I made my first cake for my birthday

My first time to make a birthday cake (in time for my birthday). Hubby bought an oven, a birthday gift for me. Wish granted, wink ;) Finally, i can now fulfill my dream to become a baker. Sharing this recipe i got from the internet:

Ingredients: 2 cups flour (all purpose flour is okay, but you can find cake flour, it would be better) 1 ½ cup sugar ½ cup cocoa powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 1 ½ cup water 1 cup mayonnaise 1 tsp vanilla extract Procedure 1. In a bowl, mix mayonnaise and sugar until smooth   2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder. It's up to you if you'd like to sift or dry whisk. Just make sure all four ingredients are well mixed. Both works for me.   3. Add a third of the flour mixture to the mayonnaise mixture   4. Add 1/2 of the water required. Now don't be discouraged if it looks sloppy once the water is added. It'll come together, pinky swear.   5. Repeat #3 and #4 until the flour mixture and water has been added to the mayonnaise mixture. Add the vanilla extract last.   6. Pour into a well greased pan and bake at 350F for 40-50 mins for cakes and 12-15 minutes for cupcakes. Make sure to tap the pans used to let the air out before baking, okay?   Whipped Chocolate Ganache   8 ounces bittersweet chocolate 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature 1 tsp vanilla extract (if you're feeling fancy, you can add Kahlua, too)   1. Chop chocolate and transfer into a heat proof bowl. 2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream through strainer, over the chocolate. 3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined. 4. Add butter stir until combined. 5. Cool ganache in the refrigerator overnight. Then beat/whip until fluffy.   

My first cupcake!

I have made my first cupcake... carrot cupcake. Got the recipe from the joyofbaking.com Here's the recipe: Ingredients 1 1/3 cups (175 grams) all-purposeflour 1 teaspoonbaking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup (120 ml)walnuts, chopped 2 largeeggs 2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated whitesugar 2/3 cup (160 ml) vegetable, safflower, corn, or canola oil 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2/3 cup (160 ml) unsweetened applesauce (or grated apple or crushed pineapple) 1 1/3 cups (320 ml) finely grated raw carrots (about 1/2 lbs. (225 grams) carrots) Cream Cheese Frosting: 1/4 cup (55 grams)butter, room temperature 4ounces (115 grams) cream cheese, room temperature 2 1/4 cups (250 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing)sugar, sifted 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Procedure: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Lightly butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Fold in the chopped walnuts. In another large bowl whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Then whisk in the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until slightly thickened. Fold in the applesauce and grated carrots. Then fold this mixture into the flour mixture until incorporated. Evenly fill the 12 muffin cups with the batter and bake about 20 - 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and let cool completely before frosting. Frosting: In the bowl of your electric, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until very smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated and smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add more confectioners sugar if needed. Pipe the frosting on the top of each cupcake. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate the cupcakes until serving time. Can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Makes 12 cupcakes.