The Icing on the Cake

This weekend I celebrated my ongoing October birthday with an (apropos) Oktoberfest party at my parent's house. The weather was perfect for brewing beer with my dad in the yard during the afternoon, and then in the evening many of my favorite people dropped by for the party. I think everyone had a great time - I sure did! One (slightly unorthodox) feature of the birthday party was that I demanded to make my own cake this year. I'm sure there is some kind of bad luck associated with this, but oh-well, I think it was worth it. I made my old reliable yellow cake from KAF, which is buttery and delicious, and frosted it with a simple yet luxurious chocolate ganache icing.

Yellow cake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

 Easiest Chocolate Frosting Ever

16 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
16 oz (1 c) heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
Bring cream to a boil in a small pot. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth and add vanilla. Pop in fridge until somewhat set (about an hour). Beat with a hand-held or stand mixer until fluffy (2min). Ice  cake.  

This is another very simple recipe that basically relies on the quality of the chocolate for success. So, use what you love. It makes enough to very generously ice a layer cake or 24 cupcakes. Honestly, even if you make a cake from a box, this will significantly up your game.
 

I had lots of help blowing out the candles.

The rest of the weekend was also lovely - more apple picking, 2 great runs and some sewing. Actually, sewing was rather frustrating, but I will get to that tomorrow.