I can’t even believe I’ve been keeping up this little blog for nine years! So much has changed in food blogging since 2010, and with the uprising of social media, blogs have definitely taken a backseat. Even though I also like sharing pictures of my finished cakes on Instagram, and occasionally sharing the process of baking in Instagram Stories, that can’t take the place of Planet Byn. I still like documenting my baking here, along with the story behind why I made something, as well as space to actually log the recipe and my record my notes. Nine years later and I’m still sending people links from my blog when they ask me for recipes. That’s something Instagram can’t replace. Let’s recap the past year a little bit:

My Favourite 5 Posts of the Last Year:

  1. Chocolate Babka – I dream about this rich, decadent brioche bread constantly. Smitten Kitchen posted a baklava version recently, and I need to make that at some point this year.
  2. The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie – I had been pining away after this cookie for about 10 years and finally got to see what all the fuss was about. Spoiler alert: 100% worth the wait.
  3. Rainbow Bit Frosting – my birthday cake was SO CUTE this year! I loved making a homemade version of this frosting from my childhood.
  4. Aperol Spritz Slushie – I need a new bottle of Aperol, because this will definitely be happening again on my balcony this summer!
  5. My Favourite Mashed Potatoes – This post has made my life so much easier. I referenced it when planning my Thanksgiving, Christmas and Golden Globes feasts this past year and it’s foolproof!

A few other fun things from this year:

Finally, let’s have a look at the traditional recap stats:

Top 5 Most Viewed Posts {from the last year}:

  1. Brown Bear Cake
  2. Brewer’s Blondies
  3. The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie
  4. My Favourite Mashed Potatoes
  5. I made a Wedding Cake!

Top 5 Most Viewed Posts {from the archives}:

  1. Dinosaur Birthday Cake
  2. School Bus Birthday Cake
  3. Peach Dumplings with Bourbon Hard Sauce
  4. Shimmer & Shine Birthday Cake
  5. 50th Anniversary Cookies 

Baking has always been my joy in life, and it got me through some rough patches in 2018. I’m looking forward to lots more time in the kitchen in 2019 as we approach 10 YEARS OF PLANET BYN!

As always, thanks for reading!

Previous Blog-iversaries: