Frank's Birthday Cake

Frank turned 40 last week and we had a wonderful extended celebration. I made him the Apple Pie Layer cake from Momofuku Milk Bar. I still haven't bought the cookbook, but it is on my wish list. Everything that I have made from it has been fantastic, and this was no exception. I was told at dinner with friends that it was the best cake one friend had ever eaten, and that is high praise!

As with all of Christina Tosi's recipes, there were a lot of steps to this cake. There is the Brown Butter Cake layers, the Pie crumbles, Pie Crumble Frosting, Liquid Cheesecake and Apple Pie filling. I left out the Apple Cider soak because Frank isn't a fan of vinegary things. I also made this cake sans cake ring and acetate. It held together, but only barely. I think the presentation is a lot more beautiful with those gadgets. I will have to invest in those supplies for next time. You can find all the recipes for this cake here, if you are inclined to tackle it. It is most definitely a labor of love and I think it was befitting a 40th birthday!

Between a music festival on Saturday, dinner with friends on Sunday and a short trip to Austin last Monday I don't know how I didn't take any birthday pictures of Frank or Frank and I together.  I'm kind of sad about that now.  No capturing the moment, which is unusual for me.  I guess we were having too much fun. So just for fun I thought I would share this picture of Frank and our niece Karlie.  He is such a good uncle and she loves to be silly with him.  I think this picture illustrates that quite well.