Pink Swirl Cake and Turning 30

There are few things that bring me greater happiness than icing, cake, and sprinkles (in that order).

And even better than the cake, are the friendships that surround them. In my mind, cake=girlfriends. And, y’all, the hilarity that goes along with those moments! Cue the flashbacks….***

I think of the huge slices of cookie cake my best friend Anna Kat and I sought out in 2002 at the Bama Mall, buzzing around department stores high on sugar and Dr. Pepper. I think about Peggy’s DIVINE chocolate peanut butter cake in Montgomery, about the moment I officially knew I was in love with my mother-in-law, when she ordered me AN ENTIRE, ganache-laden one for my birthday.  It’s the way my grandmother’s kitchen smelled like warm butter and cocoa as she cooked hot chocolate frosting on the stove, slowly poured over velvety, freshly baked chocolate cake. (And YES I consider grandmothers as girlfriends!)

Cake is my happy place, and it was the perfect ending to a sweet, four post series with my great friend Mattye of The Loving Kind. For those of you who have kept up with our posts, you know that she and I have been guest posting on each others’ blogs for the past year, sharing our must-have tools for the kitchen (me) and tips for connecting over the dinner table (Mattye). Mattye is my relational inspiration- she is such a great connector of people, but remembers logistics (like meeting times, birthdays, Setting goals!). Her friendship has been one of the sweetest I’ve had in Alabama- not only for the love she shows, but for the sweet treats we have experienced together (#krispykreme). She is, in so many ways, the friend I hope to be. And she is also the wonderful woman who realized what our final “kitchen tool” to highlight would be in this post: a celebratory heart.

And speaking of celebration, this year is also the one where Mattye and I both turn 30. I know. I thought the day would never come, but hoped it always would. Mattye has already passed that threshold (with flying colors might I add- and one of the most FABULOUS birthday parties I’ve ever attended). I am about a month away. So, we thought it would be kind of awesome to post a Top 10 list about the JOYS of turning 30- of all we are looking forward to, want to happen, and think is pretty darn awesome.

Everybody, everybody get your JOY on with our Top 10 Reasons Why Turning 30 Is Awesome:

See if you can guess which ones are Mattye’s and which ones are mine!

1.  CONFIDENCE- Your thirties bring a new confidence in who you are, what you want, and the comfort to go out and get it.

2. FUN- I don’t know about y’all, but I am so ready to enter into one of the most fun seasons of my life. I am finally at the point where the things that used to stress me in my 20’s (ahem, frizz, breakouts, exams, breakups, setting dish towels on fire while cooking blue box macaroni and cheese) have finally loosened their grip and I am ready to go full-throttle into a life of joy, laughter, and FUN. Taylor Swift albums? Latest YouTube video about an owl and a cat who are BFF? Late night crafting with girlfriends? Listened. Watched. Sewed.  You know why? B/c life is amazing and oh so fun.

3. GIVING BACK- At thirty you feel more grounded in your life experiences and like you have more to give back to others.

4. SELF ACCEPTANCE- This point is similar to the FUN one, except a bit deeper. Alright foodies, go with me on this: I think as we grow up, we realize, and own the fact, that how we are made is uniquely wonderful. For years, I’ve struggled with feeling like too much and not enough at the same time. Finally, I am making peace with that feeling. I am who I am, and pray that I grow daily into the woman I am supposed to be. Can I get an amen everybody?!

5. SOPHISTICATION- Thirty is a sophisticated age. Just try saying, “Hello, I’m thirty.” and you’ll understand what we mean.

6. PURPOSE- I am SUCH a believer that everyone has a greater purpose in this life. Whether it’s baking for your neighbors down the street, saving lives, encouraging your friends- everything we do for other people matters. And I’m realizing that my purpose in life is much too important to let fear of failure and fear of other people’s opinions run the show. It’s time to rise on up, put your big girl pants on, and live out the way you were made to bless this earth.

 

Now, to the recipe!

Pink Swirl Cake

This cake is easy to assemble, can totally be prepared ahead of time, and gives you that awesome wow factor of the pops of pink in the batter. Plus, the King Arthur flour really makes the cake moist and fluffy. Bon appetite!

For the cake (Recipe taken and adapted a bit from King Arthur Flour):

What You Will Need:

• 2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large eggs whites plus 1 whole large egg
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• neon pink gel food coloring

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8″ x 2″ or 9″ x 2″ round pans; by greasing and flouring; or lining with parchment, then greasing the parchment. Note: Make sure your 8″ round pans are at least 2″ deep.

2) Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed to blend. Add the soft butter and mix until evenly crumbly, like fine damp sand. It may form a paste, depending on the temperature of the butter, how much it’s mixed, and granulation of the sugar used.

3) Add the egg whites one at a time, then the whole egg, beating well after each addition to begin building the structure of the cake. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Make sure and scrape here!

4) In a small bowl, whisk the almond milk with the vanilla and almond extracts. Add this mixture, 1/3 at a time, to the batter. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Keep on scraping!

5) Pour the first half of the vanilla batter evenly into each cake pan. With the remaining batter, add a few drops of food coloring, and beat in the mixer until you reach your desired level of pinkness. 

6) Now, using a spoon, drop dollops of the pink batter on top of the vanilla batter, in a circular pattern, using the same amount of large dollops (about two tablespoons) in each pan. Then, using a toothpick or wooden skewer, swirl the pink batter into the vanilla batter until it is well distributed (it took me about thirty seconds of swirling). So pretty!

7.) Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for 8″ or 9″ rounds. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven, remove from the pan, (careful, the pans are hot!), cool on a rack, and frost. 

For the frosting, I adapted this recipe a bit from All Recipes:

What You Will Need:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tablespoons almond milk
• a few drops neon pink food coloring (depending on your level of pinkness here too)

What you Will Do:

1. Cream room temperature butter with the the paddle attachment of a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated. 
2. Pour in almond milk and beat for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add food coloring, and beat for thirty seconds until smooth or until desired color is reached.

And finally, for those of you who made it to the bottom of this post, I reward you with this:

Love you all, and happy birthday!!