Birthday Un-Surprise Cake

It's the J-Man's birthday and when I saw this recipe for Raspberry Walnut cake on Camille Styles, I just about died. How beautiful is it? I love the towers and little flags - it was supposed to be a surprise but someone decided to show up early so he caught me red-handed with raspberry jam dripping down my fingers and powdered sugar all over the mixer. No matter. I told him to stare at the TV until I was done! Happy Happy birthday - hope all your wishes come true forever and ever.

Raspberry Walnut Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

5 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup strained raspberry preserves

For the Frosting

1/2 cup butter

8 ounces nonfat cream cheese

1/4 cup strained raspberry preserves

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and nocalbutterspray three 9-inch round cake pans. Set those aside. Mix all the ingredients (except walnuts and raspberry preserves) for the cake. Mix in walnuts. Pour into 3 pans and bake 30 minutes.

For the frosting, mix everything in the mixer. When the cakes come out - let cool for a few minutes. Then begin layering. Using the cup of raspberry preserves from the list of cake ingredients, layer a cake, then 1/3 of the raspberry preserves, and some frosting on top of that. Repeat all the way to the top. Use the rest of the frosting on the sides. I sprinkled with purple edible glitter - the recipe said to sprinkle with walnuts, play with it!