Birthday Cakes

March is a big birthday month in my family. Both of my parents, along with Andrew have b-days in March.  With b-days on the mind, all I can think about is baking cakes! This past weekend my dad celebrated his 60th bday! Anyway, here is the cake I baked for him.

I used this lemon cake recipe, and altered it a bit.  I added about 2 tsp of lemon extract to give it a bit stronger of a flavor, along with 1/4 cup more of lemon juice. And I'm glad I did, because the lemon flavor was still subtle.  The cake turned out to be a bit denser than I would have liked, but overall I was pleased with the final product.

As for the icing, I made a cream cheese icing.  I don't normally use icing recipes, I just go by look and texture.  After making icing once a week for two years at a bakery, you get a feel for it.

To add a little texture and color to the cake, I toasted some sweetened coconut.  It added a nice little touch to the flavor and final decoration of the cake.