Baking my way through the trials and triumphs of life!

Yes, I made my own birthday cake. Is that wrong? I usually make mini cakes for birthdays, but I decided to go BIG this year because I happen to think 38 is going to be a BIG year. Plus, who doesn’t deserve six layers of chocolate? (okay, let’s not answer that) The boy seemed to have an issue with the fact that I was making myself an enormous birthday cake. I never quite figured out why. Surely,  he recognizes that his mom, who will go to the ends of the earth for him (even in her jammies), is worthy of an enormous cake, right?

In our family, birthdays are kind of a big deal. I know a lot of people who treat their birthday like just another day. How un-fun is that? I am of the philosophy that the entire birth month should involve celebrations. I don’t expect presents, but I do expect to be treated like the Birthday Queen that I am.

I had a great birthday, you know why… I have great friends and family!! Thank you to those who made my special day extra, extra special! You’ve proven that sometimes the simplest of celebrations are the BEST! Who needs real champagne glasses when you’ve got clear, plastic cups! Aside from having to pick my son up at 11:30 at night from his dad’s, in my jammies, it was a perfect night (and the truth is I couldn’t think of a better way to end my birthday night than snuggling my boy and his pup.) Moral of that story… even in the midst of drama, there’s always a silver lining.

I didn’t make just any ordinary cake either. I made my favorite chocolate cake. I love this recipe!! I decorated my cake with ruffles, which is actually much easier than you might think. It’s also very forgiving. I don’t know about you, but I happen to think perfection is totally overrated. To make the ruffles, you use a petal piping tip and pipe in a zig zag motion all around the cake. Melody, from Sweet and Saucy, has a great clip on youtube showing the technique. It’s easier to understand by seeing it in action, than by trying to describe it.  Melody doesn’t just blog about her baking masterpieces, she has her own bakery in Long Beach, California that she opened a few years ago. You must stop in if you’re in the area. The Sweet and Saucy blog is one of my favorites. The cake and dessert table photos are gorgeous!

When my birthday cake was finished, I could not get over how heavy it was. We barely made a dent in it for my birthday dinner, and there was no way I was going to keep a six layer chocolate cake in the house for more than two days. I ended up giving away more than three-quarters of my birthday cake… Spread the love… Spread the calories! (That’s the secret to having a dessert blog and still fitting in your skinny jeans!).

My Favorite Chocolate Cake (From Ina Garten)

printable recipe

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups good cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Birthday Cake Buttercream (Grinandbakeit)

printable recipe

I like to use this frosting for kids’ birthday parties. I find it is most like what bakeries use. A lot of adults prefer this to traditional buttercream too. This is my dad’s favorite!

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 Crisco, softened

pinch of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4-6 tbsp. whipping cream (you can substitute milk or half and half)

4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter and Crisco. Add pinch of salt and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth. Add in sifted confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time, add a tablespoon of whipping cream in between each cup of sugar, scraping the sides of bowl down each time. Gradually beat on low-medium speed well until smooth and fluffy. (The lows speed keeps it from incorporating too much air into the frosting).  To reach the consistency you need, you may need to add more sugar or more whipping cream. Add food coloring and blend well. Remember, gel or paste coloring will darken over time.