In celebration of our sons' first birthday, I followed the recipe from the smitten kitchen blog for the best birthday cake. Note: The first time I made this was for my husband's birthday. I had a few mishaps (if you want entertainment, see previous post), which I learned from so this time the cake was PERFECT! It seemed fitting that we make this particular cake again because the first time I made it I was very early pregnant (so early I didn't even know yet). I like to experiment in the kitchen, but when it comes to baking I am really trying to be better about following the recipe exactly...at least the first time through. It's so hard for me, but I am getting better :) This successful second attempt is enough to convince me that I should trust the experts first time around.
I followed the recipe exactly for yellow cake with chocolate sour cream frosting, so I won't bother to write it all out. We didn't find it to be too sour, it was a great pairing with the moist and dense cake. I went a little light on the frosting, so I did have some leftover (at least a cup).
For frosting, I put a little dollop of icing on the center of the serving platter to hold the bottom layer in place. Then, I slid some slips of parchment under the cake on all sides so the dish would stay clean post frosting. My husband made the sun design by cutting a stencil from parchment. Even though it wasn't intentional, I like the rippled effect of the icing caused by the parchment stencil. It reminds me of the way heat creates a disturbance or distortion in the air.
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| The layers cooling |
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| The Sun Cake |
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| Either signing for "more" or perhaps clapping because he liked it? |
