This has been one of my favorite baking projects yet. I love birthdays and I recently found that I love making birthday cakes for friends and family. It is so much fun to give someone a cake that is unexpected and surprising. Last year I made a 5 layer birthday cake for my 2 best friends’ birthday party. These cakes are a lot of work, but I love the shock on people’s faces when they see the fun homemade cakes.
A couple months ago, I saw a birthday cake in Martha Stewart Living called the “Who’s Counting Cake.” The cake was in the shape of a number and there were M&Ms all over the cake. I tore the page out and vowed that I would make this in 3 months for my brother’s upcoming birthday. Generally, when I tear something out of a magazine, it goes into a large pile of previous torn out recipes and I forget about them until years later (last week I made a cookie recipe that I tore out of Gourmet magazine in January 2008). This time, though, I was determined to remember to make this cake. Soo… I put it on my calendar 1 week in advance of James’ birthday and sure enough, my Blackberry buzzed “Make James’ 30th Birthday Cake” right on time. Thank goodness for my Blackberry calendar.
This cake was a serious challenge, but was worth every minute for the sheer shock value on James’ face…. and for the moment when James shoved is mouth into the corner of the 3 to take a bite.
Look for the “Who’s Counting Cake” on MarthaStewart.com. I used a different cake recipe, but I used Martha’s Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing recipe- it was delicious.
For the next birthday, anniversary, or anything when you’re celebrating a number- Make a “Who’s Counting Cake”- it was a great party detail!
dishes & details 