A few weeks ago, we were drinking tea and tasting delicious cakes at Positive Vibes HQ. It was during this time that the team decided to place a mini advert on our twitter profile seeking individuals who enjoy baking and fancied getting involved in our Positive Vibes Mini Baking Challenge.
With this particular challenge, the one and only request was for bakers to incorporate Positive Vibes’ principal colour purple either within the cake mixture itself or the decoration.
We received quite a lot of interest from prospective participants who wondered what the purpose of this challenge may be. At Positive Vibes HQ we believe that any forms of creative expression can promote well-being, boost mood when having fun, enhance concentration and capacity for practicing mindfulness.
This month’s participants ready to complete a purple baking mission include Victoria Yaxley, Lauren John, and Louise Sarah Leonard. Their bakes comprise of a vanilla cupcakes filled with jam, blackcurrant cake, as well as blueberry and lemon cupcakes respectively. How delicious do these all sound!?
Victoria’s Vanilla Vintage Glam Cupcakes
Trying her hand at baking some two years ago, Victoria of Pretty Witty Things enjoyed baking as a means of accessing that all important ‘ME time’:
I love to bake and think of it as a bit of ‘me time’ away from work and family pressures. The kitchen is my sanctuary and I am probably at my happiest messing around with buttercream and covered in sprinkles!
© Victoria Yaxley
Time dedicated to baking is when Victoria can truly allow herself to switch off and tune in to her creative side because she’s very goal-focused:
It [baking] enables me to switch off from the stresses of life and be creative. I love to make others happy too through sharing baked goodies! When I bake I concentrate so much on what I am doing that any pent up worries slip away.
A lover of cupcakes, the Positive Vibes Mini Baking Challenge was accepted by Victoria who made these delightful purple cupcakes, which she presented to us in further detail:
I adore cupcakes, so deciding what to bake was a bit of a no brainer for me! I chose traditional vanilla cupcakes filled with jam, as sometimes the simplest recipes are the most effective. I coloured my own buttercream and icing using gel colours and used silicone and stamp moulds to create my decorations. Purple is such a regal colour, I had to add in the cameos for some vintage glam.
© Victoria Yaxley
Lauren’s Glittery Blackcurrant Cake
From a very young age, These City Days creative blogger Lauren began baking to fulfill her need to create things. With a keen eye for detail, Lauren tried out various interesting recipes and even shared her baking treats with family:
I’m not an expert baker, baking for me is more of an impulsive thing, when I am bored, or just need to create and have some fun. I like picking out recipes that interest me, both in baking, and cooking – and trying out my experiments on my family. It’s a skill, even if some of my cakes don’t really turn out as they should, but it’s all about having fun, and switching off from everything else at the end of the day.
Similarly to Victoria, Lauren identified that baking was relaxing, but added that preparing cake mixture can be a good mini workout:
It’s a different focus, so you can relax and concentrate on something fun for a while. Mixing cake mix is good for building up muscle tone as well, and they do say exercise is good for well-being!!!!
© Lauren John
Responding to the Positive Vibes advert seeking bakers for a fun challenge, instantly Lauren had a clear vision of a purple bake apt for this challenge. She provides details of her glittery blackcurrant cake:
I knew straight away what I wanted to bake when accepting this challenge. My make is a blackcurrant cake (because the fruit goes purple when cooked) decorated with purple glace icing, glitter icing, and a few soft chewy sugar pearls.
Louise Sarah’s Fruity Blueberry & Lemon Cupcakes
Student-to-be Louise Sarah was first acquainted with baking in her teens. Enjoying the act of baking, she finds that the process is good for the soul and even better for sharing with family and friends:
Baking is good for the soul! Its an enjoyable hobby which I like to share with friends and family, its a great thing to share with family and friends new recipes.
To me its a special chance to just loose myself into new creative ideas – I also love to photograph my own baking as one day I wish to create my own cook book for baking as its something I love to share with people. Baking needs to be shared through people.
© Louise Sarah Leonard
Improving general well-being, baking offers an outlet for creativity, which is precisely what The Positive Vibes Project is all about. Louise Sarah adds:
I find baking a way to express your self in a creative way. You are able to loose yourself into baking and turn a negative feeling or thought into something creative like a cake or some pastry which is a positive.
The Positive Vibes Project team would like to thank all participants of our Mini Purple Baking Challenge. We’re sure you’ll agree that all of these purple bakes have given you an appetite for a sweet treat or two. Why now try your hand at baking?
GET INVOLVED: If you’d like to be involved in a future Positive Vibes Challenge or feature, then feel free to follow us on twitter and facebook where we often post requests.
© Roxana Rudzik-Shaw. All Rights Reserved.
© The Positive Vibes Project. All Rights Reserved.
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