birthday cake for beanie

i really like to bake.  but i don't really have a sweet tooth, so baking for me is something i do for others.  in my opinion, a birthday cake is a very special and integral part of a birthday celebration, so it has to be good.

one of my favorite things to do is gush over my friends when its their birthdays-- make sure they feel special all day long.  because a birthday comes once a year, so why not really celebrate?  one of my lovely Belles had a birthday last week and i decided to bake her a cake to share with the group.  i generally find out if there are favorite flavors they'd like to have, or a specific kind of cake preference, but Beanie said she just wanted chocolate and some kind of fruit.  perfect.


i decided to make her a chocolate cake with a raspberry and strawberry filling.  but with a dark chocolate cake base, i didn't really feel like frosting the entire thing with store bought icing (and can't make my own from scratch because i don't have a mixer!) and i knew icing would be too sugary for the cake i had in mind.  instead, i went to the store and found a pint of fresh strawberries and a jar of raspberry preserves (this is my favorite kind, but just pick out something that looks good quality).  i also picked up a box of dark chocolate cake mix and some striped candles.

i simply baked two 8-inch square cakes and let them cool completely.  while they cooled off, i took what i had left of the white icing from Beth's birthday cake from the fridge (about a cup) and added around a 1/4 cup of raspberry preserves in to the icing, stirring until combined.  i also gave the strawberries a good wash and sliced them in to long, thick slices (maybe 4 or 5 per medium sized strawberry).

once the cakes were cooled, i took the bottom layer and placed it on a cardboard cake round (or a plate will do as well).  i made sure to level off the top to have a smooth surface.  i then spread a thick layer of the raspberry icing on the layer and covered it with strawberry slices.  then i added the top layer carefully, pressing it down so that the layers were secure to each other.  i left the top layer as-is (meaning i did not level it off or anything-- i left it rustic looking).

to decorate the top, i took what was leftover of the raspberry icing and put a big dollop in the middle of the cake top.  i nestled two beautiful strawberries on the top-- one whole and one cut and fanned.

the cake came out wonderfully moist and the fresh fruit and preserves were a great complement to the rich dark chocolate cake.  i added candles at the last minute, of course!

we devoured every last crumb :]