Happy Birthday!!!

Two big days this month, Anna now TEN on March 2nd and Chris 30 something on the 11th.

Anna has a pretty quiet day on the actual birthday as many siblings had throwing up so we stayed home from church and she and I made a yellow cake with chocolate frosting from scratch, and then her favorite Navajo tacos which we usualyy only make once a year on this her special day. She had a fun birthday party with duckpin bowling and arcade games and the Family Fun center up the road, Chris as chaperone with 16 kids!! She got so many nice gifts...FIVE webkinz, $50 in Claire's cards, a gift card to the movie theater, and lots more!!

For Chris' day we went out to Memphis Blues, wiht kids so it really was not a birthday gift b/c they can get a bit crazy and we don't always practice our patience so it makes ....blah, blah!

The next day I finished the Black Forest Cake and he got his meal of choice meatloaf, potatoes & lima beans. Anna is the only one who will eat meatloaf, she is so not picky (only disliking tomatoes) which is nice. We did not get him a gift because what could we get for the man who has everything??? Actually he got a Johnny Cash 3 CD set!! I wish I could appreciate his music. Here is the recipe for the Black Forest cake:

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 (20 ounce) cans pitted sour cherries
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch, round, cake pans; cover bottoms with waxed paper.
In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 cups sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla; beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Loosen edges, and remove to racks to cool completely.
Drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Combine reserved juice, cherries, 1 cup sugar and cornstarch in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool before using.
Combine whipping cream and confectioner's sugar in a chilled medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.
With long serrated knife, split each cake layer horizontally in half. Tear one split layer into crumbs; set aside. Reserve 1 1/2 cups Frosting for decorating cake; set aside. Gently brush loose crumbs off top and side of each cake layer with pasty brush or hands. To assemble, place one cake layer on cake plate. Spread with 1 cup frosting; top with 3/4 cup cherry topping. Top with second cake layer; repeat layers of frosting and cherry topping. Top with third cake layer. Frost side of cake. Pat reserved crumbs onto frosting on side of cake. Spoon reserved frosting into pastry bag fitted with star decorator tip. Pipe around top and bottom edges of cake. Spoon remaining cherry topping onto top of cake.
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