Shellby Shattered is has too many letters for layer cake.

On the 30th day, of the 3rd month Shellby Shattered celebrated her first and only 30th birthday. With maximum sneakiness Feev's set up a dinner for a "few people" for Shattered at some Mexican place in JP. By a "few people" Feevs meant round about 25 and so it was a fiesta indeed. (especially since there was a mariachi band!)

I wanted to make something very special for Shattered and so I set about dreaming up cakes in my head. Although I was pleased with the idea of chocolate hazelnut, that project was put on the back burner when I remembered a cake that I had only made once before. Black Forest Cake.

I was 10 years old the last time I made black forest cake. Mama J, seester and I made it for a lovely women named Denise who was our next door neighbor from the time my parents moved into their first Enfield house (14 Douglas Drive) until I was five and she move to Florida. At that point we moved into her house (16 Douglas Drive) which may be one of the weirdest things about my family. I remember the move pretty vividly actually. We threw most of our belongings over the fence in the back yard, but hired movers to big things like the fridge. I digress. Denise remained in Florida until Hurricane Andrew destroyed her home. The first time we went to visit her when she moved back to Connecticut we brought her Black Forest Cake because it was her favorite.

Back to 2008- I baked two thick chocolate cakes (using Jenn's Hot Water Chocolate Cake recipe) and made buttercream frosting with lots and lots of butter and set it all aside until after practice. I came home with Seester in tow to shower and frost the cake and make it over to JP. I used canned cherries and layered the cake up topping it all off with frosting and cherries on top. Turns out though "Shattered" has 9 letters and round cakes are only about 10 inches wide... So "Happy Birthday Buns" it was.

After eating delicious food covered in cheese we cut into the cake and passed it around toasting to a women who I am proud to call my friend. Happy Birthday Buns!