I love birthdays!  Love love them.  I love planning for them and finding ways to make people feel special on their days.  Usually that involves baking special treats, and then watching their faces light up when I give them to them.

One of my good friend and classmate’s birthdays was over spring break so we won’t be together to celebrate.  So I knew I had to do something really special for her before we left.  When she was least expecting it.

This same friend is in love with all things pink.

So when it came time to make her birthday cake I knew exactly what I was going to do.  I used my all time favorite cake recipe (aka – our wedding cake) with raspberry mousse and white chocolate buttercream.  And I made a lot of it because it had to feed a lot of people.  3 batches of cake made enough for a 3-layered 10 inch cake, a 2-layered 6 inch cake, and a dozen cupcakes.

2 tiers baby

I frosted it using this method and it turned out great.  It was fairly simple to do, just a little time consuming.  Totally worth it!

Who’s birthday is next?

Carrot cakes can be a touchy subject. Some people like nuts. Some don’t. Some people like raisins. Some don’t. Some people like cream cheese frosting. Some I don’t.

Fortunately, I think that everyone can agree on a good carrot cake base. It should be moist, dense, sweet, a little spicy and chock full of carrots.

Growing up, my mom always made this carrot cake and everyone else loved it. I wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole because I despised cream cheese and coconut. The thought alone made me gag. She would make carrot cake for everyone else, and then something special for me. Call me spoiled.

Since I’ve grown up, I’ve started to widen my eyes a little and calmed my gag reflex. Slowly but surely I’ve come to see the light. It all started when I realized that the “cake part” of carrot cake was really just an amazing spice cake. I would eat the cake, and scrape the cream cheese frosting off. Usually someone else would gladly eat that part for me.

try not to grate your fingers

Now I’m to the point that I can tolerate eating it. No, I don’t want to eat it with a spoon like I do with this frosting. But I can appreciate what it does for the cake.

And everyone else loves it, so why do I have to be so crazy?

Now I’m no carrot cake connoisseur, but I’m pretty sure the hundreds of people who have scarfed this cake down in my house over the years were. And folks, this cake is the best around. There is a restaurant back home who’s specialty is carrot cake and sells it for like $6 a slice. My mom’s is better. Promise.

Oh, and when you make it at home you can throw in whatever the heck mix ins you want. I like walnuts, no raisins. If you like raisins, add them. If you aren’t nutty, leave them out. Whatever your little heart desires. You can easily mix this whole cake by hand in 5 minutes flat. My mom always made it in a sheet cake pan, but it works well as a layered cake as well.

So there you have it friends, just in time for Easter. A carrot cake sure to wow your friends and family.

And if you’re curious how I frosted the carrots, I followed this tutorial. It took a little practice, but was overall pretty simple.

PS – Mom, please don’t hate me for sharing your secret! It’s too good not to.

A preview of what’s to come…