Midge's Grown-Up Birthday Cake from food52

First things first.  If you're a serious home cook and you haven't checked out food52, do that now.  


One of the best parts of that site is my dear friend Jennifer's blog, Jenny's in the Kitchen. She's a great writer and will make you laugh no matter what recipe she's writing about, so go check that out now, too.


So now that you're in love with food52, you'll agree that it's a great source of inspiration and understand why I couldn't wait to make Grown-Up Birthday Cake.  In fact, Jennifer reviewed it here and despite some of the excitement in the comment section, I was determined to make it for a dinner party last night.

Details: I used a nice fruity Chardonnay and really fruity olive oil.  I was fearful of doming or sinking so I baked it at just under 350 for a bit longer than specified.  I was rewarded with perfect, even layers.  The texture was fantastic. Super moist and a perfect, not-too-fine crumb.  I used  a hand mixer for both the batter and the frosting, and the frosting came together well.  I used apricot jam in the center.


It wasn't my favorite cake ever but was a big hit with all the guests.  The olive oil flavor was very pronounced.  I think I would have preferred a more chocolaty icing.  Maybe a ganache would have helped matters?  Then again, one self-proclaimed cake-hater licked his plate.


It's worth making.  Let me know what you think.