healthier chocolate peanut butter cake

I make a birthday cake for my dad every year. I try to make a cake for other friends and family when I get the opportunity to do so. Growing up, I would bake carrot cake for my grandmother and german chocolate cake for my grandfather, on their birthdays. It seems a little strange to bake cakes to give to someone on their birthday, but to me whatever you can do well is what you should do for someone on a special day. I bake well, and birthdays are incredibly important to me.

I'm not sure why I think birthdays are so important. My parents always wished me a happy birthday and made sure the day was awesome and I had some presents and what not, but it was never anything crazy like the ones you see on TV or some of the ones my friends have had. My parents made more certain that every single day of our lives was special and they would give me some sort of present almost everyday. This may sound materialistic, but by present, I mean some type of candy, CD, an adventure such as taking us to the park or water slides or pool. They did what they did best, and that was parenting. I'd like to attempt to carry on that sort of passion for those I love, but I still think birthdays are special. People are my favorite aspect of life. I love people so much it hurts, even if I don't even know them that well. I love my clients so much that if one of them leaves whether it's due to moving or something else, it hurts me to see them go. I love my family so much that a part of me will always be homesick since everyone will probably never be in the exact same place with me at the same time so I'll always have someone to miss. This is why I love birthdays. A birthday is a day where I can tell you how incredibly thankful I am to have you in my life, to be a part in changing my life, and for allowing me to learn from another wonderful person.

So to thank my chocoholic dad for being such a huge part of my life, I baked him a cake, eventually. Well, both of my parents are sweetoholics, so I didn't really stand a chance. I didn't get to bake him a birthday cake on time this year since a new precious little bundle of joy was born the day after his birthday and I could only make one trip to see my sweet little nephew. Instead, I baked him a cake a month later when we took a trip to the Outer Banks. I'm glad it worked out that way, since my friend Caroline posted an amazing recipe for this healthier version of a chocolate peanut butter cake on her website just a few days before I left for vacation. I won't repost the recipe, but will let you visit her website at: Secret Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. She is MUCH better at decorating and making things look delectable and even posted the nutritional value.

Happy birthday again Dad!