I can say this in the past tense for obvious reasons. This cake was GOOD! And it’s already gone. It was smooth and fudgy with a ring of fudge through it. Two layers drizzled over it–one of a confectioner’s sugar glaze and one of semi-sweet chocolate–made it good and pretty and pretty and good. There was disappointment when it only lasted a day and a half. The squabble over the last piece involved a three-way split that shared the joy but didn’t quench the need. I’ll make it again. Soon.

Something about this reminds me of those marvelous Hostess cupcakes. So good out of the refrigerator on a summer day.

Sure, it looks a little messy because taste, not style, is king this week. This is a white cake with plenty of butter and milk, so it’s GOOD! The frosting is pretty rich–sugar, butter, cocoa powder–and chocolatey. I smeared it on without much discretion because we’re eating it soon anyway. My family is getting together for a pot roast (snowy winter day here) later and no one judges on looks. Thank goodness!

Judging from the “cake scraps”, this is a tasty layer cake. My kids love it when I level cakes and they get to eat the scraps. Like the tops of muffins, they are the best part! Of course, I get to lick the frosting bowl while they eat the scraps, so everyone’s happy!

For my son’s 11th birthday, I made a chocolate cake with white buttercream icing–as requested by the birthday boy. While not particularly creative, it is a classic and pleased the crowd at his party. In this picture, you see that a 10″ round cake barely fits on my cake stand, especially with its glass domed top. I considered letting it go topless, but I never know when one of my very bad kitties will decide to crash the party!

My kids love this variation on a big chocolate chip cookie. I make a batch of toll house dough, spread it into two 8″ pans, and bake it. You can decorate them individually and have two cookie cakes, or you can smear icing between the layers and stack them up. When I have time or inclination, I fancy up the icing on the sides and top.

In the case of this less-than-aesthetic-masterpiece, it was all about the comfort food. We were snowed in with company and I needed something easy and sweet. The cookie cakes were still warm when I stacked them up and cut pizzas-shaped wedges. It was half gone already when I took this picture!

The cookie cake is a great choice for a birthday party or a Saturday afternoon snowstorm.