The Best Birthday Cake Ever to Celebrate Two Birthdays

Today we are celebrating two birthdays! 24 Carrot Life is turning 1. My baby is growing up! And I’m turning the big 2-4.

I feel a whole year older…not. I am, however, looking forward to another year. 23 was good to me. I started this blog (just a few days before my 23rd birthday), got my first job, fell in love with that job, quit that job to move to Mexico for a research fellowship, and have been living in Mexico for the past six months. I’d say that was a pretty productive year. And things don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. In my 24th year, I will continue to live in Mexico until June, I will (hopefully) get another job, and who knows what else! Lots of unknowns, which is both scary and exciting.

As I mentioned the other day, I started 24 Carrot Life on Valentine’s Day last year. So romantic, right? So, this weekend was filled with celebrations for my birthday and my blog’s birthday. You know what that means… LOTS of cake. And by lots, I mean four different birthday cakes! I got an Oreo one from friends on Saturday night, I made myself The Best Birthday Cake Ever, I chowed down on a chocolate tres leches cake from my Mexican family, and will be enjoying a double chocolate cake today with my non-profit coworkers. I ate all the cake. I loved it all. And tomorrow I’m not sure I’ll be able to look at another slice of cake (at least for a few days). It will be time for lots of veggies.

There’s my Oreo cake on the left and on the right I am taking a bite out of the tres leches cake as Daniel’s nephew looks on. This is a Mexican tradition after everyone sings happy birthday to you. Sometimes people push your head into the cake so you get frosting on your face but Daniel’s mom, who was sitting next to me, was kind enough not to do this to me. 

Now, I know you’re probably thinking, “The Best Birthday Cake Ever? That’s a strong statement!”, but I’m being serious. This really is hands-down the best birthday cake I have ever had. I have criteria for making this kind of claim. The cake itself cannot be dry or flavorless. You know the cakes that are so blah that it has to be slathered in icing just to make it edible. Not this one. The cake is moist and flavorful and I could have eaten it plain! I also want icing that doesn’t taste like I’m eating a plain stick of butter (buttercream, I’m talking to you!). I have yet to find my favorite vanilla birthday icing recipe yet, but this is definitely taking first place for chocolate icings. Finally, there needs to be a solid ratio of cake to icing in each bite. Enter the layer cake.

Now, if we’re practicing full disclosure here (which I am definitely a fan of), then I must tell you that this cake almost didn’t make it. As I think I’ve told you before, I don’t have an oven where I am living right now. I know, how is that possible? It kills me inside a little every time I see a great recipe using an oven that I can’t make immediately. But, my friend lives up the street and lets me go over to bake and then I pay her back in baked goods. Pretty good deal. Well, I was a little rushed baking this cake and I didn’t grease the two pans well enough. The first one did not want to come out and I had to scrape it out into a pile of crumbs. That’s the bottom layer. The second one was almost flawless except for a big divet that if you look closely you’ll see in the back of the cake. Frosting solves all problems. It acts as the glue and the makeup. I was on a cake mission and no amount of crumbs was going to stop me.

To get this recipe, head over to The Vintage Mixer. Warning: You will never be able to make any other birthday cake after you try this one out. And heck, you don’t even need to have a birthday as an excuse to make this cake, so hop to it!

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve posted two “not so healthy” dessert recipes in a row. This is very reflective of how I ate this weekend. Don’t worry though, I’ll be back with more healthy recipes on Wednesday and I have a great one planned for Fiesta Fridays this week that I can’t wait to share with you all!