Babycakes, all grown up.

Not the one bite, pop it in your mouth Babycakes I usually make! Nope, not the well loved 1-2-3-4 cake recipe baked into tiny cupcakes piped with fluffy butter cream, ohhh no.

These three little darlings were ordered by a birthday boy... a birthday boy with a sophisticated sweet tooth. Why would anyone choose just one flavor when there are so many lovely ones? I can't help but think of Gertrude McFuzz right about now.

Darling No. 1 is a dark chocolate cake doused with Chambord, filled with raspberry butter cream and iced with chocolate ganache. She is wearing a crown of raspberries frosted with pink sugar nestled in more butter cream.

Darling No. 2 is lemon, lemon and more lemon. Lemon cakes soaked with Meyer lemon syrup, filled with lemon curd and iced with lemon creme chantilly. A simple thin slice of yes, lemon on top...with a frosted sprig of the first mint of the season.

No. 3 (notice the darling is missing) I love the most...despite her audacious nature. Her layers are the good old velvet spice cake from the good old Joy of Cooking. I have been making that cake since I was 13. It was the cake I baked for my daughters first birthday. (I was 28 that time, not 13 incase I confused you.) Those were simple bunt cakes, a little powderd sugar, maybe a little butter cream a few crystalized violets and you were done. Yum. Miss Audacity is another story. She has caramelized apples between her layers along with a smidge of lemon curd butter cream for holding power. Calvados deglazed the apple pan and that syrup went into the cream cheese icing. Not to be out done by "The Crown" she is decked out in apple peel. A ruffle of pink lady apple peel makes a fine collar while the very tip-top of said apple, complete with stem is a perfect little pill box hat. When all is said, sparkled and sugared I think she takes the cake.

I learned a few new tricks today, thanks to the birthday boy who couldn't decide. Happy Birthday.