The Best (Buttermilk) Birthday Cake You'll Ever Have

What do you like to eat on your birthday? When we were little, my sister and I always begged for pumpkin pie (of all things) for our January birthday. But as an adult, I see the beauty of a classic cake with tall candles. Well, Nicole from Making It Lovely has agreed to share her recipe for the gooiest, richest buttermilk birthday cake...

The Best Birthday Cake You'll Ever Have
By Nicole of Making It Lovely

I’ve never been a big fan of cake. Cheesecake, yes, but that’s technically a pie. I have two little kids who get very excited about birthday parties, though, and a traditional cake is highly anticipated (preferably something with at least two layers and heaps of frosting, with bonus points awarded for sprinkles on top). So I set about finding the best recipe, and I figured out the secret ingredient to a birthday cake that even I would enjoy: buttermilk. It’s like a simple yellow cake, but much tastier!

Recipe: Buttermilk Birthday Cake

You'll need:
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Grease two 8" round cake pans, and line them with parchment paper. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Measure out the buttermilk and add the vanilla to it, then set that aside, too.
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Next, add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Add a little of the flour mixture and combine well, then do the same with a little of the vanilla-buttermilk. Keep alternating as you add more, blending well each time. Pour the finished batter into two cake pans and bake for 30 minutes.

The layers are done when the cake begins to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans, and let cool completely before frosting. The beauty of this cake is that it takes to any frosting, so choose your favorite!

The Best Coffee Cake You'll Ever Have

How insanely delicious does this coffee cake look?! Having a piece of coffee cake with a strong cup of coffee is one of life's simple pleasures. Wouldn't you love to whip one up on a lazy Saturday morning? Sarah and Dulcie from Two Tarts have agreed to reveal their killer coffee cake recipe with a surprising ingredient...

The Best Coffee Cake You'll Ever Have
By Sarah Welle and Dulcie Wilcox of Two Tarts—and founders of the new Colorado Crafted, an online shop of gift boxes of hard-to-find artisan foods in Colorado.

How lovely it is to live in a world where it is perfectly acceptable to eat cake first thing in the morning. We are not sure how or when a cake topped with streusel became breakfast fare, but we are not here to argue. Rather, we are here to introduce you to our new favorite coffee cake—dotted with raspberries and scented of almonds —with the hopes that you will continue this tradition of cake for breakfast.

Many coffee cakes are made with things we don't often have on hand, such as sour cream or buttermilk, but this coffeecake is made with kitchen staples—butter, brown sugar, almonds, frozen berries. A splash of almond extract is our secret ingredient, and it complements the raspberries perfectly. We're all accustomed to the taste of vanilla extract in our baked goods, so swapping in almond extract adds a new level of flavor that people can't quite put their finger on. They just know they like it!

Recipe: Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake
Adapted from Joy of Cooking

You'll need:
For the streusel topping:
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp. butter

For the cake:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

To make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine almonds, brown sugar and 3 tablespoons butter. Using your fingers, work the butter into the sugar and almonds until blended.

To make the cake: Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the 5 tablespoons of butter. Using either your fingers, a pastry blender or two knives, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Don't allow the butter to melt or form a blended paste with the flour.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and almond extract. Pour over the flour mixture, and stir until just barely combined. Add the frozen berries, and fold in until just mixed through.

Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan. Top with the streusel topping, distributing evenly. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for ten minutes.