This is the birthday cake I always dreamt of having as a kid, the one the Kate Miller’s and Tina Wallace’s of the world got to have at their birthdays. I’m talking the classic yellow vanilla cake with a chocolate frosting that’s brown enough to know that it’s going to taste really chocolatey, but not so dark it veers into grown-up territory.
As for me, Mum always made her Japanese strawberry shortcake, which I absolutely love now. But as a kid, I just wanted what everyone else had – chocolate frosting and sprinkles.
Anyway, it all worked out. I grew up to be a half-decent cook, so now my birthday cake can be whatever I want. And this is it!