It's a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake
I'm not a baker, I never will be, in fact, with the way I run a kitchen, I don't think anyone would let into theirs, especially not in the context of a job. That being said, I think I've baked enough cakes and pastries to at least partially qualify.
I'm not sure when it started but for the last few years I've been making birthday cakes for my immediate family and myself, and somehow I've never poisoned anyone, I should really send a complaint to my arsenic dealer. Either way, it's been pretty successful, I take requests, I find a recipe, I make the cake, with one exception.
For as long as I remember my mother has always wanted the same type of birthday cake - a pavlova. Now, technically it's not a cake, it's a meringue-based dessert, but technically I don't care. Honestly, I respect my mother for that, all she wants is a giant sugary cloud with a delicious mascarpone cream and a shit ton of fruit (all neatly arranged by your truly). I also have to mention that making this is usually a team effort with my grandma, but it's also probably the easiest thing to make, like, ever. This simplicity of my mothers yearly request truly gives me a break, and spares me from having to be on my feet all day.
As for my father, he's a simple man, he really doesn't care what flavour his cake is, what it looks like, as long as there's something sweet to have, and that's why it's so hard to bake a cake for him. With every suggestion to him all I get back is a very neutral sounding "okay". I even made it easier for him this year, I created a google form, all he had to do was fill it out, and I still didn't have all the details I needed. But he did say he wanted something simple, so here I am, siting in my kitchen on a Friday night finishing off a vanilla sponge and peanut butter frosting cake for the party tomorrow. Now, I personally have tasted this cake every step of the way, and I think he'll enjoy it, it's not too sweet, not too crazy, but still has a little twist instead of a typical vanilla frosting. Although no cake I make will ever top the cake I made when he asked me for a black one with a gravestone, and I obliged, it was a lot of fun I won't lie, and just a little morbid.
My brother, only three years older than me, hasn't yet asked me for a grave inspired grave, his request are always quite clear though. Almost every year I get a solid answer, this year he surprised me quite a bit when he said "I want a snickers cake". ???? WTF???? And that was my first thought, but then I looked up some recipes and realised it's not as intimidating as it sounds. it was simply a chocolate (?) sponge, with a peanut butter frosting, a caramel peanut filling and a milk chocolate drip around the edges. It was probably the best cake I've ever made. I will recommend it to everyone as long as I live. It was such a big hit with everyone that many even brought it up today.
Now for the last person in my family - my dog, nah just kidding (although he does get his own meat cake for every birthday). I always have a bit more creative freedom when it comes to my cakes, so I like to experiment where I can, usually in either shape of amount of tiers. Last year my cake was shaped like a heart, this years I opted for two tiers instead of one - which looking back might've been a mistake since we had to throw the last bits away as no one had been able to finish it. No matter how it looks, I almost always have something summery, since my birthday is in July. My go-to is a strawberry jam filling, this year I even put a bunch on strawberry slices on top, and of course, two years in a row my cake has been pink, and it will continue to be pink. I also tried out a different sponge recipe as before I had pretty much only done chocolate cakes (which I am now a master at), which also had a buttercream attached, and oh boy was that sweet. Maybe the copious amounts of powdered sugar should've tipped me off but honestly I didn't care at that point, I just wanted a pink cake. In the end it turned out okay, now I would've definitely chosen a different frosting for a lighter, less sweet effect.
And that's all for my experience in birthday cakes, maybe in another post I'll talk about everything else I've baked, including my famous American-style chocolate chip cookies. All the recipes for the things I've mentioned will be listed below, unless I can't find something, then you'll have to find it on your own, good luck lol.
Love,
- J
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