I don’t think I need to tell you what day it is… but just in case you didn’t get the subtle-not-subtle hint from the title, today is my 41st birthday! I am the type of person who celebrates all month long and treats her birthday like it’s a national holiday. (I am like this for everyone’s birthday, so it’s truly not just because it’s mine.)

For years and years, Michael and Shawn have made me various cakes and desserts for my birthday and I have loved every single one of them. The time and effort they put into it made me feel really loved and special. About 5 years ago I got to thinking that since I am a “boy-mom” that I don’t ever get to bake anything girly and right there I started to make my own birthday dessert. (I don’t usually bake things for me – it’s usually at the request of other people.) I usually pick something over-the-top and fun and it’s a big production but I love it so very much!

This year I decided that I was going to switch it up and not make cake and I went the ice cream route instead. I chose to make one of my favorite desserts – Mexican Fried Ice Cream. If you have never had this before, you’re in for a real treat! It’s deep fried ice cream, coated in a cinnamon-cornflake mixture and on top is some caramel sauce, homemade whipped cream and a cherry on top. I made some cinnamon-sugar tortilla bowls to serve them in (which also tasted great!) You serve it warm, so the outside is still warm and the ice cream is still frozen on the inside. I could have eaten 2 of these easily!

Cute story… I was telling Shawn what I was making for my birthday and he told me that it sounded gross and in no way was he eating “taco ice cream”. I had to explain to him that just because it says “Mexican” it doesn’t mean it’s taco flavored. He didn’t believe me still but when the time came, he tried it and LOVED it!

I also thought that I would share some of the other birthday desserts that I have made for myself over the years. It’s always so much fun when April comes around and I start looking for ideas on what to make.

This was the 1st that I made back in 2017. You can definitely tell as you scroll on that I started off fairly simple and got more complex as time went on. Everything was edible in these unicorn cupcakes and I think they turned out rather cute.

In 2018 I threw myself a “Taco Party” and this was the centerpiece! This amazing taco cake is made with nothing but lots of love, time and sugar! This was a labor of love because it took me 8 hours and 3 trips to the store! (I couldn’t get the color of the “tortilla” right but I got it in the end!). It truly is my favorite thing that I have ever baked in my entire life.

And not to be outdone by my amazing taco cake, I made the prettiest cupcakes for myself in 2019. I bought silicone molds to make the mermaid tails and shells out of candy and then dusted them with edible luster dust. Gorgeous sprinkles and pretty colors really makes this a stunning cupcake display. I brought these into work for everyone in my office and I had people I didn’t even really know come up to me (to say thanks of course) but to compliment me on them.

My 40th birthday… which was supposed to be a big event for me, was celebrated at home, with just my family. We were in the middle of the Covid Lockdown and no one could come over and celebrate. I did have family come over with signs and balloons and they stood on the sidewalk and sang Happy Birthday to me, which was nice and still made me feel special.

For 2020, I decided that I wanted to go a more simpler route but still super pretty! Cinderella is one of my favorite Disney Princesses and I love the color of her dress! I don’t work with fondant often and think I did a fairly good job with the flowers on this cupcake. For a milestone birthday, that I didn’t really get to celebrate in the way I wanted, these did help cheer me up!

So there you have it… 5 years worth of my birthday treats. I have so many ideas for the years to come and while I know that I could just make them any time I want (I bake so many other things throughout the year already), it’s fun to only have my special treat once a year.

XOXO, Jules