Turning 25 (again...for the 4th time)

I joke about my age a lot. On my birthday I joked that I was turning 25, or was it 26? I'm really 29 and I am completely OK with it. Yeah, I've got some wrinkles. Probably under all this chemically processed blonde hair I have a couple grey hairs. Yeah, I'm getting fatter (could that be all the baking I do and put on this blog??!!). I'm cool with all of it. I'm content.

I lucked out that my birthday was the nicest day we've had in weeks and looks like we won't have any more for another week! It was sunny and 80 all day. After my husband surprised me with a massage at a local spa I spotted a farm stand with those recognizable green boxes. NATIVE STRAWBERRIES!! I was beside myself. I love strawberries still warm from the sun. I brought home this box, sat in the sun (with my SPF 45 on), read my book, and ate the WHOLE quart of berries. I enjoyed every second of it.


Now onto my killer birthday cake. I wowed myself. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to pull this off since it involved skills that either I had never done or I had done previously and sucked at. One of those being splitting a cake. I still suck at that.

I had never made REAL butter cream. I'm not talking about butter, shortening and powdered sugar. I'm talking the syrup, the egg whites beaten to stiff peaks. Oh. My. God. Probably the best thing I have tasted this year.

This is a four layer cake, soaked with a simple syrup flavor with rum and coffee. The filling is the buttercream, and then the cake is frosted with a chocolate frosting. Amazing. One of the top things to come out of my kitchen.

Did I say amazing? I wish I had some more.

Classic Birthday Cake
Source: Williams Sonoma
Yield: 8-9 servings

You can find this details recipe here.