Triple Chocolate Cherry Cake (Happy Birthday to Me!)

Well, I'm 23. Twenty-three!

I'm no longer allowed the excuse that I "just" graduated from college, and, like many, I have to get used to not being in school for the first time in my life. I'm not doing very well with that, it seems, since I can tell that my body is just waiting for a school routine to start. Sorry, body, we're on our own this year.

So twenty-three is my kick in the butt to get good at making my own routine :)

Thanks to labor day, I was one of the lucky kids who got a three-day birthday weekend each year, and it's fantastic. This year I milked each day of it: one day to be lazy, one day to cook a big dinner and a fancy cake, one day to go on a (fantastic) hike through the redwoods.

But something huge was missing this year: loved ones. Of course I have Nate, but for the first time, I celebrated my birthday without my family and friends. I'm in this new place where most everyone I know is either 1) my husband's coworker or 2) my husband. So our little celebration was a twosome. 

And guess who made the cake? Of course I did!

Four layers of cherry cake.
Two layers of thick chocolate pudding.
One layer of white chocolate ganache.
One rich blanket of creamy and just-barely-not-too-sweet chocolate frosting.

It's inspired by one of my favorite cupcake recipes from YourCupofCake: her Double Chocolate Cherry cupcakes. I used her cake recipe (with pureed cherry pie filling in the batter), and her white chocolate ganache (white chocolate and heavy cream). Though her chocolate buttercream recipe is TO DIE FOR, I used my own. Hers is very sweet, and I thought the cake called for something a little less intoxicating.

Some day, I will give you my chocolate frosting recipe, but I NEVER manage to remember to write it down! I know what I start with, but after adding a little more of this, a little more of that, more of the first thing, and so on, I've got no idea.

Anyway, when I write it down, I'll post an update :)

The cake wasn't amazing. The cupcake version is fabulous, but it was (believe it or not) too moist for a cake. If there's a next time, I might try leaving out the buttermilk altogether.