Cakes

By the way, last night, well before I got all caught up in TV, I made this chocolate cake so we could have a "birthday party." (It was no one's birthday but that didn't stop us from singing the song and blowing out the candles.) My kids were a little disappointed there was no frosting, especially no blue frosting, but my daughter still pronounced one of the best birthday parties, ever.

I found the recipe in my notebook of recipes pulled randomly from magazines years ago. I trusted it because it seemed similar to this butter cake, which I recently early one morning to bring to someone who was making us lunch, and it was pure genius.

Either cake, made with all-purpose flour, a round pan and nothing but confectioner's sugar and maybe a strawberry on top, would make an every dinner of roasted whatever and a green salad a little more festive. Because that's what cake does. It makes everything more festive, whether it's your birthday or not.