Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Birthday Cakes Made with Love

Everyone has their favorite birthday cake... chocolate, vanilla, ice cream... the list is endless. Usually my favorite is a grocery store bought vanilla with vanilla butter cream icing - and I know... it's not what you would expect from me. This birthday was different.... I was lucky enough to have two cakes made for me and they go from the "this is stunning and mind-blowingly delicious" above to "very uniquely decorated vanilla cake mix". When I was in Toronto last week for the Kraft My Way event, my cousin invited me for a delicious dinner a la Bobby Flay. I was so busy enjoying myself that I forgot to take pictures of the amazing 16 Spice (or you could buy a jar of his premixed spices like she did) Chicken with two sauces - Smoked Red Pepper plus a spicy Cilantro one and roasted sunflower seeds (?), and a yummy polenta that I can't find the recipes for. They are all from one of Bobby's books (perhaps my cousin will read this and leave a comment as to which one to get). And then came the real surprise... a birthday cake... because everyone needs as many celebration cakes as possible. This one is a Maple Carrot Cake with Maple Butter Icing from LCBO's Food & Drink, Spring 2011 issue. If you have the magazine, it's on page 140, if you don't... it will eventually be on the website. Back in Halifax, we went to my daughter & son-in-law's for a birthday dinner and I have to share the cake saga. In the morning, Jo (my daughter) & her sons Boaz AKA Batman (4) and Dov AKA Spiderman (2) worked very hard to bake the cake and come up with the design. B thought it should be a square with a star on top. D just wanted to eat it. After all... one needs a taste tester, don't you think. Both chefs decorated the cake with sprinkles and mummy did the writing (B said she had to use red icing for that... most important... because red is my favorite color). And then it happened... a little slip from one of the chefs, putting on the last of the sprinkles and a face plant changed the look of the cake. Personally... I think it added a special bit of love. What's your favorite birthday cake?

10 comments:

Grace said...

Your're the star in the little chef's eyes; So sweet.

Hope you find the Polenta recipe that you're craving to recreate at home.

I'm interested to know what is 16 spice chicken.

Ruth Daniels said...

Grace, thanks. As for the 16 spice chicken recipe. I'll have to get my cousin to email it to me. I think it was pieces of chicken (bone in) rubbed with the spice mix, and roasted, but let me get back to you.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Happy birthday Rith!!! It is fun to make an entire week out of it!!!!!

Tina said...

Happy birthday! WEll, it's a toss up on favs because I love so many flavors...but I will go with lemon, no wait! Chocolate. :-)

So So Simple said...

Love the children's cake and the face plant you are correct lifts it to anther level

Joanne said...

Aww happy birthday Ruth! it looks like you had a fantastic celebration, both with family, friends, and amazing food! Hope you have a great year ahead of you!

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

So nice that you did have two cakes for your birthday! I was looking at this carrot cake in the LCBO. I should make it. Both cakes look delicious.

Ruth Daniels said...

Thanks all, it has been a great birthday and it's not over yet. One present is yet to come... B&B & dinner at Charlotte Lane in Shelburne NS which only opens for the tourist season in May.

Helene, admittedly the maple carrot cake tasted better, but the other was truly a joyful experience.

Goody said...

Happy Birthday!

I laughed so hard at that cake the children made for you-how sweet, and wonderful, and adorable.

I probably shouldn't admit this, but my favourite cake is the "perfectly chocolate" cake recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa box. I always feel like I'm doing something that shouldn't work (what with the boiling water, etc.) but then through some magic, you end up with cake. Really good cake.

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...

How fun! I love that last picture!