It was my boss's birthday yesterday and I decided to bring in a cake to celebrate. I originally planned to give the recipe a test run at my mother's belated Chinese New Year celebration, but my dad kibboshed the idea because one of the dogs in attendance has been known to steal food off countertops (big dog, esp. when on hindlegs). So I broke my cardinal rule about not bringing in food that has not been proven a success before. It would be easy to get around that standard if I were making cookies, but when it's a layer cake, you can't exactly cut a slice and try it out the night before.
I was extra worried because I'd never successfully produced a layer cake. I tried once when I was in middle school, but the top layer didn't want to stay in place, and it was awful and I stayed away from layer cakes ever since. However, this Ina Garten recipe really tempted me and I gave in. It was really easy to make and the layers baked perfectly. I didn't use her frosting recipe though, because using a raw egg yolk in frosting sounds gross, and I was making it the night before, and I didn't have pasteurized eggs. I used the Magnolia chocolate buttercream recipe instead and all was good. The layers stayed where they were placed, and the frosting didn't fall off the sides of the cake overnight.
At work the next day, my boss, being the low-key type, agreed that I'd just put the cake out and he'd get the first piece. Absolutely NO SINGING allowed. I didn't invite anyone to partake, well except for Jennie, who had advance warning, but a crowd showed up for cake, not even knowing that it was for a birthday. Everyone liked the cake and there was even a remark of surprise that the cake wasn't store-bought. And there was the usual, "Why don't you open a bakery?" comment. The very idea scares me.
So I guess my boss got what he wanted with a low-key birthday, as people talked more about the cake than the fact he was one year older.
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