A Birthday Celebration...

It seems that each year you celebrate a birthday, they are less important than the last.  Not that each day of your life shouldn't be celebrated, but the celebrations seem have less impact after your childhood years.  I know the Little Man has a birthday next month, and I have planned a theme, and ordered items to help with this theme. Scott celebrated a birthday yesterday.  He was not at all happy that he was a year older.  I am not sure why, as I didn't try and rub in that he is now much older than I!  However, Pickles was going to make sure that he knew every second of the day was his day to celebrate.  We really don't need an occasion for her to celebrate, but give her any excuse, and she loves to make sure the celebration is fitting. 

Yesterday, she made her Daddy breakfast, but since he was in such a mood, she ate it for her breakfast.  I am not sure where she saw the idea, but I had to try and find an idea on the Internet that was similar. We cut an apple into quarters and made it look like a frog.  She added eyes of bananas, peanut butter and raisins.  Then, she had to make a tongue out of a fruit roll up.  I am not sure that was not more than a way to eat these for breakfast, but I played along since we were celebrating!  She even put a raisin on the tongue, because don't you know that frogs eat flies for breakfast!




Our red apple frog...




Pickles was so proud of her creation.


Moving on throughout the day was pretty uneventful. I did bake Scott a cake, and Pickles insisted on it being topped with chocolate covered strawberries.  Little did she know that it was a white cake with white icing.  So, I fulfilled her request and made white chocolate covered strawberries.  I think that he has had one and she left him one for later.  I didn't even get a strawberry!




The strawberries are dipped...

The cake is baked...

 

The finished cake...Too  pretty for a boy!



To this day, we have yet to have a purchased birthday cake. I know it is silly, but that is the little bit of love I can give on their special day.  I can't wait to share the Little Man's cake in a few weeks!

Here is a basic vanilla cake that Southern Living magazine ran a few years ago. It is a good cake to start with if you have never tried to bake a cake from scratch.  My only advice is to make sure you don't over bake the cake, and to sift your cake flour. I use Swans Down cake flour and I find it with the other flours on the baking isle.  It is in a box, not a bag.

Basic Vanilla Cake Batter (from Southern Living)

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

1.  Beat sugar and butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until yellow disappears after each addition.  Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

2.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl;  add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Beat at medium-low speed just until blended after each addition. (Batter will be thick.)  Use immediately.

3.  Bake at 350 degrees in 2 greased and floured (9-inch) round cake pans for 32 to 36 minutes.  Test with a toothpick in the center.  If cake is done, it will come out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Remove from pans to wire racks and allow to cool completely. 

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (16 oz. ) package powdered sugar
3 to 5 tablespoons milk.

1. Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. 

2.  Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition.  Beat in up to 2 tablespoons additional milk for desired consistency.