i am baker

The best part of birthdays?? The cake of course!

I would love to share with you a fun cake idea as well as some tips on how YOU can best enjoy all the birthdays you celebrate!

Here’s Tip #1: Use a fabulous box mix like Pillsbury Cake Mix to ensure a level, beautiful and delicious cake! Don’t stress about finding the perfect from scratch recipe, especially if you are a busy working parent. Your child will not know the difference, but they will know that you baked something special just for them!

I am a huge fan of the easy concept. Just because the technique is easy doenst mean you are sacrificing beauty!

For this cake I used a #32 tip from Wilton. Simply hold the tip at the base of the cake, apply light pressure, and move up to the top. Make sure to take the frosting all the way over the top edge of the cake.

For the top I used a #1M tip and just made little swirled dollops of frosting.

This is a classic technique that I have loved and admired forever. I left the better part of the top of the cake white and really like how clean it looks!

The inside was something different all together!

I decided to make it a surprise inside cake, because who doesn’t love a good surprise???

Funfetti officially turns 25 this year, so what better way to celebrate than a unique and FUN and festive cake?

Can you tell what the surprise is?

A candle!

This tiny candle will be in every single piece of cake. I just love that everyone who gets a piece will get some of the FUN surprise!

And whats even better is that sweet little candle is surrounded by a bright and festive Funfetti Cake.

Ready for those other two tips on how you can celebrate more?

Tip #2: Make a tradition. Choose to always bake a cake. Or make a certain flavor of cake. Or buy a huge pack of candles on your baby’s first birthday and use the same candles every year. Or make a personalized Birthday Book!

Tip #3: Relax. If you are a parent and trying to plan the perfect party for your most precious little angle, take a moment to sit back and catch your breath. Are family and friends going to be gathered around? Is there enough cake for everyone? Then that is all you need. I know, I know… we all want our children to have the most special day. But truly… feeling loved is the greatest gift we can give them!

In honor of Funfetti’s Special Day I would love to share some gifts with you! Pillsbury is generously giving away a Prize Pack of fun.

Funfetti Celebration Starter Reader Giveaway Kit:

One box of Pillsbury Funfetti Premium Cake & Cupcake Mix
Funfetti Frostings (1 each of four new frosting flavors)
$50 dollar Visa or American Express gift card
Total estimated giveaway value: $60

To win simply leave a comment telling me:

Do you celebrate with cake on your birthday?

Be sure to visit then on Facebook (PillsburyBaking) and see all the amazing creations they are sharing!

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!

Rich Chocolate Buttercream

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

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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!)

Candle Birthday Cake {Surprise Inside Cake}

Happy Birthday Cake!