Last year’s birthday cake order did not go as planned, so this year I am reluctant to outsource my birthday dessert. My husband has kindly volunteered to make me whatever I want with two exceptions: he will not make a cheesecake (He made a lemon curd cheesecake for my birthday a few years ago, and it was WONDERFUL but he said it was A Whole Big Deal and would rather not go through that again.) and he will not make a cake.
(This is a little disappointing, I have to admit, because what my heart really desires for my birthday dessert is the cake I wanted last year. A vanilla cake with lemon curd filling and a cream cheese frosting. I would be fine with a cupcake matching that description, honestly. But my husband does not make cake and he would not be able to make it until the day of my birthday anyway, so. No cake. Unless I want to make it myself, an idea which I have contemplated and discarded for its high probability of making me feel grumpy and resentful.)
(My husband did come up with a list of local bakeries that we could try instead of the one we used last year. Carla and I dutifully visited one a few weeks ago, to sample the cupcakes. They did not have anything with lemon curd, so that was a disadvantage right out of the gate. But also the frosting wasn’t my favorite – I like a cream cheese frosting, not a simple buttercream because I am picky – and the vanilla cake was just okay. The other bakeries either don’t have cupcakes available for sampling [and by “sampling” I mean buying, as one would normally procure a cupcake] or they don’t have a cream cheese or lemon option in the lists of cakes they offer. So I think we decided that spending $40 on a cake that MIGHT be okay wasn’t the best use of our money or calories.)
Anyway! Cake is passe. An entire world of lemony desserts lies at my fingertips! And yet I cannot choose among them. Care to join me in a genial overthinking of the narrowed-down (yes, I speak the truth) list of considerations? Perhaps you have strong opinions about which way I should lean? Or perhaps you have other lemony desserts to recommend that sound even better!
Lemony Options:
Pros: Delicious. Easy to make. Probably freeze well, if there are any leftover.
Cons: But which recipe??? Are they too simple to feel special?
Pros: My husband has made this before and it is truly delicious.
Cons: I am just not feeling it this year.
Lemon Curd Yogurt Cheesecake Bars
Pros: A marriage between cheesecake and lemon bars – both of which I love.
Cons: I am unfamiliar with this recipe and the blog, so can’t attest to quality.
No Bake Lemon Curd Cheesecake Bars
Pros: I am sensing a theme, and that theme is cheesecake in bar form, and this addresses both points very succinctly.
Cons: I am unfamiliar with this recipe and the blog, so can’t attest to quality. Also, I apparently have a weird and heretofore unknown bias against “no bake” recipes for some reason???
Pros: This might be a way to sneak around my husband’s no cheesecake restriction.
Cons: Again, a new-to-me blog and recipe. Also, I’m not sure if a lemon curd swirl would give me the burst of lemon curd I’m craving. Also, should I really be trying to trick my husband into making something he does not want to make?
Pros: This looks lovely in photos, and I like the idea of pillowy whipped cream. This also has a lot of elements that seem to be popping up in my “that sounds yummy” list this year: cream cheese, lemon curd, shortbread crust.
Cons: What IS it, exactly? A bar? A pie?
Pros: Finally, something that isn’t cheesecake adjacent! This looks light and yummy and wonderful! I have never had a lemon curd mousse before and it seems like I really SHOULD do.
Cons: Will this feel about as special as eating Jello on my birthday? Hard to say.
Pros: This is exactly the kind of thing I would buy from the pastry case of a fancy patisserie. Plus, they are very cute.
Cons: Perhaps I would eat one and think, “Is this all?”
Pros: This looks magnificent.
Cons: Can I really ask my husband to make a PIE from SCRATCH?
Pros: I love tiramisu. Many lemon tiramisu recipes call for limoncello, which I do NOT like, and this one doesn’t.
Cons: I am suspicious of the pudding ingredient. And…there is no CURD.
Here is my vote. Happy birthday!
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-bars-recipe-1941483
I am sad again about how your cake turned out last year. It was so pretty! And so meh. What a disappointment. You deserve the best damn lemon cake known to the world, so I am disappointed anew.
I don’t have any good lemon recipes I can hand your way, sadly. I wish I was there! I have never made a lemon curd, mind you. But I do make a great cream cheese frosting.
My daughter made the tartlets with premade phyllo dough and Bonne Maman curd for my birthday this year and it was a little bit of a disappointment that there wasn’t leftover dessert. I think the pie looks great. Really, the hard part of pie is the crust, so he can just use a premade one. I love that he is making dessert for you, mine would never!
I am completely stuck on the idea that your husband is happy to make you any birthday dessert you want—but that he won’t make a cake. The cheesecake thing, I was like, “Okay, disappointing but I see his point.” But he won’t make…CAKE? For a BIRTHDAY? Do his parents know about this?
I’m with Swistle on this one. I’m kind of sad he won’t make you exactly what you want.
But I choose Lemon Curd Dessert of the available options. It looks yummy.
What about lemon curd “fondue” the budget bytes website has a pretty good lemon curd recipe, then you could dip short bread cookies, strawberries, maybe wedges of cheese cake from the freezer section 🙂
But,but…. Cake is easier to make than a lot of the other recipes you have! Does he know that? Or does he think that they will all be as hard as cheesecake which is legit a pain to make? Even a cake out of a box tastes pretty good and hard to beat that for easy. Or, letting that go – what if he buys a plain vanilla cake from a bakery and adds the lemon curd (super easy and good microwave lemon curd recipe here: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/fundamentals-simple-microwave-lemon-curd/ ) and the cream cheese icing?
I agree with Swistle. Birthday CAKE. It’s a CLASSIC. I do agree that a cheesecake is a whole Thing. Like, it is sooooo needy. A bath. Resting in the oven. Resting in the oven with the door OPEN. Cheesecakes are so needy. (I only make one a year for Jack’s birthday in April because it’s like such a pain I have to pout in on my calendar. Sorry— can’t meet today. PREPPING MY CHEESECAKE.) Maybe order the cake you want from like 3 places and have a tasting? A festive birthday tasting with champagne and sparkling juice?
I personally would be okay without a frosted cake for my birthday. I am not *allowed* to make my own birthday dessert, ever since my husband learned that my mom, once I could operate the oven, delegated the baking of my birthday cake to me. He was frankly appalled that I was expected to bake and decorate my own birthday cake.
Anyway. I adore lemon desserts, and for me the Holy Grail (aside from a lemon meringue pie, which I would welcome, and you can always BUY pie crusts ready made, overcoming the pastry obstacle) is Smitten Kitchen’s Whole Lemon Bars. The recipe isn’t on her website, it’s in her first cookbook, but I found it here: https://people.com/food/smitten-kitchens-whole-lemon-bars/
Super easy, honestly, no zesting, you just chunk the whole lemon in the food processor and they are AMAZING.
https://www.abakingjourney.com/lemon-curd-tart/. The full size version of the lemon curd tartlets you picked out.
Hmmm…I’m going to go with M’s recommendation. You can never go wrong with Ina! I don’t have a go-to recommendation, but I sure want one after reading this.
When I make cheesecake, I always make cheesecake bars b/c the ratio of crust to cake increases and it’s much easier.
I … am having a lot of trouble not judging your husband for his conditions on what he will do for your birthday. I do understand that the cheesecake was a lot of work, but if you loved it? For your birthday? Would it kill him to make it? And ruling out ALL CAKE? For your birthday?
Ahem. I wish I knew a good recipe to recommend, but I don’t, so I will just send you all the lemony good karma I can that it works out great, whatever you choose.
I think we need a direct line to Dr. Carla’s Dad to explain the fact that he has a choice to make and that choice is whether he is making you a cake or that cheesecake. You didn’t ask but I’m saying it anyway: a finicky dessert is not too much to ask from a loving partner.
I came here to also say Smitten Kitchen’s whole lemon bars. They are an absolute delight.
I am so sorry you will probably not be getting exactly what you want for your birthday. I’m over here trying to perfect a lemon bar recipe and it is NOT easy.
May the perfect lemon-y vanilla cake fall in your lap somehow!
I am here for anything that involves cream cheese and cream cheese frosting. I rarely make lemon-centric desserts so I am zero help.
But I am still sad over the disappointment of last year. You deserve better and I am feeling very optimistic that you’re find the perfect option this year. All my fingers and toes are crossed for you, Suzanne.
What about getting a sampling tray from a bakery with a smorgasbord of ALL their lemon treats? Maybe finding a bakery with an array of lemon options would be hard…but I’d leave the research 100% up to your husband. That can be part of his gift to you!
Not liking lemon desserts, I’m at a loss. I’m shocked that bakeries don’t have lemon curd/cream cheese frosting.
I’m not a lemon-dessert type so I’m no help here — but wanted to say that I hope you find something that will be perfect for your birthday. It’s disappointing that the bakery last year didn’t deliver. 🙁
P.S. I saw you have another M commenter — a popular letter! 🙂
Ok, you might not like this option because it will require a bit of your help, but could CARLA make your cake, and your husband make the frosting and help Carla decorate? A box cake mix in a 9×13 is super easy, even in cake pans is not so hard. Fill with lemon curd! Has Carla helped you in the kitchen? I don’t recall…but, it should be an option and most kids would LOVE to do this!
Also, not necessarily for a birthday, but this is our top fave lemon dessert – highly recommend. Little Lemonies {Yummy Lemon Brownies} – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe https://www.melskitchencafe.com/lemonies/
Okay, you seemed most enthusiastic about the lemon supreme pie so I looked at that recipe. If you start with a pre-made crust, the rest of that recipe really doesn’t look
that hard. I don’t know how picky you are about your pie crusts, but there are several options. He could get a graham cracker crust that would require no baking at all. Or he could get the dough in the refrigerated section of the store, and then just put it in the pie pan and continue on with the recipe.
I just looked at the recipe again, in fact, and it looks so simple (again, if you use a pre-made crust) that I might actually make it next month when my son is home. So, I vote for that one!
I have no advice although I like the idea of Carla making the cake. And I’m so sorry your husband doesn’t want to make a cake! Although, my husband doesn’t eat sugar and despite being a marvelous cook, he doesn’t understand desserts and they end up being plain and a little too healthy adjacent, so I won’t LET him make my cake lol.
I think if it were me and my birthday, I would go back to the same bakery and tell them (nicely) what happened last year and what exactly you want, and give them a chance to get it right this time. Because a vanilla cake with lemon curd and cream cheese frosting sounds AMAZING. I would give them a second chance. Barring that, I would want the lemon curd cheesecake. Forgive me for being stupid, but couldn’t you (he) buy a really good cheesecake, and make some lemon curd (with Meyer lemons…HEAVEN) and put that beautifully on top? That would be amazing, right? Or does the cheesecake have to be lemon flavored? I’ve made lemon cheesecake, and cheesecake is always very worky to me, it always cracks, though it is really delicious.
Whatever happens, I hope you get something delicious that is just what you want.
Now you’ve got me down a lemony rabbit hole on the most crummy of days. I wish you could see the weather here; snow, sleet, and winds of up to 80 miles per hour (exaggeration). So thank you for making my day brighter.
I hope you can find a replacement that is better than last year. I remember how excited you were and then how disappointed. As someone who gets very excited about birthdays, I fully comprehend.
I have a strong opinion here – if you want cake, then cake (or cheesecake, if you prefer) you should receive. For crying out loud – your birthday only comes around once a year!
I know you are suspicious of no bake cheesecake – but I have a great recipe for that, should you want it; store bought graham cracker crusts work well – or, if he wanted to kick it up a notch – I also have a super easy recipe for homemade graham cracker crust (this no bake cheesecake is demanded by my son for every single holiday). I also have an amazing recipe for a lemon pound cake (which utilizes the help of a boxed mix) that is super easy and includes a lemon glaze – and is a perennial favorite around here. Yes, it is not “birthday” cake; but it IS cake. If you want either, let me know and I will email them.
OR, here’s another idea, order this cake, which seems like what you’re looking for:
https://www.goldbelly.com/daisy-cakes/daisys-lemon-cake?ref=merchant
Cake freezes very well and goldbelly is pretty reliable. I think everyone should have exactly the dessert they want on their birthday!
I hope you come up with the right dessert for your birthday. I must have read your blog for about a year as I remember you ordering your bday cake from this birthday! My husband is not a baker and GF baking can be tricky. So I have no dessert expectations for my birthday. I got some GF treats the day before my bday and more the weekend after my birthday. So I really stretched out the celebration.
I am no help with this decision because I do not love lemon desserts! And my limited experience with them is that they are trickier to pull off than like a chocolate cake. The lemon curd seems to be tricky! But I am a novice when it comes to things like that. My mom could whip something up for you with zero difficulty!!
I think I missed the bad birthday cake last year, and this all makes so much more sense now. I’m kind of a cake purist for birthdays, so I get you, but I would be really nervous trying to make a cake on the DAY OF a birthday thing so I also get your husband. I tried to make lemon curd once and it wasn’t awesome (I’m a better cook than a baker, I think). I so hope it all works out!
I have had some lemon curd mishaps. They are deeply unpleasant.
Suzanne, you are making me laugh so hard today. You are overthinking the hell out of this and I fear that nothing will really make you happy now. I love Lemon desserts so much, but i never bake because I stink at it. I love that your husband will make you something, now you must choose. 🙂 Maybe let him choose this year?
But Suz, overthinking the minutest and most unimportant things is just what I do! 😂
I know!! And you’re a professional! 🤪🤪
I am a big fan of ANYTHING lemon…. so I could go for any of these, but lemon tiramisu and lemon cheesecake bars speak to me the most 🙂 Which did you pick?