{Semi-Homemade with Samara Link}

I'm usually pro homemade when it comes to birthday cakes and cupcakes. A little prior

planning and effort goes a long way to make the birthday boy or girl feel special. So, I like

to do at least two layers and get it on some kind of serving platter. I'm not a cake decorator,

but that little bit of positioning elevates the whole of it, don't you think?

The day-of-birthday-reality is sometimes that time is of the essence, especially when you're

trying to be available for all kinds of birthday festivities throughout the day. For David's

last birthday (photos to come), I only had a little over an hour to make his cake. So, I took a

few shortcuts and came up with a simple, semi-homemade solution. It took half the time of

the carrot cake, from scratch, I normally like to make.

I thought it was very Sandra Lee of me, and to my delight, it worked! It's not the purest

thing I've ever made. Kinda processed, actually. But it tasted good, looked good and served

the purpose.

• I used cake mix: Pillsbury Moist Supreme Golden Butter. (This one doesn't require oil.) One box made two nine-inch rounds.

• I added white chocolate chips to the cake batter before baking. I also meant to add toasted coconut, but I spaced out and forgot that element.

• The center layer had two parts. First, the light pink creamy filling came from the deli area of my grocery store. Premade, and therefore, fast. It was creamy, colorful and sweet. Second, I added a thin layer of fresh, sliced strawberries.

• Homemade cream cheese frosting (recipe below)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

In mixer, blend 16 ounces (or 4 cups) confectioners sugar * 8 ounces cream cheese *

1/2 cup butter * 2 teaspoons pure vanilla

So, that's it. Easy peasy. Semi-homemade. Enough personal touches to keep love as an

ingredient. I like it!