My 21st birthday fell on Holy Thursday which was a great inconvenience. Let me explain. I was a year younger than everyone else that I went to college with, and my friends (and I) had been impatiently waiting for me to turn 21 so that I could join them on their nights out. And it was finally happening, I was going to turn 21, but during the long Easter holiday. You see, I went to a Catholic university, so we got Holy Thursday through Easter Monday off, and therefore everyone went home Wednesday night. There was no chance to even celebrate at midnight with friends. Never mind, you may say, you can spend it with your family! Except that my mother was visiting my sister in Salzburg during that time, so it was looking like my 21st birthday would just be a quiet night with my dad. Which, don’t get me wrong, wouldn’t have been terrible, but the idea was a bit of a let down. But then, luckily, I remembered that though I was turning 21, I was actually a 51 year old woman at heart and decided to throw myself and 21st birthday dinner party for my extended family.
It might not be the most beautiful presentation, but it tasted amazing
I drew up a menu of 5 courses starting with champagne and appetizers, a salad course, a main course of roast lamb, potatoes, and brussels sprouts, a cheese course, and naturally, a cake. I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to get this all done in one day, so I hopped off the train on Wednesday night and immediately set about making one of my absolute favorite cakes and one that will always remind me that dinner parties really aren’t as hard as they seem.
A very apt card from my lovely cousins
Hopefully you can cut layers a little straighter than me 
Recipe
For Cake
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 cups Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 3 medium oranges)
3 Eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
Zest of those three oranges
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and line the bottom with parchment paper of two 9-inch cake pans (you can use a larger cake pan, the layers will just be thinner.)
In a large mixing bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In another stand mixer, or by hand, cream oils, orange juice, eggs, sour cream, and orange zest until completely mixed.
Fold in dry ingredients, mixing only until combined.
Pour into your pre-prepared pans
Bake for between 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
Let cool
For Frosting and Decoration
Ingredients:
9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Fresh Raspberries (for the middle layer and decoration)
Dried orange slices and orange zest for decoration (optional)
Method:
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a simmering saucepan of water (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water) and stir occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted. Set the chocolate aside to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Make sure your butter is very soft or it will make lumpy frosting.
Add the milk, mixing until completely blended. Add the cooled chocolate and mix until completely incorporated.
Scrape down the side of the bowl, then add the vanilla and beat just until mixed.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sugar and continue beating. You may need to add more sugar to reach your desired creamy texture
Spread the chocolate buttercream on the middle layer and then cover with raspberries. Then frost the rest of the cake. If you choose to decorate with orange zest, do not zest until just before serving.
Never Enough Counter Space 
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