Cake and ... more cake

Each Labor Day, we celebrate our daughter Stephanie's birthday. The party concludes summer (if not the hot weather) in much the same way as our shindig in honor of Erica's birthday on Memorial Day, signals the start of summer.

You probably don't remember this because you've been so busy with your own family, but last September even as Tropical Storm Irma was bearing down on South Carolina, we all met Stephanie and her family in Charlotte, North Carolina, to have her birthday party at a Cracker Barrel.

That's because last year, due to other commitments they couldn't come to our house on Labor Day. But this year, they could.

So it was that on Monday everyone was here, including my parents, meaning we had fifteen for lunch.

TG and I got home from vacation late last Friday, so everything for our Labor Day meal and birthday party came from a Sunday-afternoon Costco run.

Remember that heavenly white Costco cake I told you about? Oh wait; having searched the IHATH archives I don't believe I actually told you about the celestial vanilla sheet cakes on sale at Costco.

Perhaps you are already savvy as to the existence of said insanely delicious Costco bakery item.

Anyway, we had chocolate because Erica was doing the shopping with me and when we were presented with the option of choosing either white/vanilla/vanilla cake or dark/chocolate/chocolate cake, she insisted on texting her sister with the question: 

For your birthday cake would you prefer vanilla or chocolate?

Within a moment, Stephanie's answer -- and the verdict -- was in:

Chocolate.

Oh.

And here I was drooling over the memory of that white cake with vanilla mousse filling ever since I tasted it at Joanna's wedding in Greenville a month ago. It was the reason I implored TG to secure a Costco membership for us immediately upon returning to Columbia. 

That cake was the only reason.

But we got the chocolate flavor. Because it's what the birthday girl wanted. And, like the vanilla version, it's mouth-wateringly rich and basically excellent.

Also like the vanilla version, the cake is offered by Costco only in a large sheet format that, if cut into small squares (which we don't; we like large slabs), serves forty-eight.

It's nine and a half pounds of cake.

The pirate could use it as a boat anchor if pressganged into a particularly piratey nautical situation.

But remember how many we were going to have at our party? Fifteen? Yeah. Not forty-eight.

We have lots of leftover cake in the freezer, just in case you're in the neighborhood and care to pop round.

Give me a heads-up and I'll put the coffee on.

For our pre-cake Labor Day feast we had deli roast beef and tender ham with thick slices of cheddar on soft buns with Duke's mayonnaise, French's yellow mustard, and the mandatory pirate pickle buffet.

Sides included fresh salad brought by my mother, Costco potato salad, wavy chips, and barbecue baked beans I made from scratch.

If you are invited to eat at my house and leave hungry, it will be your own fault.

When it was time for dessert, I made large amounts of coffee and began serving up the chocolate birthday cake with chocolate mousse filling and pink and orange and yellow frosting roses.

Before I began cutting the cake and serving it on pink paper dessert plates with pink plastic forks (our Stephanie loves pink), I made the birthday girl pose with her brightly decorated chocolate-chocolate confection. 

On her actual birthday this coming weekend, she'll doubtless have another cake and I hope it's vanilla, even though I won't be there to enjoy it.

She's already had chocolate. Nine and a half pounds of it.

Stephanie opened her gifts and pronounced that she was pleased with everything she received. The children finished up their late-summer swim and eventually it was time for all the out-of-towners to head for home.

After all, today was a school day.

Our middle two grandchildren, Allissa and Andrew, have previously been home schooled but this year are enrolled at a private school in Hickory, North Carolina, in the fifth and first grades respectively.

So far -- classes began last Wednesday -- they love it.

Know what I love? The early September quiet, with autumn peeking around the corner.

And that is all for now.

=0=0=0=

Happy Wednesday

Comments

[Sally]

9 1/2 lbs? The child I borned, is that a word, weighed only 1 lb less than that! Holy Toledo, though it sure looks good. Don't let that cake get freezer burned 'cause I'm coming to get a piece!

Such a beautiful birthday for your beautiful Stephanie! How wonderful that all of you could get together. You have such a great family, Jennifer.

xoxo

[Jennifer]

@Sally ... Haaahaha I didn't think of it that way. My biggest kid (Andrew) weighed only a tad less than nine and a half pounds. Oh the excess of wonderfulness we have in this great country. Yes do come! I will be waiting with open arms to greet you. xoxo

[Mari]

Looks like the perfect party! I see there was French press coffee too. :)
If I had my choice, I'd have chocolate with vanilla frosting and buttercream filling, but Costco doesn't do that!
Save me a piece too - I'm coming with Sally!

[Jennifer]

@Mari ... girl we would have a ball. Y'all just let me know when and I'll be ready. xoxo