BIRTHDAYS and the GLUTEN-free and dairy-free cake that went to ELEVEN

(if the treasure hunt is EVER solved, this present is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow:  I made the tile for this jewelry box (click here)! (I should make more of these) Outta the kiln it came Friday, and was glued in place whilst still warm....guess what?  the jewelry box is full of presents too, shhhh!)

March 1 is a big deal in this house, even if it happens to be snowy and zero outside...like today.  But still, days are brighter and maybe one day this month we will have some...WARMTH!  That whole in like a lion out like a lamb thing....

It is also meaningful and celebratory because there is a birthday in the house.... of course, the dastardly treasure hunt may prevent anyone EVER finding their birthday presents!

I baked Nicole Hunn's gluten-free chocolate cake (click here), SHOCKINGLY good.  I did not have sour cream, not even a soy substitute on hand, so used apple sauce instead and instead of water used soy milk, and used my mom's choco frosting recipe (a little margerine and cocoa in a pan heated, add a little vanilla and water and powdered sugar until it looks, acts and tastes like frosting) ....but WHOA!  I was gonna make a small layer cake with 2 small rounds on top of each other but the result was 2 rounds that baked huge! Apple sauce did that?  I still just dumped frosting all over it....too lazy to smear it on neatly, I thought it looked more ARTISANAL to dump it on there....one wee cake with pecans, the other with choco chunks...