Birthday Cake

[LRL]

I looked and didn't see a thread about this yet-

DS turns one next month, and we are throwing a birthday party for him. I am making DS a special cake without sugar, etc., but I am stumped on making a cake for the adults. I want to make something special, but I don't have any birthday cake recipes that are tried and true. I am open to ANY type of birthday cake (cake flavor, fillings and frostings).

Please post your favorite "Birthday Cake" recipe so that I can get inspiration, preferably something you have personally made with great success. So many recipes look good on-line, but I can't try them all before the party (and believe me, I would probably gain too much weight in the process :eek: ).

I need ideas! TIA! :)

[AHammer]

I always use a cake mix from a box. Even alton brown has said this is the way to go, since most from-scratch cake recipes don't turn out as moist as people like.

I do make homemade icing, though. It's infinitely better than icing from a tub. I use a box of powdered sugar, (add about 4 tbsp of cocoa if you want chocolate icing), about 2 tbsp of butter melted, about 3-4 tbsp of milk, and about 1tsp of vanilla extract. Mix it up, and then if it's not smooth add about 1/2 tsp of milk or less. I've never actually written down the recipe, I just learned it from my mom. Those are just my estimates :) good luck

[jmvan74]

I agree that box cakes generally taste better. If you want a good frosting recipe, there are several in the "Cake Decorating" thread in the crafts and hobbies forum.

[looch]

If you're going to go the boxed cake route, you should check out the cake mix doctor. The cakes, at least the ones I have made, don't taste like box cakes.

[LRL]

Thanks ladies- I may save myself the effort and focus on the inside and frosting of the cake. I am still open to suggestions though.

Looch- Anything in particular you have tried and recommend?

[looch]

What kind of cake are you looking for? I have made carrot, rum, coconut and numerous chocolate cakes.

There's a chocolate cream cheese poundcake that is to die for, all you really need on that is a dusting of powdered sugar.

[HeatherFL]

In the hobbies forum there is a good thread on cake making/decorating. :) Here is a link to that thread. (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16164)

[Asha]

my fave cake to make is ice cream. i use boxed cake. use whatever flavor floats your boat. i tend to use vanilla cake mix with strawberry ice cream. you just cook that cake in a rectangular cake pan. let the cake cool. you then cut the cake in half to make two layers. i use flavor free dental floss to do this. then you cut flattish pieces of the ice cream and place them on top of the first layer of cake. place the top layer on top of the cake. cover the cake in cool whip. place in the freezer.

it seems so simple yet so tasty. i absolutely hate most store bought ice cream cakes bc my mom made me this cake every year for my bday when i was a child.

[vwinkel]

I use Duncan Hines cake mix only. After taking the decorating class at Michaels, this is what they recommend and so far so good. I have had great success with the Butter flavor cake. I cut it in half (http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:eQzOaJTnnGi86M:http://cooksdream.com/Merchant2/images/leveler1.jpg)(or do three or four layers if I'm in the mood) by using the Wilton cake leveler thingy (http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:Z-8N6bZmrQByYM:http://www.cakesnthings.com/images/products/415-815.jpg). It's $2.99 and makes it very easy. I then fill the layers with vanilla pudding and then a layer of sliced strawberries on top. I use the pudding packs for this (about one per layer). Then frost the whole cake.

[sparkle&shine]

I love to make lemon cake and add a packet of cheesecake instant pudding mix (dry) to the box mix. I make my own cream cheese frosting that pipes well and everyone raves! The Cake Doctor is a great way to go. The only cake I make from scratch is carrot cake.

[meggers]

LRL--I think doctoring a cake mix is the way to go. I brought in a cake to work today and people really seemed to like it. It was a white almond sour cream cake (http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2322-White-Almond-Sour-Cream-Cake.html) with buttercream frosting (http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2123-42-Buttercream-Dream.html) and raspberry filling.

[LRL]

Oh yum~ you ladies might just change my whole outlook on baking cakes! I always thought the best cakes were "from scratch" ie. difficult to make. I am loving all the suggestions! Keep em coming!

[looch]

I thought so too, so I didn't bake until I found the cake mix doctor. My mom is a fantastic baker, but she is very precise, so it doesn't surprise me. I love to cook but don't follow recipes. I just experiment until I find something that works. This doesn't always work with baked goods!

Anyway, the chocolate cream cheese poundcake:

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 package cream cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

oven 350 degrees

Mix everything together and place in a greased/floured bundt pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. You can also bake in round cake pans, just adjust the baking time.

Enjoy!

[Amuse Bouche]

Well, I hate to break into the love parade, but I for one hate boxed cakes. I can always taste them -- they have a funny metallic taste to me.

That said, a scratch cake doesn't have to be hard to make, and although it's not usually quite as light as a box cake mix, it doesn't have to be dense either (if it's not a melted butter recipe, one of the keys is to beat the butter until it's REALLY fluffy). This is the cake recipe I had for my birthday this year, and it's a snap to make and really moist. Don't be put off by the beer -- if it's for the adults anyway, you really can't taste it, and it just adds moistness. It doesn't have layers like a traditional birthday cake, but it would be good frosted with either chocolate or cream cheese frosting.

Cake:
butter for pan
1 c. Guinness
6 tbs. unsalted butter
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocalate (4 squares)
2 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
2.5 tsp. baking soda


Heat oven to 350. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Cake:

In a large saucepan over medium-low, combine Guinness, butter, and chocolate. Stir and cook very gently until butter and chocolate melt and the mixture is fairly smooth; remove from heat. Whisk in the sugar.

In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk this mixture into the Guinness mixture. Add the flour and baking soda and mix again until smooth.

Pour the batter into buttered pan and bake 45 min to an hour, until risen and firm. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

[AmandaLeigh]

I love a pond cake mix filled with lemon curd (I get this from a mix in the baking aisle or use pie filling). Usually, I do cupcakes and fill them with the lemon by inserting the tip of a pastry bag, but I am sure that you could do it as a filling. I also love chocolate cake with rasberry jam spread between the layers. I usually top this with cream cheese icing and some fresh rasberries.

[kmmommy]

I've heard rave reviews about the Paula Deen Gooey Butter Cakes. She has several variations on them.

Here's a link:

http://www.recipelink.com/ch/2002/november/ladyandsonsdesserts2.html

[looch]

The beauty about boxed cake mix is that they are foolproof. Given a whole lot of time, perfectly room temperature ingredients, the right equipment and a recipe you have tried before, sure, a cake can be made. There's a time and a place for experimenting, especially for non-bakers.

Another option for doctoring a boxed cake is to make it a liquor cake! I make a killer rum bundt!

[cgmom313]

I've heard rave reviews about the Paula Deen Gooey Butter Cakes. She has several variations on them.

Here's a link:

http://www.recipelink.com/ch/2002/november/ladyandsonsdesserts2.html

This cake is fabolicious!!!!! :D My SIL has made different variations of this as listed in the link and it is to die for. I will warn it is very rich cake but oh so good. I would not even want to know what the calorie content it has!!! :eek:

One of my favorite all time cake is the Better than anything cake. Just made it for New Years Day and got rave reviews.

1 box of German Choclate Cake - Bake the cake as directed on the box in a square pan. Once out of the oven let it cool 10 minutes.
Use a wooden spoon and poke holes in the cake a few inches apart. Pour a can of Sweetened Condensed Milk. Let the Milk soak in. Once soaked in pour a jar of Hot Fudge over cake, you can also use Carmel as well. Put in fridge for 2 hours.
Last Step - Take a small container of cool whip and spread over cake. On top of the cake put crumbled toffee pieces. If you can find them all ready crumbled, you can take Heath bars and crumble them up.

[lil_geek]

Super simple...we used a boxed chocolate cake but had no oil needed for it... we melted butter and everyone was raving over the cake!! Crazy!


MY favorite cake is vanilla with chocolate filling. Not too rich and sweet. Mmmm.

[LRL]

One of my favorite all time cake is the Better than anything cake. Just made it for New Years Day and got rave reviews.
I've had this before, but it was called BTS Cake, "Better than Sex". ;) Better Than Anything Cake is a more subdued title I suppose. It's really good, but too sweet for my crowd.

[LRL]

Update: I made a cake for my MIL, and ended up making a plain chocolate cake mix (with applesauce instead of oil, of course) and chocolate frosting... After starting this thread, I went with the easiest route for me. BUT I think I tasted the metallic taste which Amuse Bouche mentioned. Funny how it never bothered me before! :p :rolleyes:

The frosting I found after doing a search on-line for chocolate frostings. I wanted something which was made out of a lot of chocolate, and not so much butter. The frosting recipe I used is a keeper as it can be used as a ganache or frosting.

The recipe is simple:

Bring 1 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons each of light corn syrup and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 lb chopped semi-sweet chocolate. Stir to melt, and add butter (1/4 cup cut in pieces). Stir until butter is melted. At this point you can use it as a ganache, or you can wait until it starts to set up, and even cool it a little to get it nice and thick. It was SO good.

Here is a photo of my MIL's very simple cake (mid-week party, and WOHM here, I was proud of my efforts! ;) )

http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AZtXDJi5aNv&rostate=67b0de21a912e5490592&co=-1&js=1171167300625&ps=1&rs=6

I will be trying a cake doctor recipe for my DS's birthday party next week (White Chocolate Lemon) so I will let you know how that turns out. Also, I plan to make chocolate cupcakes. More to come...

[maybebaby]

Ooh--that cake looks FANTASTIC, LRL!

[maybebaby]

I'd love to find a recipe for a marble cake that uses chocolate and strawberry or chocolate and raspberry for a birthday cake. Anyone?

[SunnyAB]

Meggers - hope you are still checking this thread :D could you tell me how you made the raspberry filling for your cake? Just seedless raspberry jam or something??