grownup birthday roundup

Kids aren't the only ones having birthdays... our grownup friends enjoy celebrating, too!

Covid precluded Melissa and Derek's big bash for their 50th, so they went with a super fun 52nd joint party with a taco truck (yum). We had churro cake, in keeping with the Mexican theme, as well as individual mini strawberry shortcakes. The churro cake featured layers of yellow cake with a cinnamon sugar swirl and dulce de leche frosting.





Matt's favorite is carrot cake. I've made it Pesadicah (kosher for Passover) and regular, since Matt's early April birthday sometimes crosses paths with Passover. This time, I was able to make my regular recipe.


My parents' friend, Nancy, turned 75 and also celebrated with carrot cake!




And last, but never least, my lovely father-in-law turned 75 (this is waaay overdue as he turns 77 this year). His favorite is the simplest, grocery store-like, vanilla/vanilla cake. I jazzed it up with tinted frosting and sprinkles.



Then he turned 76, and I made a stained glass cake with shards of candy (melted Jolly Ranchers). I've done this before, and I remind myself every time and still don't always follow my own advice: you can't do a cake with candy shards ahead of time. You have to put the candy on immediately before serving the cake, or else it absorbs moisture from the frosting, the candy softens and starts to melt, and the sharpness of the broken pieces dissolves. Yuck. Also, Jolly Ranchers have a really strong taste. Even though I like them as a Halloween candy, I did not find the fake fruit taste appealing when combined with cake.





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