The Partridge Family & Red Velvet Cake

Does anyone else remember the Partridge Family singing "I Woke Up In Love This Morning?" They were, I have decided, singing about Red Velvet Cake. By the way, for anyone who missed that particular phenomenon or, for that matter, anyone who would just like to take a groovy stroll down memory lane, here’s the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTvUT_Hx4Dc

I am absolutely a fan of Red Velvet Cake, as are many members of my family and several close friends. One of my Christmas baking traditions is making Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting (point of clarification, I leave six of these precious gems unfrosted for my twisted sister who prefers them plain. I know, I don’t get it either, I keep asking Mom what’s wrong with her, but no one seems to know. However, I love my sister dearly, so she gets to have her Red Velvet Cupcakes however she wants.)

My personal preferences aside, it seems Red Velvet Cake is suddenly sweeping nation. Back in June CakeSpy wrote about something I had never even dreamed of, Red Velvet Cake Milkshakes. Inconceivable? That’s what I thought, but you can read all about for it for yourself right here:
http://www.cakespy.com/blog/2010/6/9/shake-me-up-before-you-go-go-the-red-velvet-cake-shake.html

I immediately shared this link with my older daughter by association, who promptly responded “this may be my undoing.” I assured her not to worry; I would be by her side every step of the way. I’m supportive like that. The thing is, we still haven’t gotten around to trying it. Part of the challenge lies in needing leftover Red Velvet Cake with which to shake. Really, who ever has leftover Red Velvet Cake? No one I know (and certainly no one I could respect!) I started to ponder making a Red Velvet Cake for the sole purpose of morphing it into many milkshakes, and then fate stepped in.

Fate, on this particular occasion, was the impending retirement of wonderful friend Dixie. As the date rapidly approached we made plans to have a celebration dinner. What, I pondered, would be a special dessert, something festive, something that feels like a party in your mouth? Oh, well, Red Velvet Cake, of course. And, with a little bit of luck, maybe, just maybe there would be a piece leftover to meet up with some vanilla ice cream in my blender the next day.

All of that said, my friends and fellow cooks, my sweet obsession with Red Velvet Cake has so overtaken me, that I’ve lost all track of time. I must put my obsession aside and get back into the kitchen to prepare for Dixie’s celebration this evening

And, as for you, my pretty little Red Velvet Cake…I woke up in love this morning, I woke up in love this morning, went to sleep with you on my mind.

Cake In Yet Another Form

You've heard quite a bit about cake from me recently, cake in many forms for that matter. Birthday cake, cupcakes, cake pops; today I give you cake in yet another form.





I'm thinking the world would be a better place if this were the makeup we wore every day...just saying...

Contemplating Cake, Birthday Cake

It is, I am pleased to report, birthday month for me (yes, I don’t just celebrate my birthday day or even birthday week, I like to make the celebration last for as long as is humanly possibly. Actually last year birthday month stretched joyfully right into February!)

But, I digress (imagine), we were talking cake, birthday cake. Just the phrase “birthday cake” makes you smile. Go ahead; try saying “birthday cake” out loud while keeping a straight face. You can’t do it, no way, inconceivable. Really, the only point of debate is what constitutes the perfect birthday cake. Do you want the same cake year after year? Or do you have two or three standards you’re apt to choose from? Perhaps you throw caution to the wind and go with whatever you’re craving when the big day rolls around?

My childhood favorite was a quarter sheet cake from what remains my favorite grocery store to this day. The cake had to be yellow with vanilla butter cream decorated with butter cream roses (only the rose color changed from year to year). As an adult, I grew to prefer my Mom’s orange cake, so that’s the choice if Mom is geographically accessible for my birthday (we live in different states now, so this limits my options for Mom’s orange cake.)

Once I got married, my sweet husband cheerfully took over the birthday cake duties and made a 9 x 13 white cake with milk chocolate frosting. Actually, knowing my love of milk chocolate frosting, he would double up the frosting part of his creation. That’s the mark of a good husband, don’t you think? Any man who will prepare and serve your birthday cake with a ridiculous amount of your preferred frosting is definitely the marrying kind.

Last year, my older daughter by association (the one of sweet potato fame) presented me with an amazingly decadent chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting. The year before last my dear friends Dan & Dixie beautifully addressed the white vs chocolate issue by gifting me with a marble layer cake (chocolate/vanilla swirl) with chocolate frosting from a fantastic local bake shop. And the year before that, I baked myself a pan of the Barefoot Contessa’s Outrageous brownies (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/outrageous-brownies-recipe3/index.html) because that’s just what sounded good to me. At my office we generally get a dozen assorted cupcakes when we celebrate birthdays, that way, there’s something for everyone.

My point, and I promise, I did have one when I started writing this, is birthday cake is a very delicious, very personal matter. And sometimes, birthday cake isn’t birthday cake at all (like my year of the brownies.) I have a cousin in North Carolina who’s husband prefers pie to cake and his family gladly indulges him in this break from tradition (hi Kim and Olyvia, thanks for following me!) And, hard as it is to believe, some among just don’t have a taste for sweets and would prefer, say, an extra rack of ribs by way of celebration, rather than a confection.

So, tell me, when it’s your day and the choice is totally yours, what says “birthday cake” to you?