This ain't no Duncan Hines

For some reason, Kirk doesn't generally like cake. I, on the other hand, love all forms of cake. In anticipation of his upcoming birthday, I really wanted to make him a birthday cake this past weekend. We had a group of friends over on Sunday to celebrate several birthdays (there are 4 December birthdays in this group) so I figured that was the perfect time to try out a new recipe. When I asked Kirk last week if there was any kind of cake he would eat (other than his favorite pumpkin pie which doesn't count as a cake), his response was something like: "The kind I would like would probably be too complicated to make". That's because I usually make cakes that come in a box, like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker. But for him, I would be willing to make a real cake. A cake from scratch.

He suggested some kind of chocolate cake that had raspberries layered inside. So I searched "chocolate cake" and "raspberries" on Epicurious (my favorite recipe site). And I found a real gem. I was a little nervous because I'd only made a cake from scratch one other time-- a red velvet cake for my Mom's 70th birthday a few years ago. Although it may have been more complicated (and time consuming) than the dinner I prepared for 11 people plus 8 kids, it actually turned out! Everyone (including Kirk) said it was delicious, and I'm pretty sure they weren't just saying that.