This cake is dedicated to a super awesome blogger, Cheryl from Tidymom. Today is her birthday!
Happy, Happy Happy Birthday Cheryl!
Cheryl is such a huge supporter of her fellow bloggers! She shares her knowledge and wisdom. She promotes other blogs as if they were her own. She encourages her many many thousands of readers to become better homemakers and bakers and people!
I just love that.
To make Cheryl’s special birthday cake I just used my new favorite white cake recipe and then a rich chocolate buttercream I saw on the Food & Wine website.
To decorate I just used a small offset spatula and swirled swirled swirled my cake around while holding the spatula steady. The little poms are made from tissue paper. I followed this easy tutorial from HGTV on How to Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms. The turquoise is for Cheryl… its one of the main colors on her blog!
Ingredients
- 1 cup powder sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Melt chocolate. Place in microwave safe bowl and heat in 30-second increments. An alternative method would be to use a double broiler. Place chopped chocolate in heat proof bowl and set over saucepan of simmering water. Gently stir until chocolate is fully melted, then set aside to cool.
- Place sugar in a medium heatproof bowl and add in the egg whites and salt.
- Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (about 2 inches deep) and whisk gently until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the warm egg-white mixture to standing mixer fitted with the whisk.
- Add the vanilla and beat at medium-high speed until glossy and firm, about 8 minutes.
- Beat in the butter a few pieces at a time, making sure it is fully incorporated before adding more.
- If the buttercream appears runny at any time, transfer the bowl to the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes, then return it to the mixer and continue.
- Beat in the melted chocolate until fully incorporated, scraping down the side and bottom of the bowl.
- Slightly adapted from Food & Wine
Wishing Tidymom a very very special day! If you are able, do stop by her fabulous blog and spread some birthday love! (She even has a great giveaway right now… you can win a gift card to Home Depot and lots of other awesome prizes!)
Nice picture !! nice cake !!
Beautiful post {and cake!}. Your friendship makes me smile
Many happy bday wishes to Cheryl!
thanks Katrina!!
Cheryl IS a fantastic lady with has a huge (Tidymom) following, no doubt not only due to her beautiful, informative blog but to her wonderful and engaging personality as well.
So sweet of you to make her this lovely cake! Happy Birthday Cheryl
you are SO sweet Paula and have always been such a huge supporter!! thanks so much!!
How sweettt
Amanda I’m your avid fan from Malaysia and I’m a young new food blogger because I’ve been inspired by you! I just love all your works Amanda
Please keep up your awesome posts. Love love love <3
Beautiful cake for a wonderful blogger!!
What a special cake for a special person!!! How sweet of you to make this beautiful cake – I am drooling over that icing!!! Happy Birthday, Cheryl! xoxo
me too Robyn!! wish I could grab a fork and dig in!!
OMG Amanda………..you MADE. MY. DAY! I SOOOO wish I could come over to share a piece with you and the kids!!!
Thanks for being a great supporter and friend!!!!
Great cake for a great blogger!
that is truly my kind of cake. It is the perfect combo!! Simply gorgeous, Amanda.
what a gorgeous cake that frosting looks yummy. Cheryl is so wonderfully sweet and helpful, everyone should take queues from her.
Making a cake for someone is one of the best and perfect ways to show you care about someone – even if they don’t have a birthday – although HB Cheryl! x Plus you make the BEST cakes EVER so thank you to you. LLx
It’s great stuff!
What a lovely cake for a lovely birthday! I adore how scrumptiously simple this gorgeous confection is, Amanda! Cheers to you and happy birthday to Cheryl!
I love, love, love this, Amanda. Fabulous cake and absolutely gorgeous photos, oh my. Happiest birthday to you, Cheryl!!
Cheryl deserved this cake- she’s so very generous and such a sweet friend. SO nice of you to honor her bday with a cake! Yum! Happy birthday Cheryl!
Wow that looks great! I had just baked a similar cake over the weekend =)
Such a sweet surprise! You’re a great friend for making Cheryl this cake
Awwww – what a great cake and a great birthday to celebrate!
What a beautiful cake!! I must try it soon … been promising my boys a special treat. Question — what is the background for the picture? I love the color and the texture. Looks like painted plywood maybe? We are doing a bit of remodeling and that color would be perfect for one of my ideas!! Just found your blog via Kevin & Amanda. Looking forward to browsing when I have some time. Thanks!!
Love love love everything about this cake! A big Happy Birthday to Cheryl! xoxo
Aw what a sweet thing to do, it’s just perfect!
This is absolutely stunning! I can just imagine how moist and flavorful those cake layers are. Yum!
What a gorgeous cake .. and that buttercream sounds divine! I used to make tissue paper pom poms all the time when I was little – so much fun!!
A wonderful cake for a wonderful Woman!
I’m sure this cake is delicious. Most of all because it was clearly made with lots of love!
Aww so nice of you! This cake is gorgeous!
Happy birthday to Cheryl! (cough cough I’m in July)
What a nice surprise for Cheryl! This is gorgeous, Amanda. I love yellow cake with with chocolate frosting!
Amanda, your cake looks SO yummy! A good moist white cake is my very favorite and I can’t wait to try this one! I’m on my over to Cheryl’s blog to wish her a Happy Birthday! Thanks for sharing!
Um, will you be around on my birthday? I think I need one of these too, but 4 months is kind of a long time to wait…looks so good Amanda!
This is one gorgeous cake!
Holy crow, that’s a beautiful cake! The swirls on the frosting is gorgeous – you’re inspiring me to try different techniques when decorating cake. It’s one of my baking weaknesses. The cake looks moist ‘n delicious and that frosting is just killing me – it’s so creamy and luscious!
This is so lovely. You are both such beautiful generous spirits. So glad you’ve found each other as friends.
Oh my this cake is gorgeous! I hope when I decorate my cake that it will look even half as good!
Wow, awesome cake! I think the photography really helps too. Great photos, great cake
I’m somewhat jealous…