I know I spent most of January complaining about what an awful month it is. And I still feel that way. But, there is one bright spot in that gray and dreary page of the calendar and that is my birthday! As most long time readers know, I always enjoy baking my own birthday cake. Last year I didn’t have time and then never got around to it. This year I almost passed it up again for no particularly compelling reason, but Caroline absolutely insisted we bake a cake together! I can never resist an opportunity to spend time in the kitchen with her, so we went straight to work.
Most years it takes me ages to narrow down the perfect combination of cake, filling and frosting, but once the idea of this cake entered my mind, I was all set. The little girl who is always trying to steal sips of my iced coffee was pretty excited about it too.
Though this may look fancy and complicated, I did my best to simplify things. The cake layers are caramel with a touch of espresso. I made a single batch of vanilla buttercream but divided it into three portions – part flavored with espresso, part with caramel and some left plain. This helped incorporate all of the flavors I wanted and also helped make the ombre effect I was hoping for in the frosting.
The finished product was even better than I had imagined and a perfect celebratory treat to welcome the next year. I am excited to see what it has in store!