I Love … Birthdays. August 29th is Rose’s.

The internet was down all afternoon, so I popped outside with the rubbish and heard some ladies singing the old standard birthday song. “Whose birthday is it?” I called from outside the window where the jubilee for 30 years on planet Earth was happening. “It’s Rose’s!” She and several of her friends came to greet … More I Love … Birthdays. August 29th is Rose’s.

Birthday by proxy: Dutch Potato Cake for My Brother Brian

Happy Birthday, Brian! Continuing my tradition of birthday cakes by proxy, the 23rd of March is his birthday and I baked a cake in his honor. I’m pretty sure that his fiancee will be providing one closer to home, but we won’t be sharing it, so I decided to make my great great grandmother’s recipe … More Birthday by proxy: Dutch Potato Cake for My Brother Brian

Homemade Raspberry Filling plus Birthday Cake to Soak It Up

This cake was a first for me, and I can thank the birthday person for whom it was made for the germ of an idea. I’d asked him and asked his wife to ask him what kind of birthday cake he’d like. I’d planned to make my grandmother’s Dutch Chocolate Cake for his birthday this … More Homemade Raspberry Filling plus Birthday Cake to Soak It Up

When A Birthday Cake Is A Big Cupcake, and Lights Get Wavy

The 22nd of November is the birthday of my friend and fellow cat enthusiast. Last year I missed the actual date, so it doesn’t count. Since then I found that she likes chocolate cupcakes with white frosting, so I made a big one with two layers and found some decadent Belgian chocolate nonpareils to act … More When A Birthday Cake Is A Big Cupcake, and Lights Get Wavy

German Chocolate Cake for Sylvia’s Birthday. She turns oopsie into comic gold.

My friend and the neighborhood’s reigning matriarch had a birthday today. She didn’t want a big party this year, but next year, one of those zeroes, definitely a party because her son will be here from abroad come Hell or high water. (Ha! Literally.) We agreed to a small sit-down dinner instead of balancing plates … More German Chocolate Cake for Sylvia’s Birthday. She turns oopsie into comic gold.