Who knew turning 60 could be so sweet? I turned that big number last week and it feels kind of weird to me because I do NOT feel SIXTY! I also thought it was a great excuse to have a really big party at the really beautiful Fenway Hotel.
Getting together with family and friends is my all-time favorite thing in the whole world, and there are just not enough occasions when we all get together. There are also not enough occasions where we can all get really dressed up (also my favorite). And because I really love to dance, why not have a party? And because it’s a party, we must have cake. And lots of it.
Who Knew Turning 60 Could Be So Sweet?
• I recruited a few friends and family members to help me bake, and we made SEVEN delicious cakes from my website to create a really beautiful cake table.
• Aunt Emily's Chocolate Fudge Cake - My favorite baker aunt's recipe, made by my daughter.
• Copycat Nothing Bundt Red Velvet Cake - Most popular recipe on my blog. My friend and blogger, Julie Pollitt, made this cake for my party.
• Butternut Cake - This was another recipe inspired by Aunt Emily, made by my daughter Savannah.
• Mom's Black Forest Cake - My dad's favorite cake from back in the day. He loved it at Christmas. My sister, Best, made this one and did a fabulous job.
• Classic White Cake Made From Scratch - This was my fave! It's the one with the edible photo. It's my grandmother's 1-2-3-4 cake but I made it gluten free so I'll share the recipe at end of this post.
• Gluten Free Carrot Cake - My daughter's birthday cake from a few years ago, made by my neighbor Jenny.
• Red Velvet Marble Bundt Cake - As holiday favorite, made by my sister-in-law Candy.
My daughter Savannah (pictured above) helped me plan the party (thank you, sweet girl), and she was especially excited about the cake table and so was I. She said after the party that she loved how pretty the cake table turned out.
I’d like to thank everyone for helping to bake, and also my nieces Rachel and Robyn, and Savannah, for helping to cut the cakes.
Friends, Family & Travel Near and Far
We invited lots of friends from over the years because when you’ve traveled around the sun sixty times, you collect a few friends. It was so special for me to have friends I’ve known since high school all the way up to new friends I’ve just met this year.
It was also great to have both my family and my husband’s family all together in the same place because that almost never happens.
People traveled from as far as North Georgia, Alabama, and South Florida, and I’m so grateful. I even got to see two of my college girlfriends that I haven’t seen in 40 years, from when we were on the FSU London program together. They had recently visited London for the first time since then and were still jet lagged, so I can basically say I had guests that traveled from Europe, lol.
A Very Special Night
I was also really happy that my mom and stepdad could be there since they are in their 80s and it’s harder for them to travel. My mom broke her arm just two months ago and my stepdad has been under the weather, but they both rallied and made the trip.
Our setting was beautiful at the pool garden of the historic Fenway Hotel in Dunedin, Florida. We had a wonderful DJ that played lots of fun music to dance to (I was on that dance floor a lot).
My husband, Jay, sang a few songs for us and did a great job. My sister and my friend Haley sang for us and sang beautifully. My husband gave a beautiful toast, as well as my bestest friend Amy Lyle (talented author/comedienne), which I appreciated so much
The Little Details
I also had fun making some super cute snowman mug party favors filled with goodies. I made 85 of them -with a little help from my friends and family (thank you, Luke Ode). It was a lot of work, but totally worth it.
A Night I’ll Never Forget
If I had to sum it all up: the night was full of love, laughter, music, dancing, cake, and people who mean everything to me. I don’t know what sixty is supposed to feel like, but if this is it - I’ll take it.
Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us, helped behind the scenes, traveled near and far, baked cakes, cut slices, sang songs, danced, toasted, and made the night unforgettable.
Here’s to family, friendship, cake, dancing and celebrating life whenever we can. Cheers to 60 years!
Related Recipes
Love this recipe? If you try it, be sure to tag me on @Instagram! You can also find me on Pinterest, YouTube and Facebook.
Gluten Free White Cake From Scratch
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups gluten free all purpose flour I used Bob's Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Flour
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk at room temperature I used lactose free
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Use good quality vanilla
For the frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar or 16 ounces
- 2 tablespoons whole milk (or more if too thick) I used lactose free
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 2 (8-inch) round pans with melted butter and line with parchment paper. Brush with more butter. You could also use non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl, measure out gluten free flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and mix. Add eggs and mix until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk, plus the vanilla. Mix on medium low until combined. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. Add water. Mix until combined, then continue mixing on medium low for 30 seconds. Divide batter between the two prepared pans. Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 30-35 minutes. At 30 minutes, test one of the cakes by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, they are done. If not, continue to bake for just a few minutes more or until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Let cool completely.
For the frosting
- Beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. If the frosting is too thick, you can add a little more milk. Just add one tablespoon at a time, then mix thoroughly until you get the consistency you like.
- Fill and frost the cooled cake, reserving about 1 ¼ cups of frosting for the decoration (if desired). I used a #32 and #16 tips for the borders. If using an edible photo image, follow package instructions.
Charlotte Moore says
No way!!!! You look so much younger!! Happy Belated Birthday.