My roommate has an entire folder of Powerpoints on her computer filled with family recipes. I am very jealous I do not have any kind of family recipe that I use often. Any family recipes I have heard of involve lots of meat and other things I do not eat, so it is a bit disappointing. Anyway, my roommate has had the same cake for many, many years for her birthday, and I opted to make it when a good friend's birthday rolled around. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SILVIE! Unfortunately, we were running a bit low on sugar, so I cut out a good third of the sugar and switched some of it to brown sugar instead of white. Surprisingly, it was still ridiculously sweet (in a good way). I also changed and estimated a bunch of other ingredients, and it still turned out fabulous. I suppose it is just a no-fail cake. The cream cheese frosting (with pumpkin spice syrup) was also a delicious combination.
Funny story: I walked into my friend's apartment this weekend and smelled some cake baking, but I recognized IMMEDIATELY that it was cake from a box, not homemade. It was surprisingly distinct, and I realized that, yes, I've become a homemade snob. I guess that's what happens when you live in a house that specializes in cooking for two years.
