In the last few weeks, I saw several incidents and articles that led me to think about why I blog. First there was the whole Food52 Piglet controversy between two popular bloggers, Mimi Thorrison and Adam Roberts. From that hot mess came several wonderful nuanced and articulate articles from Eater, Lottie + Doof, and Design Sponge that offered differing perspectives on the incident, and each said a lot about the world of blogging and food media.
This post kind of came from me thinking about and digesting all of that. And let me be up front: It’s long and a tad controversial. For a while, I even struggled whether to publish it in the first place. But below are some thoughts about my blog, blogging in general, and the direction I worry it’s headed in the long run (and if you want to skip my rambling and head straight to the recipe, I promise I won’t be offended at all!):
So, first some background: I started this blog back in 2011 as a way to keep up with friends and family, as well as distract myself from a job I hated. Back in 2011, even though it wasn’t all that long ago, Blog Land was an entirely different landscape. Pinterest was just getting started and only accepting new users via email. People still used Instagram in the way they use their personal Facebook profiles today; that is, folks only followed people they knew in real life as Instagram’s content was primarily blurry photos with overwrought filters.
Back in the day, the only way to get your food blog noticed immediately was submitting to content aggregation sites like Foodgawker and Tastespotting. Unlike Pinterest and Instagram, there was actually some sort of quality control — you submitted your picture, and you waited with baited breath to see if your recipe would be published on the site. In the beginning, especially when I was just starting to figure out my DSLR camera, I got a lot of rejections. Rejections often came back with blunt feedback: bad composition, harsh lighting, white balance issues, etc. That feedback, while harsh, was really helpful in helping me figure out how to take good photos! I still remember the butterflies in my stomach when Foodgawker finally accepted and published one of my pictures, a not-that-great, slightly overexposed and underfocused picture of this hazelnut crepe cake (whose pictures are… well…eek!). But still. If I had to point to one thing that put my blog on the map and bring in, you know, readers who weren’t my immediate friends and family, I’d probably have to credit Foodgawker and that picture, which eventually got republished by The Huffington Post.
And this is where my memory starts to get hazy. Because it was around here, sometime between my multiple, frustrated attempts to get published on these sites, that I got bit by The Bug. You know, the feeling of awe that people you don’t know are reading your work and interested in what you are saying; the feeling that your blog could be something MORE… a fully fledged cookbook, a full time job with a steady paycheck, and a stream of sponsorship opportunities with cool companies. You name it, the sky was the limit. Blogging was a new, uncharted world full of financial opportunity and internet fame that I — or anyone, really — could easily tap into. That was The Bug.
I’m not going to lie. I definitely got suckered into all that, especially after Saveur Magazine shortlisted me as one of the Best Baking & Desserts Blogs and the press mentions, sponsorships, and free SWAG came rolling in. I did sponsored posts for the money and wrote nice things about products I was just “meh” on but felt guilty because I’d gotten it for free. These days, I’m extremely picky about the people, companies, and products that I work with. Because after a while of saying “yes” to everything, I started to realize that it just wasn’t my jam. The extra money was nice, sure, but every sponsored post took me further away from why I was blogging in the first place: learning how to cook new baked goods and play with different ingredients. And of course, there was less talking about my life and the things I ate with friends who were far away — instead, I was talking about products and events I attended in a weird overly-smiley, way-too-shilly way. It wasn’t sincere or authentic.
And then there was a whole other gross thing I caught myself doing: pandering. What does that mean, exactly? One of my blogger friends, Kathryn, wrote a thoughtful, articulate post about baking for the sake of blogging that’s worth checking out. As for myself, as recently as a few weeks ago, I noticed that my Instagram follower count would decline as I posted lots of photos of my trip to Singapore and the Philippines. I realized that the majority of my followers only followed me for my dessert pics, and my dessert pics alone. Why else would a picture of a pie recipe of mine have twice as many likes as a picture of some cool architecture in Singapore or dropdead gorgeous ocean views in the Philippines? My initial reaction to the fluctuation was, Oh, shoot! Gotta keep my Instagram followers high; I’ll scale back on my trip pictures and just keep posting pictures of sweets. And I actually freaking restrained myself, holding back photos of mountains and oceans in order not to annoy anybody!
But later, as I was standing watching my old boss dance around in the best Darth Vader costume I have ever seen (complete with a glowing light saber), I realized that there was no way I could NOT take a photo of this for my Instagram feed. There were a handful of old friends and coworkers who I know would just DIE with laughter seeing the photo. It seemed ridiculous to text them all individually, especially since they all followed me on Instagram. Why was I censoring myself, restraining myself from posting and sharing pictures of experiences that I was enjoying? Because a bunch of anonymous followers who I didn’t know personally were unfollowing me?!! Like… really???
Ugh.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, that in the last three and a half years of blogging, I’ve found myself too easily caught up in the “fame and fortune” side of things. And whenever I am in that funk, I always get really depressed and down on my blog — beating myself up for not making more money, not having as many followers, not being re-nominated for that award, etc. And I hate that. Because it’s not why I started blogging in the first place, and perhaps more importantly, it’s not why I continue to blog, and certainly not what I love about it at ALL. But it’s incredibly easy to forget, and I have to take a step back and remind myself of that every so often.
My big concern, however, is that blogging appears to be moving in the opposite direction, especially with the turn of Instagram and Pinterest as legitimate growth tools. It’s a lot easier to share the pretty pictures of your recipes on either medium, and watch the likes, hearts, and ultimately, pageviews to your blog roll in as algorithms serve it to people around the world. It’s much easier to amass a big following fast, as long as you have a decent eye for what’s hot right now and use the right hashtags. The Bug is easier to catch more than ever, as folks become famous practically overnight with one Pin or regram.
Ultimately, there’s nothing wrong with blogging to become rich and famous, the chance to break into a new industry, whatever. Blogging deserves to be recognized as a perfectly legitimate career (we all certainly work hard enough on our blogs for that to continue being unrecognized), and it’s well on its way to becoming one. But I just hope that we also don’t lose sincere, authentic, and heartfelt content in the process. Because if everybody’s trying to get big all the time, everybody’s cooking and presenting recipes that they know are popular, taking and styling photos that are on-trend and everybody else will like… right? Which is… fine. But also, not really.
Because it’s like what Tim was saying in his post: we need less pandering, especially the kind that I’ve been guilty of in the past. That is, a little less blogging for the sake of blogging, press mentions, likes, hearts, and much less of that self-censorship that prevents us from posting the content that we actually want to. We need bloggers who are unafraid to bring new criticisms, ideas, and perspectives to the table. And certainly, we need more bloggers who are unafraid to lose followers while doing so.
So post that picture that has nothing to do with food, or publish that recipe that you know is a little bit off-the-rails.
I promise that I won’t unfollow you.
On that note, after emotionally sorting all my feels, I just wanted to bake something that was pretty, tasty, and time consuming enough to be therapeutic… like this pomegranate citrus meringue cake. Why pomegranate? I’ve been drooling over the pink buttercream cakes on Pinterest lately, but since I’m a hater of artificial food coloring, decided to try and find an ingredient that would provide natural color instead. Pomegranate won the fight (though beet, hibiscus, and red wine (!!!) came close), giving the buttercream a wonderful pale pink tint. From there, lemon curd and crunchy meringue crumbles seemed to pair naturally with the subtle fruit flavor. Enjoy!
Some baker’s notes:
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- This recipe has a lot of individual components to it: meringues, lemon curd, cake and frosting. I ended up using store bought meringues because I ran out of time, but my Christmas e-book from a few years ago contains my go-to recipe for vanilla meringues. If you’re making everything from scratch, I suggest making the meringues first, then the lemon curd (which can be refrigerated up to 1 month), then the cakes and finally the frosting.
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- This recipe actually makes a three-layer cake; I baked mine in three 6-inch pans, divided two of the cakes in half to create four layers and froze one layer for a later recipe that I’m working on. I’ve included the instructions for three 8-inch pans, so don’t be confused if your cake doesn’t look exactly like mine.
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- For this recipe, I tried out a neat trick learned from a new cookbook I recently bought: Decorated: Sublimely Crafted Cakes for Every Occasion by April Carter, the extremely talented blogger behind Rhubarb and Rose. In the book, April instructs you to fill cakes with jam by first piping a buttercream border around the edge of the cake to create a “well” for the jam. I used this method (seen in the gif above) to trap in my lemon curd and meringue crumbles.
- The cake is best the day it’s made — the meringue crumbles will loose their crunch fast, especially when sandwiched between cake and lemon curd.
Pomegranate Citrus Meringue Cake
Special Equipment
- a candy thermometer
Ingredients
For the Lemon Curd
(makes around 1 cup, enough for one cake)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- zest from 1 lemon
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
For the Vanilla Cake
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, divided into 1/4 cup and 1 cup portions
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the Pomegranate Buttercream Frosting & Meringue Filling
(makes enough to frost one cake)
- 4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tablespoons 100% pure pomegranate juice (no sugar or other sweeteners added)
Assembly
- 1 cup crushed meringues
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
For the Lemon Curd
- In a heatproof glass bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, zest from 1 lemon, and 4 large egg yolks. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water over medium heat to make a double boiler, making sure that the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water. Whisk occasionally, cooking the mixture until it thickens considerably and a candy thermometer placed in the middle of the mixture reads 172 degrees (F).
- Remove the bowl containing the curd from the pan. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool until a candy thermometer placed in the middle of the mixture reads 140 degrees (F).
- When the mixture has cooled to 140 degrees, whisk in a couple of unsalted butter cubes from your 1/4 cup portion. Continue whisking until the butter cubes are completely incorporated, and then add another couple cubes until you finish your 1/4 cup portion. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until well chilled before using to assemble and fill the cake.
For the Vanilla Cake
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 (F). Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans by spraying generously with cooking spray and lining the bottoms of each with parchment paper circles. Spray the parchment paper circles with cooking spray as well.
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together 4 large eggs, 2 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract and 1/4 cup buttermilk. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 3 cups cake flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat on low speed for 1 minute or until well combined. With the mixer on its lowest setting, add 1 cup unsalted butter and the remaining 1 cup buttermilk. Raise the mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- After 2 minutes, reduce the mixer speed back down to its lowest setting. Add the egg mixture (from the 2nd step) in 3 additions, adding the next addition only when the previous has been fully incorporated into the mixture. Once all the egg mixture has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on low speed for 1 more minute and no more — be careful not to overmix or you’ll end up with a dense, tough cake and I’ll cry for you!
- Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean and the top of each cake bounces back when gently poked. Allow the layers to cool in the pans on wire racks for 20 minutes, before turning out onto the wire racks to cool completely before assembling and frosting.
For the Pomegranate Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 4 cups confectioner's sugar, 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, and a pinch of salt. Beat on medium-low speed until the mixture comes together and the butter is fully incorporated throughout the sugar.
- Reduce the mixer to its lowest speed. Combine 2 tablespoons whole milk and 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice in a separate, small bowl and add to the butter mixture a couple teaspoons at a time. Once all the liquid has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes. If it is too pale for your liking, add another 1/2 teaspoon of pomegranate juice. But be careful not to add too much, or your frosting will be too liquidy! Add up to 1 1/2 teaspoons more of pomegranate juice max.
Assembly
- Transfer about 1 cup of pomegranate buttercream frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large plain icing tip (or a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off). Pipe a ring around the outer edges of your bottom cake layer, creating a “border”. Learn from my mistakes and be generous with your frosting — you should use around 1/2 cup of frosting for one border. The more you use, the prettier it will look when you slice the cake.
- Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread 1/2 cup lemon curd in the interior of the buttercream border (see gif above for clarification), meeting the piped line of the border.
- Use your fingers to evenly sprinkle 1/3 cup crushed meringues over the lemon curd.
- Place the next layer on top and press down gently to make sure that the filling is sealed in all the way around. Repeat steps 2 and 3, and nestle the final cake layer on top.
- At this point, use your remaining buttercream to frost the cake in its entirety. Sprinkle the frosted cake with the remaining 1/3 cup of crushed meringues and 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Thanks Katrina!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Thank you!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Aww, thank you Ellie! Your kind comment really made me blush over here. You said a lot of great things that I agree with — it can be surprisingly hard to do the things you love without getting distracted. I especially like your PS at the end. Thank you for following as long as you have! I really appreciate it.
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
I know what you mean — since I started saying "no" to things, I do feel like I sometimes miss out on more opportunities for followers, money, etc. It's that FOMO, I guess. But YES to everything you said — this way, I get to remain in control of my blog and keep having fun. Keep on rocking it, Natalie.
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Aw, thank you Thalia! It's surprising to hear you say that you've undergone through the same struggles because I literally LOVE everything in your blog. Everything is so beautiful, and it's clear that you put in a lot of hard work and time on your posts. I've never once felt that you were pandering or being insincere in any way. Seriously — keep up the good work!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Thank you, Kristy! 🙂
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Yes, yes, yes to everything you said. I especially love your note about how life is full of changes, and the importance of seeing people behind blogs as, you know, real actual humans. My favorite blogs are the ones that give a full view of their life, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that sentiment. Thank you for your comment!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Thank you, Bea! And you're right — there's nothing wrong with wanting to be liked or accepted, as long as the price isn't our love for what we do. I couldn't have put it better myself 🙂
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Aww, thank you so much! And also, I love your comment. Not to sound like an old maid, but I wish I was as together as you are when I was your age. At 17, I was still trying wayyy too hard to please other people and live up to their standards of cool. But you really sound like you have a good head on your shoulders, especially after what you've said about having to remind yourself and check yourself — I admire your self-awareness! It's still something I'm trying to figure out, and I'm exactly 10 years older than you, lol.
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Thanks Stephanie!!! XOXO
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Yeah, it's funny. I was kind of cringing from a far when I saw the whole Piglet thing roll out, but I really appreciate the dialogue that it's started and the resulting topics that people have started talking about because of it.
Also, side note — my initial plan was to torch the meringue for this cake, but can you believe it??? My torch gave out right before I was going to. I was FURIOUS. Maybe you can make a version with a professional torch!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Hey Lily, I agree with you about the Food52 thing. Like I told Nik above, I spent a lot of time cringing as the events unfolded, but I really appreciate the dialogue that it's opened. It brought up a lot of issues that I think are important and seldom discussed in blogging.
I can't wait to follow along your blog; thank you so much for taking the time to introduce yourself and comment on my blog! Glad to have made a new blogging friend today.
Kale & Caramel says
Just have to say..you=SO AMAZING for responding to all of us lovers on your site today!
Rebecca says
Great to hear your thoughts on blogging and I totally agree. I gave up blogging around three years ago, am just starting up again and it's just such a different world. I have to constantly remind myself that I blog and write for me first and foremost and try hard not to get pulled into all the "stuff" that surrounds it. Don't worry, no unfollowing here if you aren't posting cake. All your work is beautiful, desserts or buildings or otherwise!
Natalie says
Preach! I'm no where close to your blog, and I've been following along with yours almost as long as I've been blogging myself (2 years or so). As a fellow baker, of course I love your dessert pictures and recipes. But I also love hearing about your house renovations, your bike commute to work, and your life. I recently contemplated quitting blogging. So much negativity, putting pressure on myself to blog often enough, take pretty enough pictures… which isn't why I started blogging in the first place. Like you, I felt trapped in a boring job and cooked and baked as a creative outlet of sorts. I started writing about it and my life to feel more connected in an isolated job and new town. I veered away from that at some point when I caught The Bug. I feel like I just woke up. I know I can do this because my blog isn't anywhere close to as awesome as yours, but now I blog when I want, about what I want. Sometimes I use my DSLR. Sometimes I use my iPhone. Sometimes it's recipes, and sometimes it's a picture of my brand new niece. I think the truly dedicated followers like to see all of the above.
You keep doing you.
Natalie
oystersandpearls.net
Pots and Pins says
Hi Michelle – I'm a new follower – having been hooked by your Honey Sugar Pie – which is awesome! I loved your post – I've been blogging for almost 8 years now and I started my blog as a way of keeping my mom/family up to date and as a way to organize my recipes. I've done everything you mentioned – been suckered into thinking numbers matter – when really, after 8 years, I still blog for the reasons I started – for me, my family and friends and if some strangers want to come along for the ride, they are welcome. The best thing about having your own blog is being able to search for a recipe and read a post written years ago and being able to remember that day like it was yesterday. My blog is my memory!! Thanks for your post – loved it! xo, Nan
Amber-Loves Food, Loves to Eat says
Michelle this post is so, so on point. I felt super bummed out about blogging and my blog (which I started in 2009… yikes!) during that whole debacle, and Tim's post (which I loved) made me feel even more bummed, because I just felt like.. he's right! I'm SO boring! What's the point!? I love your perspective, and it's encouraging to see bloggers I admire, such as yourself, also taking a step back and reevaluating. Thanks!!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Thank you, Rebecca! It's great to hear that you're heading back into the game. To be honest, I've thought about quitting a bunch of times, but find myself just really sad and depressed when I'm not baking or taking photos. But then again, I get all sad and depressed too when I (inevitably( start getting sucked into the Numbers Game, lol. It's all about reminding myself why I started in the first place: my love of sugar and desserts. Can't wait to check out your blog — drop in your URL some time!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Hey Natalie — I really appreciate you taking the time to leave that comment. It sounds like we've had really similar experiences! Believe me, I can't even count the number of times that I've wanted to quit on one hand anymore… and usually it's because I'm just putting way too much unnecessary pressure on myself, too! I like your point about blogging when you want, about what you want. That's definitely one of my big goals for the year.
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Yes!!! I love looking through my old posts, even the ones with the terrible photos and bad formatting. It's like an electronic time capsule! Very cool.
I can't believe you've been blogging for 8 years. In my post above, I speak like an old timer, but really, I'm still a baby compared to folks like you. I can't even imagine the changes you've seen, and the masses who come and go.
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Hi Amber,
I love, love, LOVED Tim's post. It really resonated with me and shook me out of my, well, pandering and trying to keep up with the trends that everybody likes.
Also, your question about what's the point? Honestly, the point is that if you love your blog and what you're doing, you should just keep doing it, right??? Like, sure, maybe you like the same boring stuff that everybody likes. That's fine! Or maybe you want to go crazy and start blogging about eating cheese with chopsticks (or… uh, something???). That's fine too! Screw everybody else.
[email protected] says
Hehe of course, lady! I always try to stay genuine and genuinely encourage people with kind words…not flattery (or at least I hope not). I say–hold on to people who open up about things in life like you did (small or big) because they're rare, so keep it up! ^_^vvvv
Beau Ciolino says
Michelle!
Ok, so I definitely wrote this super long comment yesterday and then totally forgot to post it, so here's a little condensed version of my feelings:
First things first … this cake.
I'm so impressed with that smooth as heck icing I could scream! That perfect pink color (made even better knowing the fact that it's not food-dye)!! That delicious-looking lemon curd! Ah, yay!
Second… the Lottie & Doof article.
Wow, talk about a kick in the pants. It's totally accurate though, blogging is kind of a formula. You make a cute thing, say some cute stuff, and wait for the applause. I love that the article basically called every one of us out for it and it made me feel pretty inspired to be more creative.
Everything else you said:
I love how you speak out against sacrificing your personality as a means of keeping to the status quo or blogging. I'm new to the whole food blog thing, but I quickly realized I just had to be myself and hope that people like it. For me, personally, I've always been more interested in the individuals behind the blog than the food itself. The food plays a huge part, of course, but it's the entire creative process, starting with the person creating and ending with the actual creation, that I find so interesting. It's fun to learn what other bakers and bloggers are actually like, including all the quirks and flaws and reminders that they're still actual human people and not just machines that pump out pretty pictures and funny words.
Anyway, I'm sure I could have worded all of that much more eloquently, but I'm rushing off to class! Have a good day Michelle! Thanks for writing such a great post 😀
Ashley-Marie says
Michelle, just so you know (because after reading this post which touches on your reactions to your blog / IG followers' actions, I felt I need to say): I started to follow your blog because you posted that 2 person birthday cake recipe for Erland, and I fell in love with this cute little cake idea & your photos in that post. I think it was on tasteologie. I subscribed to your email feed because I continued to love the lighting and mood of your food photos, and also because I thought the story behind why you started the blog (about the Hummingbird Bakery) was so sweet and something I would totally do myself. I also stayed because of the crepe cake you made for your mom, which I found while browsing through your archive.
I continue to read your blog posts because I really really really want to make beautiful cakes and I like that you provide more details in your baker's notes — so not common in many food blogs! I joined your IG late in the game because I'm pretty late in the game with instagram. BUT even though it was your food and recipes and the way you put earl grey in so many things (swoon, mmm), I LOVED your pictures from the Philippines and other parts of Asia. Not gonna lie, I'm biased because I'm Filipino(-American) but omg, so many little details about the photos I saw made me smile or made me nostalgic-sad or made me weirdly proud to be Filipino (read: umm, that BBQ stick hahaha but also the gorgeous views).
I love to travel and cook/bake/eat, so know that not everyone who started to follow you because of your lovely food photography is in the same boat as those "unfollower" peeps. Seriously, who would unfollow based on gorg photos of the Philippines (yep, being biased here again)? I happen to like seeing bits of the lives of bloggers I follow, it makes me realize more about the person creating this site that I enjoy so much & it also helps me believe that maybe I can make something in this space too.
Ok, ramble over. I promise I edit blog posts better than I do my comments 😉
(TL;DR: You're awesome Michelle! Keep posting your non-food photos too!)
[email protected] In My Yellow Cardigan says
YES TO ALL OF THIS.
I've been trying to get my blog off the ground off and on for about a good year and a half now and it's taken a lot for me not to kick myself for not figuring out my groove or feeling so out of place with being new to the food blogosphere and not taking great photos just yet. Only in recent weeks have I finally felt like I figured out what I can do in between a full time reporting job. I've also been much better about not comparing myself to where I THINK I should be. I just love getting lost in all of the food blogs I follow and getting excited/inspired by food and beautiful photos that come with them. There's a need for more posts like this to help fellow bloggers put things into perspective so I was so happy to read your post (and pin your recipe). I love your blog a ton so keep on being great!
Also, because of your post a couple of months back I definitely finally decided to try the NYT chocolate chip cookie recipe and have been hooked on buying chocolate feves on Amazon. 🙂
sharon says
as darth would say, "don't go to the dark side of blogging!" . . . or something like that. thanks for the good post (and perfectly appropriate cake pic! :))
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Hey Beau,
1) I'm gonna have a tutorial on how to frost a perfectly smooth cake on the blog soon! Once I figure out this whole video thing. No, really.
2) I know. That Lottie & Doof article was a real eye-opener for me. In a good way.
3) My favorite blogs are the ones that share full, complete stories about their lives (whether through words or pictures). Even though I'm relatively new to your blog, I was showing it to a friend the other day and introduced it by saying, "Oh my god, look how adorable this guy is with his cakes, his also adorable boyf, and their dog! Not to mention pretty awesome dress sense." To me, your blog stuck out not only because of your baked goods (which are AMAZING by the way), but because of you and your life! What I'm trying to say is, even though you're relatively new to blogging, it seems like you've already nailed it and got it down. Can't wait to keep following along!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Aww, thank you for posting this, Ashley-Marie!!! I can't believe you've been following my blog for that long! And the fact that you actually read all my baker's notes??? I'm beyond flattered. Really.
Send me a link to your blog! Us FilAm girls gotta stick together. 😉
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Hi Marissa,
I really like your point about not comparing yourself to where you think you should be!!! It's different for everybody; there's really not any set journey or arbitrary milestones aside from the ones we set ourselves. Thank you for stopping by!
Also, I freakin' love those cookies. They are like one of my fave recipes on the blog. So annoying that feves are as expensive as they are!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
hahah, but wouldn't Darth encourage me to the dark side???
Sini│My Blue&White Kitchen says
What a post…thank you for sharing your thoughts on blogging and maintaining an audience, Michelle! I found myself nodding to so much you said. And that cake is seriously amazing!
P.S. I LOVE travel pics. Any pics, actually, as long as they're authentic. xoxo
Anne says
Love this post!!! The cake is beautiful, and your words made a story unfold!
http://www.sprinklewithsalt.com/
Phi says
I have goosebumps as I sit here reading this. So beautifully written (and of course like all your photos so pretty -even the crepe cake was beautiful 🙂 ) As a blogger I too struggle with all the things you mentioned, but for me it's a little different – I happen to love my 'day' job and didn't even know about this crazy blog world I now find myself in (3 plus years later). Yes, it's nice working with companies and all the other stuff, but no, it's not a necessity or why I blog. I like that you shed light on that! I also like that you shed light on those that just become a crazy huge success overnight with a repin or regram. I'm all about slow growth and doing what makes me happy, so please keep posting a mix and letting us see a gimps of your fabulous life 🙂
Beau Ciolino says
Your kind words mean so much to me! Thanks Michelle, looking forward to that tutorial!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Thank you, Sini! XOXO
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Aw, thanks Anne!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Thank you, Phi! I'm kind of in the same position as you; as much as I love blogging, I'm not sure I could ever do it full time. I feel like if I did, it would quickly become about getting as many followers as possible, which is not what I consider fun.
Megan says
I love what you wrote about blogging. I am just starting out with a blog, and I am trying to remember that I am doing it for fun, and not to "make it big." I am reaaaally jealous of all of you bloggers who get to do it full time, and make a living from it. It's amazing. But I think it's more important to do it because you love it. You gave some really good advice. 🙂
AIMEE says
Thanks for sharing!! I came to this realization almost a year ago. I started blogging with less posts, less giveaways, no sponsored content, real life documented, writing about anything that pleased me. So freeing! (http://www.simplebites.net/changes-afoot-and-looking-ahead-for-simple-bites/) And there was a great response, too. As for Insta? I post anything and everything I love – and it makes me very happy.
Great read!
Caroline Zhang @PasstheCocoa says
Wow, I hadn't heard of the piglet controversy until this post…that's so sad that food blogging can get ugly like that. Michelle, thank you for an inspiring post. I've definitely gotten lost in the stats and the dollars before too, comparing my page views and followers with other sites. I love food blogging because I am passionate about food and am so inspired by the amazing community of bloggers I get to meet…it's always good to be reminded of that (:
June Burns says
First of all, this cake looks awesome. Pomegranates in cake = yummmm 🙂
Also, I'm glad you mentioned that cookbook review, because I've never heard of it and it's so timely given that I recently reviewed a cookbook very similar to "A Kitchen in France". It was written by a man who was admittedly somewhat attractive…and the book was absolutely FULL of glamour shots of this bloke, making him look handsome or worldly or whatever. So it's definitely not isolated to just women. Personally I think it makes for a shitty cookbook buuuut that's my personal opinion.
I wouldn't know about the "fame and fortune" side of blogging, but eh it sounds tough 🙂
Maria del Mar says
That was a long entry indeed but I read it all because I felt what you said is what we all think when we blog. We want to be ourselves and find our way to catch following. Right now I blog for fun, I have no nitric yet and I haven't even thought of how to make money although if I'd have the time, I'd totally try to make money out of my time invested.
Good luck with your blog, keep it just as it is. We ,your readers love it.
Maria del Mar says
Last night was cookie night at my apt. We made white chocolate, chocolate coconut and peanut butter cookies.
Maria del Mar says
I am very intrigued about how this will taste. I too enjoy recipes that involve tea.
[email protected] says
Where to start.
1. This cake looks a DREAM. Stunning. Wonderful. Gorgeous. I can't take my eyes off it!
2. Obviously I'm not in the know. TOTALLY missed the piglet controversy. Having now read it I actually took it tongue in cheek and am surprised it caused such a stir.
3. Though my following and my blogging experience is no where near yours (I mean no where), I did ask myself the same this week. Everytime I post things like pics of flowers or of my family, I barely get a look in. Or delicious food, that's not sweet, yet still super yummy, leaves the instagram community cold. After some tossing and turning, I've come to the realisation I couldn't give a fiddler;). It sounds like you've arrived at the same place too ;).
Thanks for such a brave and honest post.
K
Mia says
HI! how much espresso would I put in a 3 layered cake?
Lydia Robins Hendrix says
I can't thank you enough for this. Although I'm in a completely different industry, I so quickly become overwhelmed when followers jump ship because I post something that isn't brand-related – or worse, that speaks to my actual beliefs, versus just pretty pictures of my work or whatever. I have been practically losing sleep because I have no desire to pander to the masses, but it so feels like this is the only way to be "successful." In reality, it's a way to *appear* successful. I just want to do my work and do it well. Sorry, maybe a little much, but I can't tell you how much I am taking to heart the "so post that picture that isn't about food" (for me it's calligraphy). And for what it's worth, I really came for the picture of the cake (drooooool), and was so overwhelmingly grateful for the words that accompanied the recipe.
Bob T. Panda says
You had me at buttercream.
But seriously, your thoughts are um…well thought out, and I applaud your courage in saying what you believe. BTW, I arrived here from Cake before Steak. And I spend a lot of time panda-ing. Oh. that's something different.
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Hahah, I'm jealous of the bloggers who get to do it full time too (I'm not a full time blogger myself). But it's important to remember that it probably took most of them a longgg time to get to that point, and to not compare. Maybe you'll get there one day too!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Awesome, Aimee! It's so funny, I was just flipping through your cookbook earlier this afternoon. I'm so happy to hear that, even with the changes you made with your blog, you're a success! That's such an encouragement.