Your cart is currently empty!
Why Making Homemade Birthday Cakes Matters to Me
When my mom hit the big 4-0, I took charge and whipped up eight buttermilk cakes for her backyard birthday bash. I was just 13 and had this vision of filling each of our eight round tables with cakes, with her getting the grandest one, complete with lit candles. That day was all about baking—I sifted flour from our old Hoosier cabinet and used a handheld mixer to create layer upon layer of sweetness. I remember standing for hours, pouring my heart into those cakes, even questioning if eight was too much. Spoiler alert: it was, as we ended up with half-eaten cakes scattered around at the end of the night!
Fast forward to today, and I’m now 47, with a treasure trove of cake-baking memories. Like the time my sister Lily turned 10, and we made a cake inspired by Tasha Tudor’s Becky’s Birthday, floating it down a river. Or when I crafted a tiered chocolate cake that had a bit of a topple for my college buddy Jenna’s birthday. I even made a cake without measuring cups during my dad’s 60th celebration in Ireland—just me, an AGA oven, and my instincts! For my kids, I’ve whipped up everything from treasure chest cakes to soccer balls, and for my husband’s 50th, I made a gigantic lemon frosting cake adorned with fresh raspberries that looked like it was on fire when all the candles were lit.
Now, as I reflect on life at this mid-point—17 years into marriage, and with both boys getting closer to leaving home—I often debate whether to buy a cake instead of bake one. But then I remember the joy of making cakes from scratch. I pull out my well-loved recipes and get to work, creaming butter and sugar, separating eggs, and folding in soft-peaked egg whites. The cakes I bake may be simpler now, but they still carry the same love.
Baking birthday cakes for my loved ones has been a constant in my life, and they always taste amazing. If you’re interested in the joys of home insemination, check out this link to one of our other blog posts, and if you’re looking for expert advice on boosting fertility, you might want to explore resources from sites like Make a Mom. For a deeper dive into pregnancy and home insemination, WebMD is an excellent read.
In short, baking homemade birthday cakes is not just a tradition for me; it’s a heartfelt way to celebrate the people I love.