Birthday cake recipes, please!

My mom's birthday is coming up and I want to bake a cake. I am sick of the boxed cakes that goes flat and so tiny and such. I want something different.

Anyone got any good recipes for cakes and frosting/filling? from scratch is good too. I will need to serve about 10 people.

Something fun for birthday, and not too complicated! I'm thinking maybe red velvet or something..

ideas? I am going through allrecipe.com and they look too fancy/complicated!

I don't make red velvet cakes very often at all. So....

Do you all like pecans??

Southern Delight Butter Pecan Cake (I've made cupcakes from this cake batter, too)

Cake:
1-1/2 cups chopped pecans
3 Tbsp. plus 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
1-1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
Butter Pecan Frosting:
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
3/4 tsp. vanilla flavoring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To toast pecans, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a baking pan. Stir in pecans. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring twice and watching closely because they burn easily. Set aside to cool.

For the cake, beat the remaining butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk to the butter mixture. Stir in the vanilla and 1 cup of the toasted pecans. Pour the batter into two greased and floured 8-inch round baking pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpic inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For the Butter Pecan Frosting, beat the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add the milk and vanilla flavoring. Beat until light and fluffy. Add additional milk, if needed. Stir in the remaining 1/3 cup toasted pecans. Spread the frosting between the layers and over the top and sides of the cake.

Note: For more frosting, increase the recipe to:
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine
16 oz. confectioners' sugar
4 Tbsp. milk
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My all-time favorite birthday cake is this one! If you love coconut, you will die for this cake! Yes, it may be a little complicated, but oh geez, the results are so worth it!A

White Coconut Layer Cake

1 large egg, plus 5 egg whites
1 c. sugar
¼ c. water
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. coconut extract
¾ c. cream of coconut
2¼ c. (9 ounces) cake flour, sifted
12 Tbsp. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces, softened, but still cool
2 c. packed (about 8 oz.) sweetened shredded coconut

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325°. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with shortening and dust with flour. Beat egg whites and whole egg in large measuring cup with fork to combine. Add cream of coconut, water, vanilla, and coconut extract and beat with fork until thoroughly combined. 3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on lowest speed to combine, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running on lowest speed, add butter one piece at a time, then beat until mixture resembles coarse meal, with butter bits no larger than small peas, 2 to 2½ minutes.

With mixer still running, add one cup liquid. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With mixer still running, add remaining liquid in steady stream (this should take about 15 seconds). Stop mixer and scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then beat at medium-high speed to combine, about 15 seconds. (Batter will be thick.) Divide batter between cake pans and level with offset or rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown, cakes pull away from sides of pans, and toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes (rotate cakes after about 20 minutes). Do not turn off oven. Cool in pans on wire racks about 10 minutes, then loosen cakes from sides of pans with paring knife, invert cakes onto racks and then re-invert; cool to room temperature.

To toast the coconut: While cakes are cooling, spread shredded coconut on rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until shreds are a mix of golden brown and white, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times. Cool to room temperature.

Buttercream:
4 large egg whites
¼ c. cream of coconut
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. coconut extract
Pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. unsalted butter, each stick cut into 6 pieces, softened, but still cool

Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in bowl of mixer; set bowl over pan containing 1½-inches of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly until mixture is opaque and warm to the touch and registers about 120° on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer and beat whites on high speed with whisk attachment until barely warm (about 80°) and whites are glossy and sticky, about 7 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high and beat in butter one piece at a time. Beat in cream of coconut and coconut and vanilla extracts. Stop mixer and scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Continue to beat at medium-high speed until well-combined, about two minutes.

My note: If you don't like Buttercream frosting, feel free to make Seven-Minute Frosting instead.

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One of the best chocolate cakes I've ever had is simply the Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake. With the matching frosting. It's decadently delicious! I think it's on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa container!!!

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

 

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

 

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

 

VARIATIONS: ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

 

 

Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting

 

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

 

Or, if you prefer, how about a whipped peanut butter frosting for your chocolate cake (or even a white cake)??? This is delicious, not too sweet, and just plain yummy. I don't have this one immediately available; it's at home in my cookbook. If you want, I'll post it tonight. I make this for my FIL's birthday cake every single year....he prefers a simple white cake with the whipped PB frosting. Delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pecan sounds delish! I failed to mention that my mom's allergic to nuts of all kind!

She LOVES coconut, so that's certainly an option to look at!

I love red velvet and it makes a wonderful birthday cake!  This is a recipe I have been wanting to try so I thought I would post it.  I added the link to the site.  It sounds really good!!

Red Velvet Cake Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 Tablespoon of unsweetened, cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1-2 oz. red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar
• ½ cup of prepared plain hot coffee (don’t skip this ingredient)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and vegetable oil.
4. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring until combined.
5. Stir in the coffee and white vinegar.
6. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients a little at time, mixing after each addition, just until combined.
7. Generously grease and flour two round cake pans with crisco and flour.
8. Pour the batter evenly into each pan.
9. Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over bake as cake will continue to cook as it cools.
10. Let cool on a cooling rack until the pan are warm to the touch.
11. Slide a knife or offset spatula around the inside of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan.
12. Remove the cakes from the pan and let them cool.
13. Frost the cake with cream cheese frosting when the cakes have cooled completely.

http://divascancook.com/2009/11/the-best-red-velvet-cake-recipe-easy-homemade-moist-with-southern-flair.html