white chocolate birthday cake

I can't believe it's been this long, but I made this cake almost a year ago, for Chad's last birthday.

Yikes.

And I haven't held off on posting it for any good reason -- in fact, everyone at his party readily agreed that it was terrific.  But somehow (probably due to the bad lighting conditions when I snapped these photos), it has taken me a whole 10 months to share this recipe with you all.

I think you'll forgive me.  Because in this case, the wait was worth it -- this delicious birthday cake is perfect for when you want to go the homemade route for someone special.  Someone who is worthy of the relatively intense cake-baking process.  Someone, I hope, who will appreciate the effort you put into it.  And, of course, someone who likes white chocolate as much as Chad and I do.  Yum.

White Chocolate Birthday Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 ounces white chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup hot water

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

For the buttercream:

4 ounces white chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

For the cake:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, melt the white chocolate and hot water over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the eggs, beating well with each addition. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, then add the melted white chocolate.

Pour batter into a medium-sized sheet pan (or two 9" round pans). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

For the buttercream:

Microwave the white chocolate and milk on medium-high for 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir. If the chocolate is not completely melted, microwave for an additional 30 seconds and stir again.

Meanwhile, cream together the butter and shortening, then add the vanilla. Add the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time, beating well in between. When all the sugar is mixed in, add the melted chocolate and beat until light and fluffy. Spread the icing on the cooled cake layers, and serve.

For the decorations, I used this recipe for royal icing, using meringue powder instead of raw egg whites.