Happy birthday, Ariel! For the cake this year, I decided I had to step it up a little. I returned to the same recipes I used for 2015's cake. This was Mark Bittman's golden layer cake and chocolate buttermilk frosting. In that cake, I just poured the entire batter into a 9x13 pan. This time, I did what was actually prescribed by Bittman -- two 9-inch round cake pans. The actual layer cake construction was not as difficult as I was expecting. Bittman recommends placing the bottom layer upside-down so that the flat bottoms go in the middle of cake. There was still a gap around the edge, but I managed to fix this by adding more frosting and pressing down on the cake. Overall, I do think the improvement in presentation is worth the extra effort over a sheet cake. Since the cake becomes taller, frosting the sides is actually easier with the layer cake.
For the decoration, we have the triumphant return of the ship cake! I was inspired by the 15th-16th century carrack, the ship that built the Portuguese empire. As always, I used the Betty Crocker cake decorating tubes, but I remain dissatisfied with them. I may have to investigate other options for next year.
The birthday feast included eggplant Sichuan style, potstickers, and Kenji's crab rangoons. If you've never made crab rangoons before, it's quite easy, and I highly recommend Kenji's recipe, which is heavier on the crab. I used imitation crab, which I maintain is one of the world's most underrated ingredients.
I have better luck decorating cakes by using plastic bags with the corner snipped off. Your layer cake looks great but you know I love cake.
ReplyDelete