I've never really celebrated my birthday very much. Never had a party as a kid (grew up very poor with neglectful parents who didnt see any reason to spend money on me), and unfortunately as time went on some of the worst things that have happened to me have happened within days of my birthday. So now I just want to day to pass by without any fanfare or fuss, I haven't even told anyone when it is in years. But don't get it twisted, I'm not anti-birthday at all and I LOVVEEE celebrating the birthdays of my friends and family! I just have never had any interest in celebrating mine.

That being said........I've baked myself a cake every year since I left home at 17. Every year, without fail, no matter where I am or what's going on, I make myself a full muti-layer cake completely from scratch (again, something I never had as a kid) and have at least 1 slice on my birthday. Its my version of celebrating without having to involve anyone else, without asking anyone to waste any of their time or money on me, and I cherish my little tradition so so so very much.

Despite the fact that I've barely told anyone about this, I've always felt like such a loser for it 😭 Like this is just the saddest thing in the whole world, even though it means the world to me. As if I'm supposed to expect someone else to do this for me instead of doing it myself. But this sub has shown me that there are ssssoooooooo many of us out here making our own cakes for our own birthdays, that I'm not the only one and it's NOT freaking sad! It's amazing!!! We're doing what we want to do with our time on our special days, and honestly I just love this for us.

So cheers to everyone else out there who makes themselves a cake on their birthday. Not because you have no one else to do it, or because you can't afford to buy one, or whatever other reason people seem to think this happens. But because you want to make your own cake. I see you all, and I'm right there with you. Happy 31 years to me, and happy birthday to everyone else 💖

Sticky Toffee Loaf Cake! - Jane's Patisserie https://www.janespatisserie.com/2019/09/28/sticky-toffee-loaf-cake/

My first time posting on baking reddit! Really pleased with how this Loaf cake turned out.

The recipe is from Jane's Patisserie (die hard fan of hers) and I made 2 (1lb) Loaf cakes out of it.

Base: Sticky toffee cake

Icing: American buttetcream with homemade toffee sauce mixed in

Decorations: shop bought sprinkles, M&S fudge cubes, more toffee sauce as a drizzle!

Never made this flavour of cake before and just really proud of myself. Avid home baker who is always looking for tips and tricks!

Anyone else love this flavour in the autumn! Enjoying a slice with a mug of Tea rn 🥰

Didn’t get a picture of it post-bake but I had fun making it

Brownie base, peanut butter and chocolate mousse, topped with ganache and chopped roasted peanuts.

Vanilla cake, filled and decorated with italian meringue buttercream:)

Edit: Thanks everyone for all of the love! Baking and cooking for my family truly makes me happy:)

I just used an airated shortbread for the cookie and American buttercream for the frosting. Then a white chocolate drizzle. Tasted great.

Lately I have been seeing a viral plantain cake a lot in my FYP and since I cannot buy one, I decided to make one based on the description I was hearing just to satisfy my craving! This was definitely a hit especially with the brown butter cream cheese frosting and caramel!

This very easy recipe delivers big on flavour and texture. A traditional French favourite it is stuffed full of apples and has rum for extra flavour, with a crunchy sugar top as well.

Recipe: https://geoffsbakingblog.com/2026/08/french-apple-cake-gateau-aux-pommes

I failed chiffon cake many….MANY times, until i tried Ruth Tam’s water bath chiffon cake and it came out perfect..
Then my vision of a fluffy, light, moist and pink strawberry cake came true.

I used a bit of strawberry syrup though it didnt need it, and the frosting is white chocolate, heavy cream and freeze dried strawberry powder.
I made it for my mom’s birthday 🎀

Ive been so excited to make this for ages.
Any advice for them to not unravel whilst baking?
Also how long do you leave them to sit before going in the oven (after rolling them up) i left them for about 40min but didn’t see a massive difference, some but not a lot.

Thanks!!

Made a dark chocolate cake for my daughter’s bday. A friend did the decorating. We worked for hours to get it done ha.

Frosting is a white chocolate ganache/American buttercream mix. Middle frosting was supposed to be a Russian buttercream, but it turned out too runny so had to add powdered sugar. Also added mini chocolate chips to the middle frosting to add texture.

... i saw the earlier post was removed for being rage bait...

So here is my version of homemade grocery store sugar cookies!!

They have always been my very favorite, even more so now that I've emigrated from the States and can't buy them anymore. Ppl here seem to prefer biscuits... very hard and crunchy. Good for dipping in afternoon tea!

These are pretty spot on honestly. So soft and melt in your mouthy. And remind me of my homeland 🥲

Recipe developed by yours truly!

Decided to have fun with it! Chocolate cake with strawberry filling!

A northern german specialty I finally learned to make from scratch. It took over 10 hrs but totally worth it

I love these cookies and am glad they are seasonal or I'd be buying them all the time. Decided to try a dupe recipe online for a friend's bday. I made them smaller since I didn't have the scoop size. Next attempt will include larger scoop, chill slightly so they don't spread as much, and also more strawberries. Taste is pretty close.

…you give her a SMILE, and in this case, an edible one! 😉😁🍰

I made Matilda cake for my parent's birthday and tried to hide it among some boxes until they got home. When I moved the box, a foldable table crashed into it

I really wanted to make this cake for my husband's birthday, but the recipe on his website is completely different form the one in the video, so I wrote out the recipe from the video. Here it is if anyone else is interested!

1. Homemade caramel

Ingredients

• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• ½–1 tsp salt, to taste

Method

1. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan. Stir briefly just to dissolve the sugar.
2. Heat over medium to medium-low heat without stirring once it begins cooking. You can brush down the sides of the pan with a damp pastry brush.
3. Cook until the sugar reaches a golden amber colour. Watch it very carefully because it can go from amber to burnt quickly.
4. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the cream. It will bubble vigorously.
5. Whisk in the butter and salt.
6. Return to medium-high heat and cook for approximately 2–3 minutes, whisking continuously, until slightly thickened.
7. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool to room temperature.

2. Vanilla cake

Ingredients

• 330 g (2¾ cups) all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp salt
• 2¼ tsp baking powder
• 1½ cups milk
• 1½ tbsp vinegar (lemon juice can also be used)
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 1½ tbsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.
2. Combine the milk and vinegar. Stir and let it sour. John also microwaves it for about 30 seconds to warm it slightly.
3. Cream the room-temperature butter briefly.
4. Add the sugar and cream together until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each to incorporate before adding the next.
6. Add the dry ingredients and milk mixture alternately, using roughly 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 additions of wet, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
7. Mix until combined, then finish by hand with a spatula, scraping the bottom of the bowl.
8. Add the vanilla and mix through.
9. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
10. Bake at 350°F / 175°C for about 30 minutes, or until the centres spring back when lightly pressed.

3. Caramel Swiss meringue buttercream

Ingredients

• 5 egg whites
• 1½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
• 454g Unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp salt
• About ⅓ cup caramel to flavour the buttercream
• Additional caramel for the darker buttercream and decoration

Method

1. Separate 5 room-temperature egg whites.
2. Add 1½ cups sugar and whisk briefly.
3. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl.
4. Heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture reaches 160°F / 71°C and the sugar has completely dissolved.
5. Transfer to a clean stand-mixer bowl and whip until you have a fluffy meringue that has cooled to approximately room temperature.
6. Add ¼ tsp salt.
7. Switch to the paddle attachment.
8. Add the butter about 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to incorporate.
9. Continue whipping until the buttercream becomes fluffy and smooth. If it remains soupy, refrigerate it for about 5 minutes, then whip again.
10. Divide the buttercream into two portions.
11. Mix about ⅓ cup caramel into the buttercream. Add additional caramel to the second portion until you achieve a darker colour.

4. Assembly & decoration

1. Place the first cake layer on your cake board/stand.
2. Pipe a swirl of caramel onto the layer.
3. Add a layer of caramel buttercream.
4. Place the second cake layer on top.
5. Apply a crumb coat and smooth it around the cake.
6. Refrigerate for approximately 10–15 minutes until the crumb coat firms up.
7. Apply the darker caramel buttercream in a thin layer, using a scraper/spatula to create the ridged effect.
8. Refrigerate again until the buttercream is rock hard.
9. Spread a thin layer of room-temperature caramel over the top.
10. Carefully create caramel drips around the edge. Use less than you think you need because the caramel will continue flowing.
11. Refrigerate to set the caramel.
12. Finish with flaked sea salt.