This weekend, was the birthday of my favorite Auntie. Actually, she is Carl’s auntie but since I have no family of my own, I’ve gleefully claimed them all. We celebrated by touring some of the many wineries in Prince Edward County. See why I’ve adopted them?
The soil of this region, rocky and inhospitable, is apparently perfect for growing grapes. We began with the Sandbanks Winery, continued to Casa-Dea and then to my favorite, Norman Hardie, where they have a cool little patio and a big, stone pizza oven, for lunch. Norman Hardie is also the birthplace of my favorite buttery Chardonnay.
What’s a birthday without cake? Inspired by Monika at Bake Noir, I baked a take on her raspberry cake. I used a basic white cake instead of the raspberry, tinting each layer to match the ombre icing. I must say, her frosting recipe is one of the best I’ve ever tasted although I think I added a wee bit too much cream; it was a little difficult to wrangle. I used my own raspberry buttercream between the layers. To finish it off, I found these sweet little printable cake flags (free from Lovely Design.com), using them instead of candles. (There comes a point when a girl just doesn’t appreciate birthday candles any more 😉
We finished the day by dining at East and Main in Wellington, a scrumptious little spot on the shores of Lake Ontario where we admired the setting of the summer sun.
Tracy
Praying the good weather holds for a few more weeks. That cake does look divine, as do the great pictures.
Pearl
I’m sure there’s a cake in your future 😉
lagrancostanza
Your cake looks delicious! And those little flags are adorable. Your aunt must have been quite happy about this treat!
Ooooh, I love wineries. My Dad’s a passionate wine drinker, so I’ve spent half my childhood in the one winery or the other. They feel like home! Lovely photos, too. Looks like you had an awesome time!
Pearl
Indeed, we had a wonderful day and were blessed with beautiful weather for a change 😉