What Flavor IS Birthday Cake? Pt. 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFgYhJPL2d4 (really, the only clip on YouTube I really found appropriate for 20/20 and short too).

This is my own investigative journalistic report. My personal 20/20. To answer the question "what flavor IS birthday cake?"

One day of the year, each special human is provided with a block of sugary covered sugary goodness to celebrate surviving another year since birth. Yay humans! But is the block of sugary covered sugary goodness chocolate? Vanilla? Peanut butter? Ham? Broccoli? Who am I even asking here?

Basically it comes down to one answer: it's personal. So through the time length of this blog, I'm providing myself yet another challenge to determine and create a multitude of birthday cakes to find the true celebratory flavor. The one stipulation: the cake must be for an individual's birthday and must be a flavor combination of their choosing.

I think one of the most important pieces of creating a birthday cake is personality (something, personally, I feel grocery stores highly lack in). Everything from flavor to color to shape to texture must exemplify the person for whom the cake is being created. Because it's their birthday and they get what they want. Duh.

For this particular cake, Sherry, as we will call her, loves eclairs. So, bam, make an eclair cake. And with the wonderful technology that is the internet, my brain was filled with ideas for how to create such a celebratory creation. So simple, yet refreshing delicious for an end of June birthday. The longest part of making this cake was letting it set in the fridge for about a day, but totally and 100% absolutely worth it. To give the cake a tiny bit more summer flair, I added fresh strawberries. Ladies and gents, I present to you with no further ado, the eclair cake recipe (no baking involved).

Eclair (Birthday) Cake

                                          There's actually no sponge cake inside of it. The secret's in the pudding. 

Ingredients
Cake
1 (1 lb) box of graham crackers
2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant french vanilla pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (8 oz) frozen container cool whip
1 container strawberries, thinly sliced
Frosting
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 Tbsp softened butter
1/3 cup of chocolate milk
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla

Also, going to need a 13 x 9 disposable foil container.

Prep Time 10 - 15 minutes
Set Time 22 - 24 hours

Directions
Butter or grease, lightly, the 13 x 9 disposable foil container.
Combine milk and pudding. Mix until all lumps have disappeared (use a whisk). Throw in the frozen cool whip and continue to stir until consistent throughout the mixture.
Layer graham crackers across the bottom of the container (single layer). Use half of the pudding mixture to cover the graham crackers completely. Sprinkle fresh strawberries across the pudding. Place another layer of graham crackers on top of the strawberries and pudding. Use the remaining mixture to cover the second layer of graham crackers and sprinkle with remaining strawberries. Place a final layer of graham crackers on top of the second layer of pudding and strawberries. Cover last graham crackers with chocolate frosting.
Refrigerate covered finished cake for 22 - 24 hours. And then party, party, party!

Do you want a birthday cake made for you and to be featured as a post on this magnificence blog of culinary wonderfulness? Leave a comment below and you may be in luck (or let me do you the favor...this goes both ways, buddy).