Dirty's first secret.... why they call me Dirty

Dirty's Little Secrets is geared towards yummy baked goods so do not be mislead by the title. My real name is Diana and Dirty is a nicknamed I acquired a few years ago from friends. Don't worry I'm not talking Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty". I have Michael Jackson to thank  for it, his song "Dirty Diana" is one of the only popular references to the name, apart from the obvious Princess Diana which, is usually only used by people like my mother. But alas, Dirty Di has such a nice ring to it combined with the irksome effects it originally had, that the nickname stuck and transformed its way into new life as a blog title!

So now that we have been introduced let me share a few things about myself. This is me...

and yes this is the best picture I had of myself that captured me being me. Like most people I have a wide variety of interest and passions that range from baking (obviously) to Formula One Racing to photography. I love to be inspired and creative. I've found through baking I can express my creative side and have the added bonus of showing my appreciation and love for those I care about. What better way to show your care than some fresh baked yummies?

These little guys I called "Hobbit Cakes". I made these for my grandfather's last birthday before he passed away. They are miniature versions of a Danish Princess Cake, and since both my grandparents and mother are Danish it's kind of our family's signature cake. A Princess Cake has many layers: vanilla cake, pastry cream, whipped cream, raspberry or apricot jam, and it's finally topped with the marzipan not fondant!

In my version of these "Hobbit Cakes" I made individual portions so everyone in my family was able to have a celebratory piece even when, due to illness, my grandfather was unable to celebrate with everyone at the same time. I kept the traditional light green marzipan and added the green leaves and yellow embellishments as a nod to a hobbits, and my own favorite colors. I also filled these with apricot jam (my favorite) over more commonly used raspberry jam. With my apparent love for Lord of the Rings and all things Hobbits, plus the fact that I made smaller versions of my families mascot cake for my grandfathers last birthday there was no better name than a "Hobbit Cake".

This is a great picture of my grandfather, Harry (center), my brother Josh (right) and my grandfather's brother, John (left).