Todd's Racetrack Cake

Todd requested a racetrack cake for his birthday a few months ago. Ryan had a figure-8 racetrack cake for his first birthday. When Todd saw this creation, I think he was a little disappointed that his cake wasn't a figure-8 like Ryan's was. He soon got over it, and was most concerned that the track included a traffic light. Unfortunately, the jelly beans fell off our Oreo Fun Stick traffic light at the last minute. It still looked pretty good, and I thought the balloon candles looked especially festive.

The cake was the "Versatile Vanilla Cake" recipe from Everyday Food. I made a buttercream frosting from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I made half the recipe plain buttercream, and half chocolate buttercream. I was pleased that the cake and frosting made decorating easy. The cake didn't crumble, and the frosting held its shape. I'm not including the recipe because I don't think it was that outstanding. I don't have a standby vanilla cake recipe. They always seem a little too dry. I actually preferred this cake cold and served with cookies and cream ice cream. That was quite a tasty late evening snack earlier this week.