Can you believe that my lovely mother is now half a century old? I remember the days when I thought that 50 was a couple of years shy from life in a nursing home, but now it seems like a vibrant and fun age when you actually begin envisioning the reality of the fun you'll have during retirement (unlike the 30 years of dreaming I have left to go). I mean, heck, my Grandma is over 70 and she's still out-running us. Okay, maybe walking, but she even manages to do a load of laundry, cook, and clean while us youngsters are rubbing our feet afterwards.


Lucky for me, my parents still have the spunk to drive six hours round trip to visit us for the day. To top it off, it took more like 7-8 hours due to the crazy RAGBRAI (annual bike ride across Iowa - a huge event here) traffic. They arrived around 11:30, which gave me plenty of time to hit up a few garage sales as well as the grocery store before their arrival. While I was at the store I saw a beautiful, unique floral arrangement. I just had to bring it home with me for my mom, even though I knew it was kind of a weird gift for someone driving three hours back home. Though she loved it, she was gracious enough to leave it with us to bring some much needed color into our great room. Aren't these flowers just awesome - I love the lime green ones, and isn't the big pink one just to die for?

The one thing that I wanted to be sure to do was to make her a cake. I don't ever remember her having a birthday cake, but she always made sure to have one for us! I searched long and hard for the perfect homemade recipe before stumbling upon a delectable cake at my friend's bridal shower the night before. I made sure to get the recipe, and it was semi-homemade - even better! It was a super moist yellow cake topped with a light and creamy frosting.

I wanted to make a beautiful display, so I made two round cakes instead of a sheet cake in order to put it atop my pretty cake stand. However, I neglected to note that the light and creamy frosting would not bode well for a stacked cake. My gorgeous two-tiered cake quickly looked like Mt. Everest on a 100 degree day - it all came falling down. My luscious white frosting starting sliding down the sides into a gooey blob along with the perfectly placed pineapple topping. And like a mom to her 5-yr old cake decorating daughter would say, she told me it was great....only I'm a 24-yr old! It was delicious nonetheless, and I didn't need her confirmation as my tummy voted itself -- I ate the leftover half of the cake in two days. :) So, without further ado, I give you The 50th Birthday Cake (I don't have the name for it, so someone should help me come up with one!):

(I told you it was ugly - and this was before the rest of the pineapple and frosting fell!)


1 box yellow cake mix (and whatever other ingredients it calls for)
1 box white chocolate pudding
1 tub Cool Whip

Prepare and bake yellow cake mix according to package. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. With a toothpick, make multiple pokes throughout the cake (without poking through all the way to the bottom).

Prepare pudding according to directions. Before it thickens, pour enough over the cake to cover it. Use a spatula to spread evenly in order to ensure that it gets to all of the toothpick holes. After the remaining pudding has thickened, gently fold in the Cool Whip with a spatula. Spread over the cake and top with fruit, if desired.

I also added about 1/2-3/4 cup coconut (I eyeballed it) to my cake mix before baking to give it a little extra yumminess. I topped mine with pineapple, but strawberries, kiwi and banana would also be delish!

**I think it would be best to use recently thawed Cool Whip as I believe that the creamy consistency of the cool whip was one of the culprits in my sliding frosting goo. Better yet, stick to a sheet cake for this one so it has nowhere to go but in your tummy!