'There's No Place Like--Your Twenties'

When your baby is making the leap from Twenty-Something to Thirty-Ought, you can either laugh or cry. We chose to laugh all the way to the party! I don't know who was laughing more, Becki or me. After all, if Beck is passing into the third T decade, that means I'm well into the S's. Yikes. Where did the time go? But, Who's Counting?

I first saw the original recipe for this cake, Chocolate Stout Cake by Hubert Keller onwww.thehungrymouse.com. Miss Mouse gives a wonderful tutorial through pictures of the entire recipe, and the cake looked so delicious, I had to make it. I made it once as per the recipe with good results, and then started changing it a bit. The cake remains basically the same, other than using Blue Moon Beer rather than the Stout originally called for. This was for my daughter's 'once in a Blue Moon turning 30' birthday, and Blue Moon is her favorite beer. I also used ricotta cheese rather than sour cream. The major changes came in the cream filling, and icing, plus I added a raspberry coating to each layer, which makes the cake even more moist. Whether you use the original, or my changed version, the cake is delicious, decadent, and worth the effort. Plus, because of the four layers and filling, it offers many servings.

• Blue Moon Cake:
• melted butter and parchment for preparing 2 nine inch cake pans
• 1 cup Blue Moon Beer
• 2 sticks butter
• 3/4 cups Special Dark Cocoa Powder
• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 cups regular sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cups ricotta
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat beer and butter in saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, add cocoa powder, and whisk to combine. Remove from heat and cool.
• Cut parchment paper to fit bottom of pans. Brush pan with melted butter, add parchment, and brush top of parchment with butter.
• Combine remaining dry ingredients, and whisk in small mixing bowl.
• Add eggs and ricotta to large mixing bowl, and beat to combine. While still beating on low speed, gradually add cooled chocolate and butter mixture to egg mixture. Then add dry ingredients, and fold with a spatula to finish combining. Don't over beat.
• Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven to racks, cool for ten minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on racks, discarding the parchment paper.
• When cakes are completely cooled, cut each cake into two even layers, for a total of 4 layers, and set aside while making filling and icing. (If there is any 'doming' on either cake, remove the dome to make layers fit together well.)

• Mocha Cream and Raspberry Filling and Chocolate Ganache Icing:
• 10 ounces Seedless Raspberry Preserves
• 1 1/2 cup cold heavy cream, plus 3 T heavy cream for frosting
• 2/3 cups regular sugar
• 1/3 cup Regular Cocoa Powder (not special dark)
• 1 tablespoon Espresso instant coffee granules
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cups 60% cacao chocolate pieces
• Put 3 tablespoons butter in small sauce pan over medium heat with chocolate pieces. Stir until melted and smooth, then remove from heat and whisk in 3 tablespoons heavy cream. Set ganache aside to cool and thicken, and continue putting cake together.
• Place one cake layer on serving plate and spread one-fourth of the raspberry preserves evenly over top.
• Stir espresso and boiling water together until coffee is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
• Whisk sugar and cocoa powder together in medium sized mixing bowl. Add cold heavy whipping cream and beat on high until it holds its shape well. Fold espresso into whipped cream.
• Spread one-third of whipped mocha cream on top of cake on serving plate. Top with another layer, spread with another fourth of the raspberry preserves, and another third of the mocha cream. Add another cake layer, repeat raspberry preserves, and remaining mocha cream. Finish with final cake layer, and remaining raspberry preserves.
• If ganache icing is cooled and thickened enough to pour over cake, continue with icing. Otherwise, refrigerate cake until ready to ice.
• Pour about half the ganache around the outside top of the cake letting it drizzle down the sides. Pour remaining icing over the top and quickly spread with offset spatula to smooth. You can leave the sides of the cake with decorative drips, or smooth over sides with offset spatula.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• ENJOY!

While we were all 'hoorah-ing' over the birthday, Brady was making a move on Maxie in the bedroom. When she realized the paparazzi were watching, she resisted, but I have it on good authority that on occasion, she is the aggressor!