A while back, when I was still doing a lot of swing dancing, I had plenty of people to bake for.

One cake I made was a chocolate genoise with cherry preserves and a milk chocolate ganauche.

Last year I made my husband an almond buttercake with a salted buttercream frosting. The candies are coated hazelnuts.



This year he wants yellow cake with a chocolate frosting. I'm making a sour cream yellow cake with a bittersweet buttercream frosting.


And one year my boyfriend at the time (who wasn't big on sweets) insisted he wanted a traditional cake, so I made a 3 layer spice cake, but only with cinnamon, and cinnamon oil, with a buttercream frosting. I decorated it with sour ball candies.

My mother doesn't like to bake, so as kids we got bakery cakes. I used to ask for a yellow cake with strawberry filling and a whipped cream frosting...I've always disliked those shortening frostings that so many bakeries used to use. They might look nice, but they taste awful.

*bump*

Are you people telling me that you've never baked or eaten or liked a birthday cake?



(I know. I get enthusiastic about the strangest things...)

When I was little my mum always made me a chocolate teddybear or train. Chocolate swiss roll covered in chocolate frosting and decorate with smarties or other sweets. The swiss rolls were bought but she assembled herself. Yum!

I now have to bake my own birthday cake

I have to bake mine, too...but look at it this way.

You can have whatever you're up to making. There's something to be said for that!

That's a lovely cake, there, LD.

I like birthday cake - German Chocolate was a favorite. These days, however, I usually ask for a Birthday PIE. Pecan, Cocoanut Creme - and especially PEANUT BUTTER PIE!

WHen I make one, it used to be a mocha roll-up cake, dusted with powdered sugar. I lost the recipe I liked, and now don't know what to do for folks.

Anyone have a good mocha roll-up recipe?

My cookbooks are still boxed up, but I'd suggest trying to locate a copy of Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible. I think she has a mocha sponge in there.

I know there are several roll cakes, and fantastic advice on all aspects of cake making.

I'll be baking Jimmy's cake tomorrow. I've got to remember to take the butter and eggs out tonight.

No candles though....don't want to start a fire.

I will look for that cookbook - We have so many, it may already be hiding in the massive stacks crammed into a too-small bookshelf.

As for your Ol' Man - we LOVE cracks about our age. It just makes us look better for having such young and pretty wives.

*snicker* Why, thanks! I'll be sure and tell him why I didn't get candles!

As for the cookbook author...she is really good. I don't care for her blog, but give her a cookbook format and a good editor and she is a sterling resource.

I've been pleased with all of her cookbooks, though I haven't bought one in some time. The one I recommended came out some time ago (at least 15 years, I think; maybe longer).

eBay or a used bookshop are probably the best places to look for it.

We're at the stage where I bake themed cakes. Jayson always asks for a train cake, so I got a mold from Williams-Sonoma that makes an engine and individual car cakes. Trouble is, you can't frost them or the detail is lost, so we're kind of limited to dusting them with colored or powdered sugar. Makes for a rather dry cake!

I recently threw a surprise party for the mister. I didn't make a cake (bought a yummy one), but I did make one of my creations - Chess Puffs. It takes the filling from a Chess Pie, but pairs it with puff pastry. I was told that I am bringing them to Christmas. They were scarfed down quickly.

Chess Pie Filling:

1 & 2/3 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. melted butter (or margarine)
1/3 c. flour
4 extra large eggs
1 & 1/3 c. buttermilk
1/2 t. vanilla
dash of salt

Mix
sugar, butter, and flour together until well mixed. Add eggs one at a
time, and mix well. Mix in buttermilk, vanilla, and salt. Do not over
mix!

I cut each piece of puff pastry into nine pieces, and lined a non-stick spray coated muffin tin with each piece. Added about 2-3 T. of filling and baked at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Mmmm!

*drool*

Really easy to make, Susie! And if there is leftover filling, I put it in ramekins and bake it as well. It gets a bit of a crust on the top, and the flavor is a bit like tapioca pudding (vanilla, creamy), but without the lumps.

(Also, it's a great way to use up leftover buttermilk.)

Here's what they looked like the first time I made them (not enough filling):

They look great, GG!