Age is just a number...mine just happens to be a big number

Not everyone seems familiar with the term "golden birthday". It's when you turn the age that your birth date is. So for me, my golden birthday was this past December - I turned 29 on the 29th.

I remember when I was younger and friends would get a special birthday when they turned 8, because it was their golden birthday. I would think, 'Aw man...I won't get to have the BIG golden birthday until I'm 29. Ew, so old. I'm gonna have a husband and a bunch of kids. I won't get to have ANY fun.' (Of course "fun" back then meant a Cinderella-themed party with pizza delivery and renting a PG-13 movie.)
SURPRISE!! I don't have a husband or (human) kids. And drinking is WAY more fun than PG-13 movies!!!

Where did the time go?? I was, like, 22 a minute ago. I swear. But each year I'm shocked to realize I don't feel old. I feel good. And each year seems to get better for me. And guess what? Your golden birthday is just like all the others. Who knew?!

This year, I baked my own birthday cake. I opted to try a vegan version of what some might know as "better than sex cake". However, I learned this recipe from my Aunt Carlotta, who doesn't throw around the "s" word, so we call it "yummy cake". :) The recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk, caramel sauce, Cool Whip and Heath bars. So definitely a challenge to make it all cruelty-free.
And - long story short - no one in my family tried it, so I ate just about half of the cake, myself, and I gave my cousin the other half (she has a husband and kids, though, so she probably stuck to just 1 piece, unlike me!). I can assure you, this cake is SO rich, decadent and satisfying for any sweet tooth. Worth the effort!

Vegan "Yummy" Cake

• 1 box of chocolate cake mix (just check ingredients to be sure it's vegan - I think most are)
• 1 can vegan sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups vegan caramel sauce
• vegan whipped cream (can be found at Whole Foods or co-op)
• 1 order of vegan english toffee

Prepare caramel sauce ahead of time. This recipe (link above) makes more than 2 cups, but don't over-do the caramel (save the extra to top some ice cream!).

Prepare and bake cake in 9" x 13" pan. Allow to cool completely.

Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake - don't be shy, you want to poke a hole every inch, or so.
Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake, aiming to pour the majority of it in the holes. Do the same with the caramel.

Top the entire cake with about 1" - 2" of whipped cream. Crush toffee and sprinkle over the top. Drizzle a bit of caramel over the top.

Voila! Done. ENJOY.

My niece / assistant, CharBaby. :)