Birthday Cake

Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.

I come from a long line of great cooks hailing from the southern states of Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolina’s to eventually land on the southeast side of Chicago, Illinois. Even the men in my family could cook, bake, broast and barbecue a mean rib.

I am number 3 of 6 children, the 2cd of 4 girls who can all cook exceptionally. Well, we vary in what we can cook, or shall I say it varys on what I can cook…. which leads me into Homemade Birthday cake, lol.

April is a beautiful month, warm sunny days, the bloom of nature, smells of flowers, sunshine and fresh cut grass. This particular day happened to be my youngest son’s birthday. I am brimming with happiness, music playing softly in the background, spring breeze coming through the windows. The children are at school, my husband is at work. I am preparing for a family birthday celebration. Nothing fancy just us and the grannies.

I would normally buy a birthday cake; I was feeling very family orientated on this day. Besides, what is so hard about making a swan 1,2,3 cake with butter cream frosting, right? It’s not like I didn’t watch as the women in my family baked. I was always in the kitchen, watching, and helping. I just never developed the skill of baking cakes or cookies, unless it came out of a box.

Well…. let me tell you. I followed the directions on the Swan cake flour box to the tea…. well not really. I still have that recipe; I will include it at the end. So, 1^st, it is called the Swans cake flour 1,2,3,4 Cake. I made many mistakes …like using 3 eggs because I didn’t want to stop what I was doing to go get some more eggs at the store, use vanilla that wasn’t real and 2 tsp of baking powder. The sugar did not cream with the butter for the butter cream frosting and the cake fell and baked lopsided.

I finished preparing the cake laughing at its appearance. Knowing I would not present this I had just enough time to go pick up a cake. I put on my shoes got in the car, there use to be a bakery downtown Chicago called “Let Them Eat Cake”, I went there picked up a butter cream frosted vanilla cake. I returned home prepared this cake. Looked at the cake I made. I decided to present the lopsided cake first just for giggles.

The birthday dinner was great the food was wonderful, everyone was happy. I go in the kitchen to bring out he lopsided cake. I lit the candles came out of the kitchen into the dinning room as everyone’s face is lite up with anticipation…. The grannies where the closes to the kitchen door as they see the cake their smile turns into a gasp. One of the granny’s grab my arm, in slow motion the lopsided cake goes sliding down to the floor as the other granny try to catch it, I stand up laughing everyone looks perplexed the grannies are apologizing, the kids are laughing icing is everywhere.

We begin to clean up the mess as I announce we should all head to the kitchen. Everyone follows me to the kitchen where the other cake was safely on the table. I lit the candles we sang happy birthday; the cake was delicious. All I could think was …I am so glad I went to get another cake…

As promised, here’s the Swans 1,2,3,4 cake recipe. I have learned to bake

Swans Down Cake Flour’s “1-2-3-4 Cake” is a classic recipe for a simple and delicious vanilla cake. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients:

– 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

– 2 cups sugar

– 3 cups Swans Down Cake Flour

– 3 tsp baking powder

– 1/2 tsp salt

– 4 large eggs

– 1 cup milk

– 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

it and it actually turns out great.

instruction’s

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the Swans Down Cake Flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.

8. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then remove them from the pans and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Once your cakes are completely cooled, you can frost and decorate them as desired. This classic 1-2-3-4 Cake is versatile and can be paired with various frostings and fillings to suit your taste. Enjoy!