Birthday Cake!

I absolutely love my birthday. I have no shame. It's the one day a year that everybody celebrates ME.

I also love making my own birthday cake. Over the years it's been a various assortment of yummy cakes...18th birthday, Pineapple Upside Down Cake; 19th birthday, Carrot Cake; 20th Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake; 21st Organic Caramel-Apple Stack Cake.... oh heavens. I do so love cake.

This year, I decided to have a bit more fun than usual... Martha Stewart and I are good friends, and I found a recipe for a Pastel Layer Cake with Swiss Meringue that just looked to die for. So I made it... and ate it with all of my friends and family. Maybe next year I'll make it for YOUR birthday! :)

                                                                        ANDIAMO...

The original cake from Martha Stewart Living, my inspiration.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans and parchment
• 6 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for pans and parchment
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• Salt
• 2 1/4 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 10 large egg whites
• Gel-paste food coloring (nycake.com)
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter five 8-inch round cake pans, and line with parchment (you may need to bake in batches). Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Sift flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a large bowl. Combine milk and vanilla. Beat butter with a mixer on medium speed until very smooth. With machine running, gradually add sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just combined; do not overmix.
3. Beat egg whites in a clean mixer bowl on medium speed until stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold egg-white mixture into batter in 3 additions.
4. Divide batter among 5 bowls, and tint each with food coloring to create different pastel shades. Spread each into a prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on wire racks.

I chose happy, playful colors for my cake, but I think it'd be fun to do one with Christmas or Halloween colors!

1. Loosen edges of cake with a small metal spatula or paring knife; invert onto racks. Discard parchment. Reinvert cakes, top side up. Let cool completely.
2. Trim top of each cake to make surface even. Spread 1 cup buttercream onto top of 1 cake. Top with another cake. Repeat, spreading 1 cup buttercream between each layer. Frost cake with 1 1/2 cups buttercream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Frost cake with 2 cups buttercream (see recipe for swiss meringue buttercream recipe below)

Trimming the cakes...

layering with buttercream...

and voila! a crazy looking, goopy mess that was OH SO YUMMY!

Let's eat!

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 10 large egg whites, room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• 8 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Gel-paste food coloring (optional; nycake.com)

Directions

1. Heat sugar, egg whites, and salt in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisking, until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes.
2. Return bowl to mixer, and whisk, gradually increasing speed from low to medium-high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Switch to a paddle attachment. Beat until air bubbles are gone, 2 to 3 minutes more.