Birthday Cake!

This cake was my third paid order I've done so far! It was for the 5th birthday of a little boy named Jordan. He specially requested that he have a chocolate, heart-shaped cake with blue icing. Apparently he wanted the same cake for his 4th birthday last year but wasn't very impressed when his parents took a shortcut and just got a blue heart drawn on a regular slab cake. So, Jordan, I hope this is the cake that you've been dreaming of since your last birthday!

For the chocolate cake I used the previously posted recipe for Black Magic Cake, and divided the batter between one 9x9" square cake pan and one 9x9" circle cake pan. To make the heart shape I posistioned the square cake so that it was a diamond, cut the circle cake evenly in half and then put a half-circle on each of the top sides of the diamond. I liked this method for creating a heart-shaped cake better than using a heart-shaped cake pan because it gave the heart a more definitive shape and also meant there would be more cake. For the vanilla icing I tried a new recipe which I absolutely loved. It is the perfect vanilla icing and definitely my new favorite!

Here is the recipe:

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups butter, room temperature

3 and 1/2 cups icing sugar

2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy (about two minutes). Add one cup of icing sugar, and continue beating until well incorporated into the mix. Repeat with the remaining icing sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla, and continue beating until smooth. Spread out on a cooled cake or cupcakes. Leftover icing can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer until needed. Before using the icing just let it come to room temperature and beat it with a mixer until smooth.

*Recipe by Brooke McMillan