photo books & magazines in print or digital formats. the templates are professionally designed for you, so all you really have to do is decide which images you want to incorporate into the book. trying to narrow down my favourite images out of the thousands to choose from was the most difficult part for me! then you get to choose the cover style, end sheets & the paper when you are ready to send your book to print. i got the swatch kit so i could see & feel the pages in person before deciding on which paper i wanted to go with. there is something i absolutely LOVE about a food image printed on raw, uncoated paper. it looks rustic & fits well with the style of my photography. i used the polaroids i captured over the summer as inspiration on how i wanted my prints to look in person. i love the subtle & desaturated tones produced with real film.

anyways, i hope you enjoy seeing this blurb books as much as i loved making it! i highly suggest making your own if not for a portfolio, but for keep sake to yourself. everything these days is digital & it is nice to see something real once in a while. i got a feeling this blurb books will be proudly displayed on my coffee table for years to come:)

this post was created in partnership with blurb books!  my book features a hardcover image wrap with proline uncoated paper & light grey proline end sheets:) thank you for supporting the brands that keep modest marce up & running! xo

spiced sweet potato cake

 

happy labour day! i hope everyone enjoyed the last long weekend of summer 2016. i spent it back in the city, roaming around all my old stompin grounds. window shopping, ice coffees, burritos.. all the good stuff! i think we walked a total of 25 miles in the past two days, so i am POOCHED. i treated myself to the perfect coat for fall that i cannot wait to wear! it is soft & grey & just so beautiful.

now let's get to the reason we are all here..cake!!! i know our love of pumpkin spice everything is now labeled as being a "basic bitch" so i did something a little different. i used sweet potatoes! hah! take that pumpkin. of course i didn't get too crazy.. i used this amazing pumpkin spice emulsion by lorann oils (similar to an extract). it smells & taste like everything fall. the flavour comes through even stronger in the pumpkin spice glaze. so give pumpkin a little break this fall & bust out a sweet potato!

xo

ingredients

for the sweet potato pound cake

for the spiced glaze

directions

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl add the vegetable oil, raw sugar, mashed sweet potatoes, vanilla extract & pumpkin pie spice emulsion & stir.
  • add the eggs one at a time followed by the heavy cream. mix until well blended.
  • sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
  • fill greased bundt pan with batter & bake for 35-40 minutes.
  • let cool while you prepare the glaze.
  • for the glaze, add ingredients into a bowl & stir until smooth. if glaze is too thick, add more cream. if glaze is too runny, add more powdered sugar.
  • pour over cake & serve.

this post was created in partnership with LorAnn Oils. they make the best extracts & emulsions available like pumpkin spice!!!!! find the featured two-fold madagascar vanilla extract here & the pumpkin spice emulsion here. thank you for supporting the brands that keep hey modest marce up & running! xo

spiced apple pie cake

 

happy september!!!! back to work, back to school (so glad i am no longer part of the latter category) calls for a cake. not just any old cake, but an APPLE PIE cake. actually though, it is filled with fresh apple pie filling, sandwiched between three layers of apple spice cake & finished off with cream cheese frosting. as if that wasn't enough, i decided to give it a drizzle in salted caramel because YOLO.

this special cake is not just to celebrate the beginning of a new month (the month that kicks off my FAVOURITE months.. hurry up october), but was also for my older sister's 30th birthday.. i mean 29th birthday! while her favourite cake is chocolate cake, her favourite dessert is apple pie. i figured in her thiry years she has had her share of chocolate cake, so it was time to create something a little more special. when she went away to university, i would send apple pies up with my parents any time they went to visit her. it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try & make a cake that taste just like those old memories. she absolutely loved it & said "this actually taste like pie" so that means it was a huge success! now i need to see what else i can whip up with apples because the apple orchards are starting to open here & i want to go apple picking so badly! what are you most looking forward to this month?! i don't know if it is sweater weather quite yet;)

ingredients

for the apple spice cake

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup grated apples, packed
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

for the apple pie filling

  • 3-4 medium apples, peeled & thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

for the cinnamon cream cheese frosting

  • 1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 cups icing sugar, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 8 ounces full fat cream cheese
  • salted caramel, optional

directions

for the apple spice cake

  • preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and brown sugar.
  • add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. mix until mixture is pale & fluffy.
  • beat in the grated apples & whole milk.
  • in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg. gradually add to stand mixer at low speed.
  • evenly distribute batter amongst two greased 8-inch round cake pans or three greased 6-inch round cake pans.
  • bake each layer for about 15-20 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
  • let cakes cool completely before flipping & frosting.

for the apple pie filling

  • in a skillet over medium heat add the apples, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cornstarch, cinnamon & nutmeg. toss to coat.
  • cook until the apples are tender & gooey just like apple pie.
  • set aside & let cool before using.

for the frosting

  • add butter, icing sugar, vanilla & cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes.
  • turn mixture to medium speed & add the cream cheese one chunk at a time. beat for 30 seconds.
  • when you are ready to frost the cake start with a layer of cake, frosting then filling until you reach the last layer of cake. to ensure the filling stays inside the cake, create a thick border along the edges with the frosting.
  • frost the outside as desired & drizzle with salted caramel!

like what you see? get it here. table runner | cake stand | plate | mug | flatware | chemex