How to Embarass A Teenager

Simple.  Sing "Happy Birthday" badly and pull out a camera.

You may wonder why on earth her cake is purple, aqua, and black... and you may also wonder what it tasted like.  So here's the story:

My best friend in this area had to move away.  [You may recall this she is one of the few people outside of my family to receive multiple stitched gifts over the last few years.  She is one of those people that loves handmade things and cherishes them... hence one reason we're friends.]  That's what I was doing all last week actually.  Her new home is 115 miles away.  Her kids haven't started school yet, or had the chance to make new friends.  Her daughter's birthday party was canceled. 

So then I find out what she wants for her birthday.... a new comforter set and the other bits and pieces that make a bedroom nice.  Great!  Then I saw it and thought twice... and remembered it looks like what I wanted in my room when I turned 13.  Ok then.  Another friend and I put our heads and wallets together to make it happen.  A third friend supplied the paint.  Here's the result:

So then I got the bright idea to match her birthday cake to the room.  And have a little fun with food coloring/visual perceptions connected with taste.  All I needed was my trusty checkerboard cake pan.  It worked great the first time, so why not again?

I used the Buttercake recipe from Wilton's.  Moist, flavorful, and simple.  Can't go wrong there.

Then I made a strawberry buttercream (1.5 sticks butter, 7 c. confectioner's sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla, 0.25 tsp salt, and just a little more than 0.33 c. crushed strawberries) and dyed it black.

 

Once the three layers were baked I assembled it all and had a chuckle.  This had to be the ugliest cake I've ever made to date. 

But when we cut into it...

And it was delicious!