birthday cake

Today is my husband's birthday. The only thing he wanted was dinner with his children; he got half of his request. Our daughter and son-in-law aren't able to make it this evening, we'll FaceTime with them later. My son and his girlfriend will join us at Sea Grass Restaurant in Ocean Grove. We love the food at Sea Grass as it is consistently delicious, service is great and the staff is very accommodating. It's my husband's favorite restaurant. Did I mention that it's BYOB?

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I decided yesterday to make his favorite cake, carrot cake. This recipe is from a family friend that shared this recipe many years ago. I don't know where she got it, but I've been making it for over thirty years. When my brother was still working and had the occasion to travel for business, no matter where he went he tried carrot cake. He said that this recipe is still makes the best carrot cake. I don't add pineapple to either the cake batter or to the cream cheese frosting. You can make the cake and freeze it. Yesterday I made the recipe in two loaf pans. I froze the cake for some expected company in September. 

So before dinner, I have frosted the cake and cut a slice for the above photo. Thank goodness it's a cream cheese frosting so I can hide the fact that I cut a slice! By the way, I did try to light the candle, but there was a bit of a breeze that the candle couldn't stay lit.