As I have probably mentioned, I am a far cry from a "baker." When the urge strikes to bake I do what I do when I need inspiration for home decor...I hit the internet.

I found this AMAZING cake recipe here...and while it may appear somewhat intimidating, I promise, if I can do it, you can do it! (I won't post the entire recipe...just follow the link!)

My daughter-in-law, Taylor, is our "special needs" child! We jokingly call her that because she has to be gluten-free for health reasons, so I have had to make several adjustments to my cooking and baking routine during our weekly Sunday dinners.

The only REAL adjustment has been the use of gluten free flour (I order this from Amazon...a tad more expensive than regular flour but she is worth it!) Not a huge deal but I have found that it tastes a tad "different" than regular flour in most baked goods so I try to find recipes with lots of sugar and chocolate and not as much flour.

This cake fit the bill! Tons of sugar and chocolate and honestly, I think you could smear chocolate butter cream icing on a rock and it would taste good! Add in the layer of chocolate cheese cake and you have a winner in our house!

This is my cake...

Obviously my presentation is not near as "perfect" as Danielle's, but trust me it tastes just as good!

OH MY GOSH!!!! Seriously, this cake really is amazing!

If you don't have to worry about the gluten issue, you could even use a box cake.

That being said, I don't think you can buy an icing that is as rich and delicious as homemade buttercream icing. And you can make buttercream any flavor you like...vanilla, lemon, chocolate, peanut butter...the options are endless and the homemade icing takes your cake to a whole new level of amazing!

Not a simple recipe, but definitely one you want to put on the menu for your next family gathering!

Beckwith's Treasures