Birthday cake advice

[alison]

Dh's birthday is on Thursday, and I want to make him a cake. Here are the criteria:

1) nothing with frosting
2) nothing too sweet
3) dh has a sweet tooth and I don't (something sweet, but not too sweet)
4) I have a mixer and a spring form pan, but none of the other fancy-pants stuff (no cupcake pans, for instance)

Any ideas?! I'm not much of a baker.

Re: Birthday cake advice

DH's favorite is an amaretto bundt cake that I make. Super, super easy....just use the Betty Crocker french vanilla cake mix and replace about 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups of the water with amaretto. Once the cake has cooled, poke holes in it and pour about 1/4 cup of amaretto on top. I usually top it with vanilla buttercream frosting, but you can also just sprinkle some powdered sugar on it before serving.

I hope he was able to get the day off for his birthday!

[alison]

Re: Birthday cake advice

That sounds good - maybe a tad too sweet for me? I do like a good bundt though! Do I need one of those cake pans to make it look bundt-y?

Nope, he doesn't get the day off. They said he wasn't allowed to. As his 3rd day off, he took yesterday, so that he'd at least have 2 days in a row off. No 4th day off in sight. Boohoo.

I was going to make him 2 cakes. One for the two of us, and then send one to work with him (German tradition for the birthday boy/girl to bring things on one's b-day).
Or do you think that's overkill?

[alison]

Re: Birthday cake advice

Overkill, in the sense that I am not a good baker. Maybe I'll just make one cake and cut it in half!

[samssugarmomma]

Re: Birthday cake advice

Do you like chocolate chips? My favorite cake is a chocolate chip bundt cake.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
1 sprays cooking spray
2 tsp all-purpose flour
18 1/2 oz unprepared yellow cake mix
1 package instant vanilla pudding dry mix, 3.4 oz
8 oz fat-free egg substitute
8 oz fat-free sour cream
3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray, dust the inside of the pan with flour and set aside.

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, egg substitute, sour cream, water, oil and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix on low speed for 30 seconds until dry ingredients are moist, about 30 seconds. Then mix on medium speed until batter is almost smooth, about 2 minutes; fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and level the surface. Bake until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes; invert cake onto rack and cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over cake just before serving; slice into 16 pieces.

[alison]

Re: Birthday cake advice

Do you like chocolate chips?

Yes... I love chocolate.
My favorite store in NYC is Maison du Chocolat.

Thanks for your post, Kate.

[DCJenn]

Re: Birthday cake advice

How about a lemon pound cake?

Pepperidge Farm used to make a good one if you're looking for a seriously easy way out.

Jenn

[alison]

Re: Birthday cake advice

Motivation: Low

I'm going to make one bundt (haven't decided which one of yours to make), and then pick up one at TJs.

I have to find a big "30" candle.

[Auspicious]

Re: Birthday cake advice

TJ's also has a green tea flavored boxed cake mix that's tasty. FYI. Mmmmm.

[peggyfromwastate]

Re: Birthday cake advice

You may have to buy a "3" and a "0" separately...

All this cake talk is making me hungry! I don't even know what a spring pan thing is, so Alison, you're a pretty advanced baker in my book! You're sweet to make something special!

[alison]

Re: Birthday cake advice

I made two cakes, one similar to the one Kate posted.
:thud:

And the second is a cheesecake, for dh and me.

I am not going to do this again any time in the near future.

[samssugarmomma]

Re: Birthday cake advice

2 cakes? YUM!

It's a good thing that birthdays only come once a year!