A Sweet & Simple Birthday Cake

It’s no secret I am a girl who loves to bake from scratch. Taking a few simple ingredients and turning them into something delicious is a joyous activity for me. I could spend hours in my kitchen doing just that, and I would lose all track of time, completely lost in a daze of baking induced happiness.

That that said – I am alI also a girl who is not opposed to store bought cake mixes. In fact; I really love them for a lot of reasons…

I grew up baking – so it comes very naturally to me. But let’s be honest, for someone who has never baked before, scratch baking can be a super intimidating project. Like what if after you spent hours in your kitchen trying to bake your very first cake, and it doesn’t rise? or what if it’s not moist or fluffy? Or what if it just doesn’t taste good.. ???

Being no stranger to baking fails, I know just how disheartening it can be when your baking project dreams don’t come true. That’s why if you are new to baking, I think cake mixes can be a great way to get your feet wet because here’s the thing… cake mixes are quick, they are easy, they are fool-proof, and if you do them right, they taste pretty legit.

That’s just the honest truth. At the end of the day, they are an awesome way to get you feeling a bit more comfortable and confident in your baking apron.

And guess what the cake in these pictures… yeah, that cake right there… it was made with cake mix. Yup! Boxed Vanilla Cake, frosted with homemade Blackberry Buttercream.

Easy. Delicious. Pretty. Heck yes – Bring on the cake mix baby!!

Probably my favourite thing about cake mixes, is that they give you a great base batter that you can easily get super creative with just by using simple add-ins. I jazz mine up all the time with spices, chocolate chips, citrus zest, fresh berries, lemon curd, or jam fillings…

Not to mention your homemade frosting possibilities are virtually endless. Try a simple vanilla or chocolate or get fancy with espresso, white chocolate, berry purees, or just slather your cake in whipped cream… literally anything you can dream up!

For this cake I simply took the box mix, made it bomb AF with a few alterations (which you can read all about here) and then added a tsp of lemon zest to the batter to compliment some homemade blackberry frosting (recipe below). It was delicious – perfect for Spring!

Blackberry Buttercream

2 cups icing sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened (I like to use salted butter. Cuts the sweetness)
1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2-3 tbsp fresh blackberry puree (or just smashed blackberries is great)

In a large mixing bowl, beat your softened butter with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in the icing sugar 1 cup at a time and mix on low until a thick frosting forms. Add the vanilla, lemon zest and 2 tbsp of the blackberry puree. Turn the mixer to high, and beat for 4-5 minutes or until the frosting creamy and fluffy. Make sure you scrape down the sides of your bowl a few times.