The Vegan Butterfly

My second special order birthday cake was also my first vegan birthday cake.  I've had success with Joy the Baker's vegan chocolate avocado cupcakes before, but the soft creamy texture of vegan buttercream frosting doesn't lend itself to the polish necessary for a birthday cake.

I was able to adapt another chocolate buttercream recipe using a vegan margarine, and our birthday girl requested peanut butter filling.  The cake, filling, and frosting was completely egg- and dairy-free.  It was a wonderful experience making a special cake happen for a gal who usually has to abstain from the birthday sweets.

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake for Hannah's Birthday

Hannah recently got a butterfly tattoo on her arm, so I added the chocolate bark and butterfly to personalize the cake.  

A Humble Beginning, or, a Study in Chocolate

I am a lucky girl.

I love my job, I love my neighborhood, and I'm fortunate to live with and work with people who inspire and support my creativity.  At the end of last summer, my employer came to me with a proposal:

Make the cakes.

I work for a locally-owned company that treats its employees like family.  And when an employee works on her or his birthday, well, we get cake.  My boss asked if I would be interested in baking these cakes for a few months, to see how it would work out.  I said yes immediately.

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Cake for Jenn's Birthday