Okay, I'm lying.
It's not my birthday. But those of you who know me well will remember I adore having "practice birthdays" several times per year. Practice birthdays are great fun for everyone. The most obvious perk is that you don't have to get any older when you have a practice birthday. You can even buy yourself lovely gifts and act surprised as all get-out when you open them. Family members also love it when you have a practice birthday because there's no pressure on them whatsoever to get a gift, etc. Practice birthdays are pure fun for everyone!
On this particular birthday, I decided to bake myself a huge cake. I made "Superb Lane Cake" from the Southern Living Cook Book. It's a four-layer cake with a cream sherry, nut, raisin and cherry filling. For those of you not familiar with regional United States cooking, traditional Southern cooking was and still is the end-all in extravagance. So put on your best Scarlett O'Hara and go ahead and ask me how many eggs went into this cake. Eight. And butter? Three sticks, darlin'! And sugar? Why Fiddly-Dee, a tad more than four cups! Of course I'm not the least bit concerned about fitting into my corset in the morning.
Anyhoo, when I presented myself with this gorgeous cake, I was almost moved to tears at my thoughtfulness. What a lovely thing to do! Aren't I sweet?
