One of my rare not-so-humble brags is that I'm a pretty awesome baker. (I am not a great cake decorator, but I'm working on it.)
I'm also pretty good at finding great recipes, which is important since I never create my own. One of the most amazing sites for bakers (according to me and a million other people) is i am baker, by Amanda Rettke. If you haven't heard of her blog, you've likely seen her "surprise-inside cakes". They. Are. AMAZING.
My signature dessert is a three layer cake, and Amanda has made them in abundance. Her Neopolitan Rose Cake, however, I've been in serious love with since it was first published three years ago. It's exactly my personal dessert style: multiple flavor choices, simple, and lovely. I've been saving it to make for my own birthday. Unfortunately, we've had so much going on or been out of town the last couple of years that I haven't had a chance.
I was so excited that THIS was the year!
I have no philosophical problem making cakes from mixes or from scratch. Depending on the audience and time constraints, I'll use either. The best of both worlds, however, seems to be doctoring up a boxed mix. Every single time I've done this, people rave. (I live at a high altitude so adjusting scratch mixes isn't always a slam dunk.)
Even though I am honestly terrible at making things look pretty, i am baker's original rose frosting style was so easy it even looked pretty good when I did it. (this fact guarantees that anyone else can do it and it will turn out fabulous.)
While my layers weren't the same size, and the roses weren't perfect, it tasted amazing. I was so happy with the overall result, but the reason I really love to bake is to share with my family and friends. That's what makes all the time and effort worth it, and is the only thing I wanted to do for my birthday this year. I feel so lucky that I was able to.
(I used i am baker's perfect crusting buttercream with half butter and half butter-flavored Crisco and loved it! I added 5 T. of juice from the frozen strawberries container for the strawberry buttercream. I have to say the strawberry frosting was so damn good! It tasted fresh and like real strawberries. I made another batch of vanilla and added maybe 1/4 c. of Hershey's cocoa powder for the chocolate frosting.
The is the chocolate cake I made. This is the strawberry cake I made. For the vanilla, I used a Betty Crocker White cake mix and the same proportions of eggs, sour cream, and oil as the others.)
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