We’ve been plugging away on zine edits and illustrations in preparation for our fall releases, so this post for my partner’s 30th birthday cake is extra late—but just in time for BI MONTH!*

This year, Robin asked me for a cake with raspberries and bi-pride ombre** frosting, and I decided to include some champagne in the cake for a Yuri!!! on Ice reference.

The recipe: I made a double batch of “Raspberry Champagne Cupcakes” batter from Autostraddle’s Femme Brûlée column to make the three layers of cake; one batch of the champagne-raspberry icing from the same recipe for the frosting; and one-half batch of the raspberry jam filling from Sprinkle Bakes’s “Raspberry Rose Water Layer Cake.” Reneice Charles is completely right that the texture of the cupcakes/cake is more like a muffin, and it’s very dense when baked as a cake. I think the original recipe (read: baked as cupcakes) is the way to go. However, having a dense cake turned out to be blessing– we had over thirty people show up to the party and I was able to slice super thin slices for almost everyone. (I also made a gluten-free/vegan version of my Rhubarb-Berry Crisp with champagne instead of juice.) The cake is decorated with fresh raspberries and red currants from the farmer’s market.

The decoration is inspired by Coco Cakeland’s brightly colored cakes and this ombré tutorial. This is my first time piping the entire design and first time using gel food coloring.

Both of our 30th birthdays have been marked by upheaval and change. My actual 30th birthday was one of the lowest points in that year, if not in my life. But 30 was the year I made new friends and reconnected with old ones, got active in the bi community, found a therapist who was supportive of my sexual orientation and gender identity, explored my creative and artistic pursuits, and set my own terms for my personal relationships. I love being in my 30s, and I hope you will, too. Happy 30th birthday to Robin, the person who has always been there for me, my creative partner, the other half of my ridiculous fanfiction love story, and to wherever we go from here.

Notes

*Bisexual Visibility Day is September 23! Find a local event (by country) here!

**The actual flag is pink-purple-blue, but since I was doing a gradation from light to dark, I made it pink-blue-purple.