It's my birthday! Yay me! I survived another year of this crazy life and I do believe we should celebrate.
It really was a crazy year. I found myself working from home, which has really been a blessing and a period in my life that I will always cherish. I've spent more time with my kids, my husband and my family. It was a happy year for my family; my youngest brother got married, my closest cousin got married, and I welcomed a new niece and nephew into the world.
I've watched my daughters grow into beautiful, independent little girls, and most notably over the past year, I've watched them become best friends. With my own sisters as my best friends, there is nothing better than knowing that Madeline and Mia will always, always have each other. Talk about an amazing birthday gift - those girls enrich my life every single day.
Lemon Sugar has grown beyond my wildest and most far-fetched expectations. I've worked with brands like Castello Cheese, Organized Living, KitchenAid, Glidden Paint, and Tide. It's been a GREAT year. I can't thank you all enough for being faithful readers of Lemon Sugar, and taking an interest in my little corner of the internet.
It's funny that most of my birthday wishes this year have included comments like, "Make your husband cook for YOU tonight," or "I hope someone makes YOU a cake!" I actually look forward to my birthday because it's the one day of the year that I actually get to make what I want. Obviously, I love to bake, so baking for myself is a luxury that I can't pass up!
This year, I went back to basics. You all know by now that I'm a big chocolate cake fan, so a simple chocolate cake, filled with vanilla buttercream (which keeps the cake SOOOOOOOOOO perfectly moist) and topped with a vanilla-amond Swiss meringue buttercream sounded like a great idea to me.
A birthday cake is meant to be bright and colorful and oozing celebration, so I chose a take on ombre shading, inspired by my favorite sprinkles. I love the way the blue and green and the pink and blue fade together. Swiss meringue buttercream is the best frosting for ombre shading, and it didn't disappoint today. The cake has a dreamy feel, both in its appearance and its taste and texture.
Dreamy.
Next time you need an awesome celebration cake, give this recipe a try. It bakes in three layers, which you'll cut in half before frosting. If you've never tried Swiss meringue buttercream, you definitely need to try this! It's not as sweet as standard buttercream, it's silkier, very buttery and has an amazing texture for frosting. It works really well with chocolate cake, and it's really not as hard as it sounds. However, if you don't want to attempt it, just double the buttercream filling recipe.
Thanks again everyone for following along here at Lemon Sugar. Your support is one of the big reasons that I have so much to celebrate today. Thanks for the birthday wishes, and check back tomorrow for another great recipe.
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Enjoy!
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