Classic Birthday Cake - Because it's not every day you turn 21!

Wow. Last update: November 16th. That’s like…what… a bajillion years ago? Ok maybe its more like 7 months but it feels like a bajillion years. And yes bajillion years is really a thing. Google it. 

 

So Yes I have been gone for a while. As I mentioned in my last post I had been having a bit of an ‘early life crisis’ and freaking out about everything and anything. I would love to say that I have had life all figured out since then and that I again have another amazing diabolical plan for my future! :D but the truth is, I don’t. Funny part? I don’t even care! It seems like I have had a completely different change of attitude about things since I last posted which in a way makes me happy…it means I’ve grown as a person…I’ve matured. :) Well, at least that’s what Dr. Phil says. Anyways, I’ve come to figure out that life isn’t necessarily about having the perfect plans and reaching those perfect dreams and that not only is it ok to have little ‘hiccups’ and mistakes along the way…its actually an amazing thing.

A blessing in disguise. Because life would be so boring if everything went the way it should. Now I know some (like myself) prefer things to go as planned (I mean who doesn’t?) but sometimes when they don’t, it forces you to re-evaluate life and see what it is you truly want from it. And if you find you still want the same things as you did before? Well the questioning of your hopes and dreams (and the inevitable delays and mistakes along the way) will make it so that when you end up wherever it is your path takes you…you’ll appreciate your accomplishments that much more! :) 

Hehe, wow. That was actually kind of deep. I was not expecting to go into all of that but I guess I needed to say it.:D I would also like to thank all of my readers who emailed me about my hiatus and their loving and encouraging emails urging me to come back….it means more to me than you know!! :D I love you guys. *mwah*

So, aside from all the soul searching, what have I been up to? Well, I have been super busy with school, work, finding a summer job, landing that summer job(yes!) and some family stuff to boot. Oh, and also, I celebrated another birthday :) 

this is actually an ‘old’ cake. I made it for my birthday which was way back on March 6th. I had been super busy with life things around that time and enjoyed a lovely dinner with a few close friends and had a few different cakes with different groups of friends to celebrate! However I felt like I should make myself a cake too….not only because it would give me the chance to do something I love and had not had the time to do in a long time, but also because….hey…its not every day you turn 21 ;)

 

I was originally planning on going all fancy…pink swirl frosting? 2 layered fondant cake? Triple chocolate mousse? But then I decided to go with an old-fashioned staple for birthday cakes. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting. And some pretty sprinkles for good measure :)

I really loved the cake…the texture was heavy but moist…the perfect birthday cake. It paired quite nicely with this sour cream chocolate frosting….the tangy ness gave it a certain…je ne sais quoi…. Definitely a perfect ‘traditional’ birthday cake !

So, that’s about that on my end of things! How have you guys been? Celebrate any birthdays? Oh! And very important before I forget – 21 feels like a bit of a milestone birthday for me so I was wondering for all of you who have passed it…any advice for this sweet toothed girl? Any and all will be appreciated whether you are 25 or 45 35 ;)

Best Yellow Layer Cake

(SOURCE) 
Yield: Two 9-inch round, 2-inch tall cake layers, and, in theory, 22 to 24 cupcakes, two 8-inch squares or a 9×13 single-layer cake

* 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (480 grams) cake flour (not self-rising)
* 2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt
* 2 sticks (1 cup, 1/2 pound or 225 grams) unsalted butter, softened
* 2 cups (400 grams) sugar
* 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
* 4 large eggs, at room temperature
* 2 cups buttermilk (475 ml), well-shaken

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper, then butter parchment. (Alternately, you can use a cooking spray, either with just butter or butter and flour to speed this process up.)

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just Incorporated.

Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. (I like to drop mine a few times from two inches up, making a great big noisy fuss.) Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.

Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting

(source)

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Melt chocolate and the butter together. Let cool and blend in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Gradually add the confectioner's sugar until the frosting is of spreading consistency, beat well. 

P.S. I made a video! It was a spur of the moment with my iphone thing :p