Happy Birthday to Me!!

So today is my birthday! Yay! I still love birthdays. Not for the years, not for the presents, and not for the center of attention thing. I just love birthdays. It is fun to celebrate, share happy occasions, and have an excuse to make and eat cake! When I said something about making my own birthday cake, Hubby was shocked. "You shouldn't have to make your own birthday cake!" But I have fun baking, so I explained that this was actually something fun for me. I searched high and low for the perfect shape cake for my birthday, and came up with nothing good. Sure there are some amazing cakes out there, but there wasn't anything that seemed right to me... So I stuck with traditional round cake, and decided that it would be fun anyway!

This year Little Girl was able to help me make my cake. Last night we made my regular yellow cake recipe, but added some cocoa powder to make it a marble cake, which is my favorite. She helped me measure, pour, mix and smooth the cakes, which was a ton of fun!! I did decide to do the marbling myself, though... I just thought it might be less of a mess that way...

Tonight it was time to make the frosting. The traditional white frosting that I grew up making requires a double boiler and a hand mixer. A double boiler I can improvise, but the lack of a hand mixer would have made it a bit tough. So I searched around and found this recipe for Fluffy White Frosting. So similar to the one I grew up with, but even easier! I think this is going to be my new go-to frosting recipe!! I was so amazed when, after walking away from the mixer for a few minutes, I saw how light and fluffy this became!

Finally it was time to assemble the cake. I used some triple berry sauce (store bought... sorry!) between the layers, just because I like it! (It's my birthday, I get to do my own thing!) Then the frosting! Lots and lots of smooth, fluffy, marshmallowy frosting! I usually make a mess with this part, which is fine... I make the mess, I clean it up...! But this frosting was so easy to work with! I had fun covering the tops and sides, and even making a little bit of a swirly design.

Now a white cake is pretty and all, but I wanted a little bit more festivity. So on with the colorful sugar sprinkles!! Now this is a birthday cake!!

I would like to thank my family and friends for making this such a fun birthday. I am very lucky to have such wonderful people around me!

But now it is cake time!! Enjoy!!