32 Candles, 3 Cakes

a literal dessert saga (& all the recipes!)

cake. literally, that’s all i’ve made in the past two weeks. in celebration of my 32nd birthday, i’ve made three cakes (well, one pavlova, but that counts, right?) based on flavors i personally love.

you’ve seen the baking chaos unfold on tiktok and instagram, but today i wanted to share the recipes with you all here on substack — too often we search for the perfect cake to make for a friend, loved one, or ourselves… so think of today’s letter as a little keepsake for when that time comes.

celebrating my birthday in Sea Ranch! more on this in sunday’s newsletter!

before anything else, thank you. whether you’re a longtime reader or just joined last week, i appreciate every single person who opens these emails, leaves a comment, or makes a recipe. it means the world to me.

creating these recipes takes an immense amount of time, effort, and resources—from testing (and re-testing) to writing, editing, photographing, and sharing them in a way that feels inspiring and accessible. this is my job, and like any job, it requires real investment.

i’ve left one of the recipes free for all subscribers, while the other two live behind the paywall. if you’re a paid subscriber, thank you for directly supporting what i do—you allow me to keep creating. if you’re not, i still appreciate you being here more than you know.

All About The Cakes

they were all perfect in their own way. tangy & tart with just enough sweetness, because that’s how i like it and it’s my birthday, after all.

— the first cake is a key lime olive oil cake stacked between layers of key lime curd and topped with toasted vanilla meringue.

— the second cake is a chocolate cake stacked between layers of raspberry curd and covered in a butter-flavored buttercream.

— the third “cake” is a meyer lemon & oolong pavlova stacked between layers of meyer lemon curd & oolong buttercream. it’s topped with candied oolong meyer lemons and grapefruit.

---

i know i’m not supposed to pick favorites, but i loved the butter flavored buttercream the most out of every component i made throughout the process, though it was a pain in the ass to re-whip once cold. this cake was a whole saga (more below), but let’s just have a moment of silence for the buttercream.

Key Lime Olive Oil Cake with Key Lime Curd and Toasted Meringue

the cake recipe came from the book Sift by

Nicola Lamb

— i subbed key lime zest and juice for the citrus she used in the book… you could just use limes here and you’d get virtually the same flavor. i also made the dome shape a bit differently than she directs you to do. you can see how i did it here.

i think of all three recipes, this one was our favorite overall. the cake was perfectly moist, the key lime really came through, the curd was tangy and sweet, and the meringue topping rounded everything out so nicely. i’d say leftovers were only good for about 2 days, and to make sure you whip the meringue to be really stiff so that it doesn’t fall flat as you try to make the dome shape.

ingredients

key lime curd

• 3 large eggs

• zest of 3-5 key limes (2 regular limes)

• 190g (1 cup) sugar

• ¾ cup key lime juice (you can also use regular limes)

• 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

• pinch of salt

meringue topping

• 6 egg whites, room temperature

• 380g sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tsp white vinegar

• 2 tsp cornstarch

• generous sprinkle of salt

method

make the key lime curd

• massage key lime (or lime) zest into your sugar until full incorporated.

• in a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, key lime (or lime) juice, and salt until smooth.

• set the saucepan over the stove on medium heat and whisk continuously until the mixture thickens a bit, around 3 minutes.

• then, add the butter and whisk until melted. the mixture will start to thicken — whisk vigorously until it coats the back of a spoon, then remove from the heat.

• for an extra smooth curd, strain through a fine-mesh sieve to catch any cooked egg bits.

• transfer to a clean jar or deli container, pressing a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. once cooled, store in the fridge for up to a week

make the meringue topping

• in a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. slowly (super slowly!) add the sugar, one spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition. continue beating until the mixture turns thick, glossy, and holds stiff peaks.

• gently fold in the vanilla, vinegar, cornstarch, and salt, being careful not to deflate the meringue.

• add meringue to the top of the cake in large quantities to make a dome shape. you can see how i did it here. pipe more meringue on top if desired.

• don’t forget to torch your meringue with a cooking torch!

---

Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Curd and Butter Buttercream

i also used the chocolate cake recipe from the book Sift - it was just ok in my opinion! the flavor fell a bit flat for me - i was wanting something more fudgy and i felt like it called for too much coffee. that being said, the raspberry curd and butter flavored buttercream were perhaps the two most delicious components i made individually over this entire process.

i was planning for this cake to be my “final” birthday cake (like the one i ate on my real birthday), so i froze the layers, packaged up the curd and buttercream and they took the roadtrip with us to sea ranch. stacking a cake 4 layers high would have been fine, i guess, which was my original plan. but as i began layering it with curd and simultaneously realized that my buttercream was fucked and i was going to have to make a new one (in a house with no ingredients to do so) i blacked out and cut the cake in half and made it… 8 layers… lol.

on our way back from a sunset walk with the dog, we stopped at the store so i could remake the buttercream……….my dedication knows no limits. anyway, the cake actually ended up kind of working??? and the only tip i have is to make the buttercream same day — to get the butter flavor, we use less powdered sugar which leads to a less stable frosting etc etc. i’ve written all of the details down below!

btw, here’s a link to the birthday candles i used. i love these! they’re made of beeswax and can be formed into whatever shape you desire.

ingredients

raspberry curd

• ¾ cup raspberry lemon juice