I love birthdays. More specifically, I love my birthday. I'm not content with a one-day celebration, instead, I'm all about the birthday month. Sure presents are great, but I'm all about the fun times with friends: picnics, bike gangs, sunny patios and dart games. But most importantly I'm a sucker for a good birthday cake.
 
 
I always make my own cake because I can be a bit of a control freak: I want to be sure that this cake is gonna be good. Also, who else is going to make one for me? My husband and friends, while I love them dearly, aren't fans of baking. So about a month before the big day, I get a little swept up in cake mania. I start to search online and through cookbooks making lists for the ideal birthday cake. One year I made a fantastic yellow layer cake filled with lemon curd and topped with a rich chocolate ganache. Last year I swooned over Molly's Winning Hearts & Minds chocolate cake topped with gobs of fluffy vanilla whipped cream. This year, the birthday cake playing field is wide open.
 
 
Top of my list so far is this Sweet & Salty cake from the Baked Cookbook. Dana Treat has made it six times already and if that's not an endorsement for happy birthday cake times I don't know what is.  It's a true show-stopper with lots of layers, fluffy chocolate frosting and salted caramel. Perfect!
 
 
Then there's the strawberry-graham icebox cake over at Seven Spoons. Tara has a knack for making beautiful cakes and this one is no exception. Strawberries, whipped cream and graham crackers plus a trip to the freezer turns out one refreshing & special cake.
 
 
Dawn over at Vanilla Kitchen always seems to push the envelope when it comes to baked sweets. Her Devil's Food Cake with ganache and peanut butter cream cheese frosting and salty peanuts is no exception. It's definitely a special occasion kind of cake.
 
 
Yup, another recipe from the Baked Cookbook. This time it's a Root Beer Float cake found at Joy the Baker. Seriously, root beer floats just may be my most favorite thing ever. It may not be a layer cake, but dang, it's one hot bundt.
 
What's your ideal birthday cake? Does it need to have layers? Will only chocolate do? Spill the beans in the comments below! 

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