I love making cakes for big celebrations, especially when they are as important as my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary! My family is the most important thing to me and there are a lot of us! My parents don’t like a fuss to be made about them but I kind of insisted on making them a cake.

At first it was going to be several tiers and dripping in gold decorations but as I started thinking about my parents and their tastes, we went a totally different direction. They don’t love a lot of frosting and so my mind immediately went to a naked cake. I started showing them some pictures and they loved the idea!

Finalizing the flavors an easy task because my mom’s favorite cake is applesauce spice cake frosted with maple buttercream and my dad loves the chocolate sour cream cake. Both recipes were passed down by my grandma and they are always a hit.

The applesauce spice cake is full of rich flavors with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It’s a great cake with a good level of moisture that comes from both the applesauce and the sour milk used. I often prefer buttermilk over sour milk however because it’s what I usually have on hand. The maple buttercream has just a hint of maple, just enough that to compliment the warm spices.

The chocolate sour cream cake is my go-to anytime I make a chocolate. I am not usually a fan of chocolate cake because I find it dry and just sweet without tasting like real chocolate. This chocolate cake however is the complete opposite. It’s moist with the most intense chocolate flavor, and not overly sweet which is why my dad loves it. I paired it with a chocolate fudge buttercream which rich flavor was the perfect compliment.

Daisies are my mom’s favorite flower and they were the flower at their wedding. My dad loves roses and often buys them for mom, just because. I loved making this cake. It was simple but beautiful, just like my parents and the family they have raised. We’re simple people who love each other.