A few weeks ago we celebrated my good friend Tina's 40th birthday! It was a total surprise for her, she didn't have a clue... especially since her birthday was back in July!!!... We never got to celebrate it with her during the summer so our friend Ana, planned a nice evening at her house and we told Tina it was a housewarming party. It really kind of was too, since Ana just moved to a beautiful new house at the lake.
It's been a while since I baked a cake, a 'real' cake, I mean! But this cake is my all time favorite. It's rich and dense and tastes like the cakes your grandmother made when you were a child. It's totally a splurge in terms of calories, so don't even think about counting them! To top it, I used a regular butter cream frosting.
In terms of decoration, I used a technique I learned from one of my favorite baking blogs, I am Baker. These roses were really easy to make and they made the cake look, classy and expensive. I didn't use a real color for my frosting this time. I wanted an elegant, clean look. So I just 'tinted' my really white frosting with Wilton's Color Icing Brown. The brown made the white turn a very pretty shade of off-white or bone color. I was really happy with the results!!!...and my friend Tina loved it!!! Mission accomplished!!!
Cream Cheese Birthday Cake
(Makes a 12" cake)
Ingredients:
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese packages
4 unsalted butter sticks
4 cups self rising flour
4 cups granulated sugar
12 medium eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Procedure:
1. Mix cheese, butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla extract.
3. Add half of the eggs (6) and half of the flour (2 cups).
4. Continue mixing until well incorporated.
4. Add remaining eggs and flour.
5. Spread the batter into a prepared (well greased) 12" pan, tap lightly against the counter to remove air bubbles.
6. Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Happy birthday Tina!!!
