One Year: Birthday Strawberry Pie Bars
Two Years: Oatmeal (Ice) Cream Pie
Three Years: Yellow Birthday Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
Four Years: Birthday Brie Grilled Cheese with Raspberries, Avocado, and Caramelized Onions
Five Years: Marzipan Cardamom Snickerdoodles
Six Years: Red Curry Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Corn
Magnolia’s Chocolate with Vanilla (Birthday) Cake
Adapted From The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
Makes one 2-layer cake
Chocolate Buttermilk Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Buttercream:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6-8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
a few drops of food coloring, if using
Assembly:
nonpareils, for sprinkling
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and lightly flour two 9 x 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper. In a medium-size bowl, sift together the flour and the baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugars until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk and the vanilla, beating after each addition until smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. When cake has cooled, ice between the layers, then ice top of cake.
Buttercream:
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating will after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.
Assembly:
Sprinkle the top of the frosted cake with nonpareils. Serve! Cake will last up to 3 days, kept in an airtight container.
