I sent my brother and his wife a package today. For their new little ones, I’ll make birthday cakes like this one every year even if I am not with them because that's what I do. I know first impressions are everything so I made this one tall and pink and carefully constructed to make sure they know their aunt is no slouch.

Almond Cake

adapted from Martha Stewart

1 1/2c, 3 sticks, softened butter

9oz almond paste, room temperature

1 1/2c sugar

6 eggs

1/2t vanilla extract

1 1/2c cake flour

3/4t baking powder

1/2t salt

Preheat oven to 350º and butter and flour 2, 8'' cake pans (3'' tall works best here) If you have shorter pans, I suggest you divide it into 3 pans to prevent overflow.

1. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, mix the almond paste and sugar until the almond paste is broken up into very small pieces. Add in the butter and beat until light and fluffy, 5min.

3. Add in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients.

4. Divide the batter between the two pans, smooth the tops and slide into the oven. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30min. Cool the cakes in the pan for 10min, then carefully invert on a cooling rack and cool completely.

5. Once cool, trim each cake flat on the top, then in half horizontally. You will have 4 layers of cake when you are finished. If you baked the cake in 3 pans, just trim the tops flat.

Simple Vanilla Buttercream

1 lb softened butter

2 lbs sifted confectioner's sugar

1T vanilla extract

1/4-1/2 cup room temp milk

big pinch salt

In the bowl of a standing mixer or with a hand mixer cream the butter until it is well mixed, about 1 min. Gradually add in the sugar and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 min. Add the salt and vanilla extract. Slowly stream in the milk until the frosting is soft, smooth and spreadable. If you plan on finishing the cake with an ombre design it is helpful if the frosting is very soft, but not runny at all.

To Assemble the Cake

Trimmed Cake Layers

Vanilla Buttercream

12oz of

cherry jam

(raspberry or apricot would be great too)

Cake Turntable (not necessary, but SO helpful)

Check out this set of photos on flickr to accompany the instructions below

1. Anchor the first layer of cake to the turntable with a bit of buttercream. Spread a thin layer (about 1/3c) of buttercream on the cake, taking care to leave the frosting a little thicker on the edges to make a dam to hold the jam. Top the buttercream with a few tablespoons of jam and top with the next cake layer. Repeat until you use all of the cake layers finishing with the flat bottom of the last cake layer facing upward.

2. Crumbcoat the cake with a thin layer of frosting on the top and sides and refrigerate for at least 30min.

3. While the cake is chilling, prepare the colored frosting. Split the remaining frosting into 4 bowls, tint three of the bowls dark, medium, and very light pink using food coloring. I use gel food coloring and use VERY little even for the darkest frosting. Leave one of the bowls white for the top of the cake.

4. Starting at the bottom of the cake with the darkest color, use a small offset spatula to apply frosting to the bottom 3rd of the cake, then follow with the medium color in the center of the cake and the lightest color towards the top. Top the cake with white frosting to finish. Using a tall spatula, smooth the frosting on the sides as much as possible, don't worry if the colors mix together a little bit, but try not to smoosh them together. Smooth the top.

5. Finish the cake by holding the tip your offset spatula horizontally, pressing gently on the frosting at the bottom of the cake. Smoothly spin the cake turntable while simultaneously dragging the spatula up the side of the cake, stop when you get to the top. Wipe the spatula clean, then gently press the tip of the spatula into the middle of the top of the cake and spin the turntable while simultaneously dragging the spatula towards the outside of the cake.

I've been trying to write this post about curried, cheesy party snacks for two days, but all I can think about is how I just became an aunt! Two times over! I've been thinking about how my brother is a father to two beautiful girls and my parents are now grandparents and my sister-in-law is a superhero for carrying around those little ladies for nine months. I keep thinking that there are two sweet new babies that I get to go to visit in Seattle to smother in kisses and cuddles as often as I can make it. I keep thinking that I should have made a mountainous birthday cake a few nights ago instead of these curried cheese puffs, but here we are, with party snacks instead of birthday cake. Things could definitely be worse. These tasty little gems are made by mixing together simple ingredients in time tested proportions, then spiced up, cheesed up, heated up, and eaten up, preferably with an icy cold beer.

Curried Cheddar Gougéres

yield about 36 gougéres

1c water

8T butter, cut into slices

1c flour

1t curry powder

1/2-1t aleppo pepper

1/8-1/4t cayenne pepper

1/2t salt

1/4t black pepper

4 large eggs

1 1/4c shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats

1. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, bring the butter and water to a boil then lower the heat a bit.

2. Add the flour, salt and spices and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together into a smooth mass and smells a bit toasty. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the mixture occasionally until it is cooled slightly, about 3min.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until each egg is thoroughly mixed in to the flour mixture. Then add 1c of the cheese and stir well to combine.

4. Using a piping bag with a large round tip or two spoons, portion the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets in to tablespoon sized mounds about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4c cheese and bake the gougéres for 5min then turn the oven down to 375º and continue to bake until they are golden brown, 20-25min. Serve warm.

Notes:

- These are great snacks that can be prepared in advance. Just pipe the goúgeres onto lined baking sheets freeze until firm enough to handle, then place them in a zipper bag and freeze. Cook as directed above, allowing a few more minutes of cook time.

- You can also bake them in advance, freeze them and warm them in a low oven when your guests arrive.