happy birthday on the big five-O...

After living together for 7 years, I decided to make a birthday cake for Mark this year. It was fun since I rarely made cakes.

Components:
- almond sponge cake
- Amaretto cake syrup
- French buttercream
- fresh strawberries
- chocolate ganache
- chocolate glaze
- modeling chocolate rose
- chocolate curls

Ingredients:
for almond sponge cake

- 135 g butter, softened
- 110 g sugar
- 120 g egg yolks
- 180 g egg whites
- 60 g sugar
- 40 g all purpose flour
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 55 g almond flour

Preparation:

1. Cream the butter and first quantity of sugar.
2. Add the egg yolks in several stages.
3. Whip the egg whites and second quantity of sugar to a stiff meringue.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, mix in almond flour.
5. Fold in meringue and the dry ingredients alternately into the the butter mixture, starting and finishing with the meringue.
6. Grease pan and line bottom with parchment, then flour the sides of the pan.
7. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
8. Bake at 325 degrees F for 40 minutes.
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