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It’s summer birthday-dessert season! The first of two cakes I’ll be sharing here is for my friend R.

I got the idea from a Revolutionary Girl Utena-themed pin Robin gave him for his birthday. I recently rewatched the show, and it seems R and I both have some serious Utena feels. Without giving away any spoilers: this show is hella queer (lots of bi+ representation and literally all the characters are somewhere in the LGBTQIA+ rainbow), and there are narratives about gender, power, resilience, and privilege that resonate with each fan in our own way. (You can watch the show legally with subtitles here.)

For your birthday, R, I wish you the power to revolutionize the world. #queerfriends

The recipe is Sprinkle Bakes’ “Raspberry Rose Water Layer Cake,” which I made without the meringues. The design is the rose crest from Revolutionary Girl Utena (少女革命ウテナ); I mixed leftover frosting mixed with cocoa powder. Some of the roses were from our garden and some were organic roses Robin foraged. We also brought some roses to wear in the style of the duelists. (No duels were fought at this party.)

One note on the frosting: I didn’t have time to refrigerate the cake in between the crumb layer and the frosting and piping. That was clearly a mistake, and made the frosting textured when I would have preferred it smooth.

I’m getting way better at visibly defined layers and filling! The pink swirls in the cake are flavored with rosewater.

世界を革命する力を！

*Robin’s is often “bi pride, with raspberries.” E’s always seem to be Cake-Wreck themed. P prefers pie.