Thursday, March 02, 2006

Would you make your own?

I don't get a chance to make cakes very often and I love when I get to. In fact, I think the last cake I made was the Mickey cake for Jeff's birthday. So... today I went ahead and made my own bithday cake - Do/would you make your own or would you rather buy it?

Since you know I am a big fan of peanut butter, of course I was going to have a Peanut Butter Cake! I've never made a peanut butter cake before, but I am quite pleased with how it turned out. It has a distinct peanut buttery flavor, is quite moist, and baked very even with no "dome" to trim off. Although... it would have been fun to have that dome to trim off and nibble on!

I thought for awhile about how I was going to frost and fill it, but I decided to just keep it pretty simple and do a chocolate buttercream. I was afraid the chocolate might overpower the peanut flavor, but the cake really held it's own. To give a texture difference and some more peanut taste, I scattered some chopped peanuts on top. I wanted to have some fun with the outside decoration, so I tried to do my first basketweave on the sides. My piping skills could definitely use some improvement and the frosting was probably a touch too thick, but it went okay I guess. Next time I make this cake (and I will so be doing this one again), I might try a peanut butter mousse filling with a smooth chocolate ganache frosting.

I don't mind sharing - would you like a slice?

Tonight's dinner was something Jeff and I had been talking about making for awhile. While it is pretty simple, it was so darn good. Using a new recipe for Beef Meatballs, we made Cheesy Meatball Subs. I baked the meatballs in the oven so they kept their shape well while they cooked. When they were done, I simmered them in some fresh chunky marinara and then spooned them over lightly toasted rolls. We topped them with provolone and then set under the broiler to melt the cheese. The meatballs have a bit of spice to them and were very flavorful. I served these with some baked tortilla chips.


32 comments:

  1. Joe - that cake looks gorgeous! Your decorating skills are wonderful, in spite of what you say! Happy Birthday! :)

    ~SandyM~

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  2. Wow!! Your cake looks awesome Joe!! And your decoration is definitely great too!
    Happy Birthday!!
    Ana

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  3. Happy Birthday Joe! The cake looks delicious and I think you did a great job on the basket weave!

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  4. Gorgeous cake - very professional looking! Happy Birthday! Hope it was a good one. :)

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  5. Happy Birthday Joe! What are you talking about? The cake and your basket weave piping is just gorgeous!

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  6. The cake looks and sounds amazing. And I love that you baked your own cake. I like the idea of having someone else bake a cake for my birthday. In reality, though, I sometimes wish I could bake my own cake. That way, I get exactly what I want.

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  7. the candle jive in with the garnishing or decoration of ur cake..

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  8. ooo yum! what a fantastic looking cake and i bet it tasted even better than it looks ;)

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  9. Oh Me! Me! I want a slice of that cake! Your piping looks great to me! It looks more straight than mine tends to run...

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  10. Joe - Your cake looks fantastic and I would absolutely love a slice. :) Happy Birthday!

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  11. Happy Happy Happy (belated--sorry) Birthday!!!!!!! That cake looks absolutely fabulous. I'm with you--make your own! And if there's any left over it'll taste even better today and will sorta seem like you didn't have to make it yourself. ;)

    Those subs look like perfectly scrumptious birthday food to me. I might have even had room for one after the cake. Well, maybe not. ;)

    Hope this was your best birthday yet--and that you enjoy many, many more!

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  12. what a somptuous dessert !!! what a great decoration !! may I have a slice ?
    I wish you a "bon anniversaire" ! happy bday :)

    sabine.

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  13. Happy birthday, Joe -- and better home-baked ANY DAY but especially on your own!

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  14. Happy Birthday! I could almost taste the cake right now. The subs look delicious too!

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  15. Happy belated Birthday Joe! Make your own cake is definately the way to go, and yours looks wonderful. Hope you had a great day.

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  16. Oh Belated Happy Birthday! Your cake looks so yummy. Yes, I'd make my own and I have!

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  17. Happy Birthday Joe!! Your cake looks wonderful. Very professional looking. Wish we lived closer, I'd hire you to bake all my birthday, anniversary, graduation, etc. cakes!

    Tammy

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  18. Well, darn it all...happy birthday to you!!!

    2 March is a busy day, isn't it?

    Love the cake.

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  19. holy crap that cake looks good. Nice "basket" decorating job! Happy BirthdaY!

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  20. Gorgeous cake, Joe. I think that your basketweave looks fantasticparticularly considering that it's a first attempt. Really lovely.

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  21. Happy Birthday! Awesome cake and I would so rather make my own some years. In fact, I was just thinking of making myself the italian cream cake from CL b/c I've never made it and have always wanted to!

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  22. Happy Birthday Joe!!
    The cake looks so yummy! I didn't make myself a birthday cake this year... I should, it's only 2 weeks late and cake is cake, right? lol

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  23. great looking cake, Joe - i like the basket-weave on the sides - v. impressive. Happy Birthday to youuuuu!

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  24. You just make the best and prettiest stuff! Thank you so much for taking the time to share all these goodies with us.........

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  25. I wanted to say hi and thanks for dropping by my blog. Now, after dropping by your blog I find that a "happy birthday" is in order. Hope you had a good one! And...are you available to decorate my daughter's birthday cake? Because that is a seriously beautiful cake! :-)

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  26. Happy Birthday. I'm glad it was a good one for you.

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  27. Happy Birthday! If I could bake like you I would definitely make my own cake. Chocolate & peanut butter--yum!

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  28. Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes!

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  29. I'm awfully late but hope you had a wonderful birthday. All the best in teh near ahead.

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  30. happy oh-so-belated birthday! your cake and cake decorating skillz look beyond awesome. hope you had a great day!

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  31. Thank you Valentina and kickpleat!

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