Happy Birthday Craig

Yesterday was Craig's 24th birthday so we had a pretty relaxing day. Kane and I went out in the morning and did a little grocery shop and we got Daddy timbits and a large double double. When I got home I made Craig lasagna and garlic bread for dinner. I also finished preparing his Birthday cake. 

This year I didn't know what kind of cake to make Craig because he doesn't like anything super sweet. He hardly ever eats chocolate except his favorite Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. HE LOVES THEM. So when I stumbled across this awesome blog Annie's Eats

http://annies-eats.net/2008/07/23/reese%E2%80%99s-cup-chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/

and found this amazingly delicious looking Reese's Peanut Butter Cake, I knew it was the cake for him.

Except I didn't make her recipe because I knew Craig would want his vanilla cake. So I began a search online and through my cookbooks for Vanilla cake and Peanut butter icing. This is my cake:

Her cake looks way better than mine, but this is also my first attempt at this cake. The recipe I used for the white cake I found on All Recipes http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Heavenly-White-Cake/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

1.     Measure sifted flour, baking powder, and salt; sift together three times.

2.     In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually, and continue beating only until meringue will hold up in soft peaks.

3.     Cream butter or margarine. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add sifted ingredients alternately with milk a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Mix in flavorings. Add meringue, and beat thoroughly into batter. Spread batter in a 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan which has been lined on the bottom with parchment paper.

4.     Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. This cake may also be baked in two 9 inch round pans for 30 to 35 minutes, or in three 8 inch round pans for 25 to 30 minutes. 

This cake taste amazing but I find it rather dense especially since it’s a meringue base cake. thought it would be light and fluffy, I might have overworked mine.

The icing I found on all recipes too but I altered mine http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fluffy-Peanut-Butter-Frosting/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1.     Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

This icing is delicious but I found it tasted more like butter and light on the peanut butter, so I added an extra 1/2 cup peanut butter and 3 more tbsp of milk to make it smoother.

 Overall I liked this cake but next time I'm making it with chocolate cake and I think Craig had a good birthday but out of it all I'm sure he loved his Boston’s Celtics Jersey I got him the best. He’s been wanting one for years and I finally found one.