Wednesday Whatever: Birthday Cake

Hello Posse!

This weekend is my birthday and the one thing I asked my husband for this year was for him to make me a birthday cake. While Pedro is a fantastic cook and has made several varieties of bread and even some fresh pasta, he has never baked a cake before.

Just to make sure he would not have any mishaps on my birthday, he made a practice cake last week so he could practice the best practices for cake baking. I can honestly say, he did fantastic and the cake turned out to be the best chocolate cake I have ever had in my life. I am not even exaggerating a tiny bit on that!

I have been making cakes since I was in first grade. The year before that, I was not thrilled with the cake we had for my birthday. So, the next year I went to the school library and asked if there were any cookbook for kids my age that had a cake recipe in it. The librarian found a Betty Crocker Cookbook for Kids for me that had a simple cake recipe in it. From that year on, I made my own birthday cake until I was well into my 20s. I have even been hired by others to make a cake for them from time to time; I also made our wedding cakes. I just love making cakes!

I often try to come up with non-traditional cakes to make for Pedro on his birthday. It all started about a month after we met in 2013. We met in January and his birthday is in February. I asked him what his favorite cake was and he said it was a cake his German grandmother used to make for him when he was a kid. It took a while but tracked down a recipe for it and surprised him with it on his birthday.

You can see the photo of the cake I made him above. That is a traditional German chocolate sponge cake with dark cherries and cherry liquor. My whipped topping didn't hold up too well but it tasted fantastic. If you'd like to try it for yourself, I found this recipe from Natasha's Kitchen, Black Forest Cake (<-- click here to check out her recipe). According to her site, this recipe is her version of the famous German chocolate cake, “Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.” I'm still convinced this cake is why my husband asked me to marry him.

Cakes can be simple or elaborate but as long as they are well done they can be a great centerpiece to any celebration. If you have a celebration coming up or just feel like making a fantastic chocolate cake, try Two Peas & Their Pod's Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake (<-- click here or recipe). You can see Pedro's first attempt at this recipe to the right. His first cake ever turned out pretty perfect. I can't wait to see what he tries baking next.

Don't forget, If you would like to help out an old dog (not me!), to help me celebrate my birthday, I am asking people to consider donating to Shep's Place, a senior dog sanctuary. They take in senior dogs who have been abandoned in the Kansas City area at the end of their lives, just when they need their people the most. They try to re-home dogs when possible, but if not, they make sure the dogs have a home at the sanctuary where they are loved and cared for until the end of their days. I really can't think of a better cause to support for my birthday. Go to ShepsPlace.org and check them out. Thanks!

Have a great Wednesday!