Tuesday, October 14, 2014

The B Word

I actually wrote this post 2 years ago, when I had been blogging for just a few months, as a Guest Post. At the time PurDude, my youngest son, was a junior in high school and College Boy was a senior.

I rediscovered this post the other day, in the month of my own birthday and I have to admit it made me smile. I bet many Moms out there will be able to relate. It’s about what really happens when it’s Mom’s birthday, her turn to be pampered. Or so you’d think:

The “B” Word

What’s so great about a birthday anyway?

For me, a Mom, it starts the day before with baking myself a cake. After all, what’s a birthday without a cake? And I know my kids would be disappointed if we didn’t have one. So there’ll be one, and it’ll be my kids’ favorite cake, of course. And maybe I did put a little Amaretto into my coffee while baking my cake, but it IS my birthday after all. And I’m pleased to report that no desserts were harmed in the baking of this cake. . .  or something like that.

Cream Cheese Toffee Cake | www.BakingInATornado.com | #bake #cake #dessert

Cream Cheese Toffee Cake | www.BakingInATornado.com | #bake #cake #dessert

Cream Cheese Toffee Cake

Let’s move on to the day of: I wash, dry, and fold the laundry and water the plants. I defrost and marinate the London Broil make the side dishes, prep the grill and set the table. I make pitchers of Raspberry Orange Margaritas and Shirley Temples. Lucky for me I don’t have to do any work on my birthday. After all, Hubs and the kids are making dinner (meaning lighting the grill, putting the steak on, turning it, bringing it in for me to slice and then patting themselves on the back for the rest of the night about all the work they saved me).

In all honesty, Hubs would have been happy to have picked out the dinner too, but I had an ulterior motive for doing it myself. I shudder to think of what he would have picked, and I knew that if I chose something we all liked, I’d get to eat without complaints for a change. After all, this is not an uncommon dinner conversation on my house:

Me: “I’m glad both of you boys work Sunday nights, Dad and I can have fish for dinner with no complaints.”
Older Son: “I can make you a recording of me complaining about dinner.”
Me: “I can make you a video of me changing the locks.”

The "B" Word |  www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics #birthday

And gifts? It's possible I have subtly worked a hint or two into every conversation for the past month. I've been practicing my "I'm shocked, how did you know?" face for a week now, I think I've got it down.

Of course there are still some surprises. Like my friend from the bogosphere, Stacy, who made me a Mug Rug. Want one too? Her tutorial is here: make your own Mug Rug.

Mug Rug | Stacy Sews and Schools


Work done and dinner prepared for, here’s the next birthday dilemma: If your son, who’s a pain in the butt, gives you a hand-made card that says “I’m a pain in the butt” on the front, should you open it to see what’s inside? Or should you just leave well enough alone? I’m still thinking . . .
Baking In A Tornado signature | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


 
PS: The "B" Word, in its original form, was published on 8-20-12 on the Anon Bloggers.


Cream Cheese Toffee Cake
                                                                            ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 TBSP powdered sugar
8 Keebler Fudge Stripes Dark Chocolate cookies or chocolate shortbread cookies
2 TBSP toffee baking chips
 
¼ cup unsweetened baking cocoa
 
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ cups chocolate syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
 
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Up to 3TBSP of milk
OPT: chocolate syrup and toffee baking chips for decorating
 
Directions:
*Process cookies in a food processor until they are fine crumbs.
*Grease a bundt pan. “Flour” it with baking cocoa.
*Beat 8 oz cream cheese with powdered sugar. Mix in the cookie crumbs and toffee chips. Roll into approximately ½ inch balls (should get about 20 of them) and place into the freezer for one hour.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
*Beat the softened butter with the sugar. Beat in the eggs, then the chocolate syrup and vanilla.
*Mix in the flour, baking soda and baking powder until incorporated.
*Pour about 1/3 of the batter into bunt pan, drop ½ of the cream cheese balls onto the batter. Press down but not all the way to the bottom. Pour another third of the batter into the pan and top with the rest of the cream cheese balls. Cover with the rest of the batter and spread to even out the top as best you can.
*Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until center of the top springs back to the touch.
*Cool for 15 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely.
*Beat cream cheese with butter and vanilla. Carefully, and starting on the lowest speed, beat in the powdered sugar. Beat in the milk a TBSP at a time, adding more if too thick, until the topping is of a good consistency to drizzle.
*Drizzle topping over the cake. Sprinkle with toffee chips and drizzle with chocolate syrup.

22 comments:

  1. HAPPPPPPY BIIIIIIIIRTHDAAAAAAY toooooo YOUUUUUUU!!!!!!

    The way I get cake on my Bday is to eat a slice of Cailey's or Colin's. LOL For some reason we always end up celebrating their Bdays on my Bday. Every. Single. Year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess we moms need to accept our slice of cake any way we can get it!

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  2. I hope you have the happiest of birthdays, Karen! I can't even imagine the joy of simply getting a card from my kids... I think I'd even love one from a smart-a** ;)
    Your cake looks exactly like the one I keep dreaming about in my head. Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies are a little slice of Heaven!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I love those cookies too. I use them often in recipes.

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  3. Your kids don't like fish?? Mine love it. Maybe they just have a sweet tooth from all your lovely baking....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, my kids were seriously the pickiest eaters alive. They did (and do) eat lobster, though.

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  4. My mom always baked me a cake on my birthday even after I was grown! Those cakes are super special. Just celebrated my 40th!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, so lucky. I always had a cake too, but unfortunately I'm 1500 miles from home and have been for many years.

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  5. One year I knew everyone forgot and after dinner when I brought out the cake.....well, you can imagine how badly I made everyone feel! My B'day is soon -- so we'll see what happens! You make baking look so easy -- if I made that cake it would look like a disaster but I am sure it will taste wonderful

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear ya. My older son bought me a card for the first time this year.

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  6. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! And here's the Minions to say it for me . . .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ7B9x027uc (I hope you like minions. If not, please ignore!)
    P.S. Great post. I love the part about videoing yourself changing the locks. Must keep that suggestion in my back pocket . . .

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy Birthday! And this is why we always go out to dinner on my birthday...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Glad you got to spend your birthday in a happy place and out of the kitchen for a change!

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  9. Karen, it is funny to be reading about your birthday, because mine is actually tomorrow. After working a 9 hour day I will coming home to make my birthday dinner for my son, daughter, granddaughter, and myself... my hubby who has a birthday also tomorrow is out of town. So I know how you feel. By the way your cake looks yummy... I will not be making a cake for myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What? No cake? Hope that means someone else will be making you one.

      Delete
  10. Happy Birthday! Your cake looks delicious and I love the story that goes with it. Did you ever open the card? :)

    ReplyDelete

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