first layer cake

I love Smitten Kitchen, and I've made a lot of her everyday recipes, but her special occasion recipes really can't be beat. She has a whole page on tackling and assembling layer cakes that is an awesome resource, if you are interested. So when Chase asked for the sort of birthday cake that you'd expect a man who always specifies gray yarn for his hats to choose, (plain yellow, with chocolate icing, like from the box) I was ready.

First I sent him a few links, just to be sure he was totally sold on yellow cake, and then I got to work.


I used the "best birthday cake" recipe, and although mine didn't look like hers (possibly because the bottom layer fell out of the fridge sideways) it was still pretty great. Icing covers a multitude of sins. (For those of you who ate it and are having second thoughts, it landed folded in half, with parchment paper on one side and shattered plate on the other. And no one ate any plate shards, as far as I know).


Anyway, it was fun and I feel more confident about layer cakes in the future. Although I might want to buy another cake pan. Having just one cake pan is kind of hassle when making layer cake, it turns out.


Happy birthday hon! Hurray for a fourth decade! Maybe next year we can try the stout cake?

And I will expect that cappuccino fudge cake for my 30th, so you and the girls should probably start prepping. Wren will be 6 by then, right? That's old enough to read a recipe.