It's my birthday and I want cake!

Yes, it's my birthday tomorrow. And I decided that after trying to make so many cakes that fell short, I would make something good. I won't tell you how old I am, but I will say that I've had the opportunity for many, many, many birthday cakes. I know that Authentic Foods makes a great vanilla cake mix that I used for muffins. Why not make a cake? I had two of my daughter's very best friends as helpers, and all four of us had a great time making the cake. Too bad they had to leave before it cooled, but I'm saving a piece for them (maybe...it's really good.)

I'm making soup for dinner tomorrow on my birthday. I love soup: it's so comforting. I'll have soup, wine and cake. And Daughter and I will be watching two movies in a row at the theater just for fun. Now, that's what I call a great birthday.



Is this yummy looking or what? And guess what... it tastes even better than it looks. Even hubby grabbed a fork and finished off my piece. Now that's a compliment, since he's not a sweets eater anyway. This cake is moist, delicious and not overly sweet. I did use a pre-made icing and only put it between the layers and on top so it didn't overpower the cake. (I also added a few chocolate chips for fun.) I used a chocolate layer on the bottom and vanilla on the top. Hubby recommends soaking with raspberry liquor between layers next time, and I'm already trying to figure out how to make a good tiramisu with the vanilla cake.

I used the Authentic Foods vanilla cake mix and the chocolate cake mix. I did make a few changes to the recipes on the package (now come on sweets, you knew I wouldn't just follow directions...) To the vanilla cake mix, just follow the directions and add 1/2 package of instant vanilla pudding and use half & half instead of milk. For the chocolate cake, I used the directions for the vanilla cake and the changes above. I think next time I'll use instant chocolate pudding, but I didn't think of it early enough. But it is still wonderful, moist and delish! The pudding makes a big difference since you need something to keep it moist and together like a real cake.



I thought I would be done having cake and muffins, but these days more and more options are out there for those of us eating GF. I also received a package of chocolate zucchini muffins and chocolate chip cookies, both from Gluten Free Creations here in Phoenix (link on the right). They were wonderful, and who would have thought that there would be so much wonderful stuff out there. Of course, I will admit that a lot of it is pure crap, but it's all out there to try. And don't be content with the recipe the way it stands, make it your own any way you want. I used the lemon cake mix and added fresh blueberries for the best blueberry muffins I've had in years, even before going GF.

Enjoy!