Joyeux Anniversaire

Or as it translates to English, "Happy Birthday!"

To me!  Yep, my birthday was this past week...and no I won't tell you my age.  Let's just say I'm old enough to know better, but still too young to care.

I'm sure you're expecting a fabulous cake creation that I made for myself, but truth is I didn't want a birthday cake this year...I wanted something different, something sinfully sweet and delicious, but not something I'd be willing to make any day of the week...it had to be special...it would require some deep thought and a little research....

But lucky for me, A was kind enough to bring me this cute cuppie fresh from...well, I'm not sure where it was fresh from, but I got a candle!  Woohoo!  (And, yes, we broke out the good china for the celebration, as you can tell.)

And while I loved the creme-filled cupcake A provided, it still wasn't quite what I was looking for, plus I had to supply something in the celebration/fancy dessert category to the attendees of my birthday party, so back to the drawing board.

Of course, while I was determining what I wanted my birthday confection to be, I also had a couple of cake orders to complete.

Like these petit fours...

Let me just say, they were perfect for contemplating celebration recipes.  Lots of detail work...definitely more time consuming than I had originally planned (beginner's optimism, I suppose), but once I figured out the best method for completion (and recruited my trusty sous-chef), things went by without a hitch.  In the space of about 5 hours, 48 of the little darlings were completed and ready to be delivered...but I still didn't have a dessert decision made.

Auspiciously for me, I also had this golf themed cake to complete...

And it just so happened that my repeated attempts at creating a 3D golf ball light enough to stay on the side of the cake also resulted in a dessert epiphany.  You see, staying up until the wee hours completing cake designs often leads to me drinking copious amounts of caffeine...either in the form of soda or coffee.

And when it comes to coffee, I'm completely addicted to iced blended coffee drinks, particularly of the caramel persuasion...and so I give you my creation...

Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake!

Ooo...it was so good! Rich and creamy, with a hint of espresso flavor, topped off with homemade caramel and whipped cream, it was exactly what I had in mind.  Here's a slice of heaven for you...minus the "candles" (a.k.a matches*).

Have a great day! And don't forget to check back later in the week for an Easter themed recipe!

*Sometimes you just have to improvise!