Anatomy of a cake

For Dan's birthday, each of us decided on a dish to bring for dinner. I decided that I would make dessert. The plan was to bake a birthday cake knowing that I'm close enough to a few decent bakeries that if I messed it up, I could still bring a cake.

Baking isn't an issue for me. It's the decorating process that I found daunting. Originally my friend Steve was going to be my teacher, but the weekend we were going to have the party was switched so I was on my own. Below are the various stages of the cake.


The recipe was one from Cooks Illustrated Magazine. It was simple but from the ingredients I could tell that the finished product would be moist, thus making a good layer cake. This cake would be a two layer cake.


I decided on a chocolate icing, and a raspberry filling. Below, I've created an outer border of chocolate icing and I'm adding the raspberry preserves.


Layers are stacked and the cake is frosted.

Now the decorating begins. To contrast the chocolate color, I chose a light blue. Slowly I added gel coloring, and this was my final result.

Before actually writing on the cake, I practiced on waxed paper. I had never worked with a decorating bag, I've never written in icing.

Next up was the outer border. I haven't quite mastered the star tip to where I can create the peaks and valleys but I think it looks pretty good. Okay, there's a spot to the right that's kind of messy...

The cake was actually finished at Dan and Luis' house. I had to wait until I placed it on the pedestal to add the blue bottom border. Again, my technique isn't perfected, so it's one big strand.

After a delicious dinner and a walk, Tina and I put the candles on the cake and brought it out.

When we all sat down to eat, I was pleased that the cake was moist, full of flavor and it held together. I don't mean to brag, but it was delicious. It was a lot of work but also great fun, and worth it.

Birthday Weekend

File Under: 42…so far, so good.

My birthday was on Saturday May 2. I turned 42.

Age is just a number. I’m not sure what 42 is supposed to feel like but I don’t think I feel it. I certainly don’t act like it.

The fun began Friday night. My friend Steve met me out at Jackhammer and he quickly announced “he will not pay for a single drink tonight.” I didn’t. I don’t know how many I had but there were a couple shots, too. When it was time to wander home, sometime around 2, I didn’t feel drunk, just very happy.

Saturday, I met my friends John and Vince for lunch in my neighborhood. They brought me flowers and a giant Hello Kitty birthday card, with a little something tucked into it. They also bought me lunch. It was fun spending time with them.

I went home and prepared a dessert for the evening. I’ll explain the evening that was ahead.
Dan asked me to pick the theme, and he would organize a small casual gathering of our little group. Each of them would prepare a dish. I chose Italian. I was told that I didn’t need to bring anything, though it was suggested that Luis is really fond of my chocolate ganache tart. It’s easy to prepare so I decided to bring it.

I arrived at the house at 7. Luis and Polo were prepping a couple dishes. Dan’s lasagna was in the oven. Denise arrived soon after, carrying an antipasti platter. Tina was noticeably absent from the festivities as she had family matters to tend to in Ohio. However we managed to have a good time.

Drinks were poured and the night of food and fun began. Denise’s cold platter was fantastic. We did a good job of emptying it in a pretty short period of time.

Next up was Luis’s contribution to the meal. He served grilled shrimp skewers with a light pesto sauce and pork meat balls with another delicious sauce. Those who know us know that we’re not shy and in a short period of time those dishes were cleaned. It was necessary though because we had to make room on the table for Dan’s famous lasagna. A creation that stands close to half a foot tall, filled with mushrooms, sausage, ho-made sauce and cheese…lots and lots of cheese. It’s fabulous.

We took a breather once the main course was done. Luis and Polo went into the kitchen and after a bit of whispering and some giggling, there was a bright glow coming from the kitchen. Polo came out, carrying a cake, stuck through the top of it was a rather large “sparkler,” which I believe was really a highway flare. Polo had his arms outstretched, Luis was about 2 feet behind him, looking kind of shocked. Polo set the cake on the table and we all jumped back. I heard “blow it out!” come from one of them. I tried, but all it did was scatter burning embers, causing us to jump back from the table and let it sputter out. Once the smoke cleared, we assessed the damage. A couple spots on the table, some singed eyebrows and watering eyes. Yet, we persevered and ate cake and it was delicious!

We sat in the dining room, talking, and laughing until close to midnight. It was a nearly perfect evening. Perfection would have included Tina.

I must share with you the present that was made for me by Dan and Luis. This sums up our friendship and our group of friends.

How cool is that??

Today was a very relaxing day. I went to the gym, then walked around my neighborhood for a while. I ran into Dan and Luis who were having lunch. The restaurant they were at had its windows open, they were seated next to the window. I was invited to join them, but was enjoying the weather too much to go inside. I was also intent on walking for a while as I need to step up my exercise routine. That’s another post. :)

I’m pretty damn lucky to have such an amazing group of friends.

Happy Things

File Under: Stuff to smile about

Enough ranting and whining, this post is about things that make me happy.

The B-52's. I've always loved them, their music is always fun and it makes you want to move. Finally after 16 years, they're releasing a CD of all new music. Funplex is due out at the end of March. The title track, Funplex, is already available on iTunes. I love it. A second single, Hot Corner, is available on Rhapsody (free, for a limited time). YAY!

Pasticceria Natalina. This is a bakery that opened in my neighborhood about a year ago. It's run by an adorable young couple, Natalie and Nicolas and they make the most exquisite bakery treats that are anything but your typical bakery goods. Delicious cookies, tasty tarts, gorgeous little cakes, savory breads and in the summer they also make homemade gelato in assorted flavors. My favorite item from their shop are the lemon cookies.

Saturday, my dear friends Dan (http://www.41north87west.blogspot.com/) and Luis hosted a small dinner party and I brought dessert from Pasticceria Natalina. It was a chocolate cake with raspberry filling, draped in tinted white chocolate. Here's a picture of it!

Pretty, huh?

Next time you're in the Andersonville neighborhood in Chicago, check out Pasticceria Natalina at 5406 N. Clark Street. But not on Monday or Tuesday, they're closed. :)

Feast of Fools podcast. I could try to describe it myself but I'll let the guys do it in their words, swiped directly from their website.

"The Feast of Fools podcast features cocktails, gossip, news and interviews with some of the worlds most eclectic celebrities, newsmakers, and musicians. Hosted by the flaming blue Fausto Fernós with his boyfriend Marc Felion, the Feast of Fools has been in the top 50 downloaded comedy podcasts in the world and currently ranks as iTunes’ #1 gay podcast."

A couple years ago, I subscribed and would occasionally listen. I was always entertained but hadn't made it a habit to download the podcasts. My friend Dave from Tampa discusses them often so I made a point to listen regularly and now I don't miss a show. What's kind of cool is that they guys live in my neighborhood and we all belong to the same gym so I've had the chance to chat with them both and they're two of the sweetest guys you could know. Here's a picture of me with them taken in the summer of 2006. I was working a booth at our neighborhood street fair and they came by.

Check them out at http://www.feastoffools.net/ and subscribe to their podcast, available on iTunes.

Sheryl Crow - "Detours." This is her latest CD. It's a return to her roots. After an eventful couple of years (a breakup, a bout with cancer, adoption, a move and a reunion with the man who produced her first album), she's back with a CD that is truly a labor of love. It's not an album you'll play and immediately start dancing to. Instead, you'll listen to the lyrics and thing about what she went though without feeling as though she's been a victim. I've always admired her as a musician and and artist. I'm not the least bit disappointed with this CD.

March. Yes, I like the month of March, because it's not February. It's kind of like the light at the end of the cold winter tunnel. Spring begins in less than 3 weeks and while that's no guarantee that we've seen the last of cold weather and snow, it means that whatever we get is short-lived. I'm ready for spring.

Your turn! Tell me what makes you happy. Go on, you know you want to!