Birthday Cake

My husband loves cake. Loves it. So, for his birthday, I always make him his special birthday cake. I make it only for him, the same one every year, and he loves it. I love it. We all love this cake. So, if you have someone that you love more than anything, make them this cake on their birthday. They will love you for it. :)

Here is what you need to assemble this cake:

-2 sponge cakes. Make sure that you allow PLENTY of time for them to cool! After they have cooled, slice each cake into two layers, resulting in 4 layers of cake.

-1 batch of mocha frosting. Set aside 1 cup of this frosting to pipe on decorations later.  

-1 batch of chocolate frosting

-cake syrup

Place your first layer, cut side up, onto the cake stand. Make sure you center it now, becuase it will be too late later ( I always forget this step!) Brush a few teaspoons of the cake syrup onto the top of the layer. Spread on mocha frosting. Use as much or little frosting as you would like, but remember this is going to be a 4 layer cake- don't go overboard now! Top with second layer, cut side up. Again, brush on syrup, then frosting. Repeat with third layer. Brush the 4th layer of cake with syrup, then place it onto the cake, cut side DOWN. This will give you a smooth surface to frost on top. At this point you want to apply the crumb coating to the cake. This is the first round of frosting the entire cake. It is a thin layer of the mocha frosting, just ment to keep everything (crumbs) in place. After you have finished, place the cake into the fridge for at least 20 minutes to allow the frosting to set up.

When you are ready to continue, take the cake out of the fridge and frost the cake with the chocolate frosting. Everyone has their own method, so just do whatever works best for you. Once you are done, put the cake back into the fridge to set up while you prepare your piping bag. A few notes about piping: use the mocha frosting to decorate, as it is a different color as the chocolate frosting. It gives the cake a nice contrast of chocolatey colors. :) Also, when filling the bag, I find that it is easiest to stand the bag up in a large glass. This way, you save any frosting that escapes. Pipe the decoration around the cake, or you could use chocolate shavings if you don't want the hassle. I used a very basic decoration this year, as I was running out of time. But you can be as simple or elaborate as you want. Trust me, it doesn't matter. This cake is that delicious!

Enjoy!