Celebration Cake & May's Apron Give-Away

My Mother Kept a Garden

My Mother kept a garden,

a garden of the heart,

She planted all the good things

that gave my life it's start.

She turned me to the sunshine

and encouraged me to dream,

Fostering and nuturing

the seeds of self-esteem...

And when the winds and rain came,

she protected me enough-

But not too much because she knew

I'd need to stand up strong and tough.

Her constant good example

always taught me right from wrong-

Markers for my pathway

that will last a lifetime long.

I am my Mother's garden.

I am her legacy-

And hope today she feels the love

reflected back from me.

                                                                                                    ~Author unknown

I made a quick cake today; tomorrow, I probably won't bake since I plan to go paint our new dining room!  

I'm really hooked on "Birthday Cake" flavor, especially the truffles at Godiva Chocolates.

I discovered I could actually buy the flavor that I crave...

and an idea for this Celebration Cake was created.  My mother always gave me inspiration to try anything without the fear of failing and I will always be grateful for that.  This poem reflects our relationship so beautifully and I hopefully passed that same inspiration on to my daughters.

Celebration Cake

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

8 large eggs

1 T vanilla extract

1 T Birthday Cake flavoring

2 T heavy cream

1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (or your favorite combination)

3 cups Queen Guinevere Cake Flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray your favorite 12-cup Bundt or 10-cup + Mini Bundt pans with a baking spray.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter.  Add the sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed.

Add the flavorings, sprinkles and heavy cream and mix on medium speed. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low just to combine.

Spoon the cake batter into the Bundt pan (if using the 10-cup, you will need to measure half-way up the pan and place the remaining batter into mini Bundt pans)

 I baked the minis for 23-25 minutes, then lowered the oven to 325F-degrees and baked the 10-cup Bundt for 45 minutes.

I decided to add a Fondant glaze over the cakes.

And, what's a Mother's Day cake without "pearls!"  Enjoy!

Now, it's time for May's Apron...just comment on any of the posts this month and this beautiful apron could be yours.

Seems like "pink" is this month's color:-D  Actually, it was one of my mother's favorite colors and I can remember painting her bedroom pink for her--which by the way, my Dad didn't mind since he was head-over-heels in love with her!

How do you spend Mother's Day?