The way the Cookie.. or Cake.. Crumbles

I like making cakes.  I consider myself not half bad at it either.   I even wrote a post about how to make the perfect cake mix from a box.

I have even shown you some cakes I have decorated.

After attending the Power of Mom's Couple retreats, Eric and I were inspired to start a new family tradition of half-birthday's.

On someone's half birthday, I make half a cake, we sing half of happy birthday and that is it.  Just a easy way to do a little something extra and fun.

To make half a cake I make a whole round cake (two 8" cake pans), and then cut each circle in half and stack it four layers high.

Easy right?   Yea... not so much.

The first attempt (Lucas half birthday)-

 not leveling out the cake made it a bit tippy and yes that fork is holding the cake up.

Second attempt- my half birthday- I actually leveled it this time, worked much better

Third attempt-Alex's half birthday.  First of all her half birthday was last month, but some sick kids, then getting ready to go to Chicago and we are celebrating almost two weeks late.

We went to make the cake and uh-oh, no eggs.  No worries though, powdered eggs to the rescue!

I wanted a 9" cake, but I only have one circle 9" cake pan but I do have a 9" springform pan!

It cooked nicely, set it out to cool, came back and it cracked.  Two big cracks; nothing enough frosting couldn't fix right?

I got three layers done and Eric called, was off talking with him came back to see this

it literally crumbled and fell apart before my eyes.  Just sort of slid and broke off piece by piece.  No little fingers, no bumping was involved just pure chaos.

Luckily I had just put three layers on so we still had one good layer.

Traditions.. they are worth it.... right??