Happy Birthday, Benjamin Franklin and the best birthday cake ever!

Franklin was an avid swimmer in his youth. Swim fins, or paddles, were his first invention at age 11.  

He wore them on his hands to help him move faster in water, earning him a place in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Founded the First Volunteer Fire Department: Franklin started the Union Fire Company in Philadelphia in 1736, the first volunteer fire department in America. He served as the first volunteer fire chief of what was sometimes called “Franklin’s Bucket Brigade.”

Invented a Flexible Urinary Catheter: In 1752, Franklin invented a flexible urinary catheter for his brother John, who suffered from bladder stones. His catheter was more comfortable than the rigid devices used at the time.

Ben also invented bifocals. As his vision worsened as he got older, he cut lenses from a pair of glasses that allowed him to see things close up and lenses from another pair of glasses that allowed him to see things far away. He put half of each lens in a single frame to invent bifocals.

Ben is credited with discovering the Gulf Stream.

Franklin coined some electrical terms we still use today.

True. Ben gave us “battery,” “positive,” “negative’’ and “charge.”

He was the only Founding Father to sign all three major documents establishing the United States: the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the Constitution.

In 1790, shortly before his death, he became the first person to petition Congress to end slavery.

Among his many other talents, Benjamin Franklin was a skilled chess player. He was inducted into the United States Chess Hall of Fame in 1999. He wrote a well-known essay, “The Morals of Chess” that detailed the rules of conduct for playing the game and was responsible for making chess a popular sport in America.

Franklin is known for publishing Poor Richard’s Almanac, which included the advice, “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” He is also known for inventing bifocals, organizing the first successful lending library, and proposing ideas to increase the money supply as a means to stimulate the economy. In fact, the concepts described in his pamphlet “A Modest Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency” are still being used by the U.S. Federal Reserve and central banks around the world.

While Benjamin Franklin was fond of tea, he disagreed with the extreme measures taken during the Boston Tea Party. He was in London at the time and wrote a letter to several leaders in Boston, including Samuel Adams and John Hancock, explaining his feelings.

The Best Birthday Cake..EVER

Ingredients

1 cup + 2 TBL unsalted butter softened

3 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs room temperature preferred

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 cups buttermilk¹, room temperature preferred

½ cup colorful sprinkles²

CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING³

¾ cup unsalted butter softened

12 oz cream cheese softened

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

5 ¼ cups powdered sugar 656g

¾ cup Dutch pressed cocoa powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour the sides and bottom of three 8” or 9” baking pans. For extra security, I also recommend lining the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the pan.

Add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer or to a large bowl. Use a paddle attachment on your stand mixer or an electric mixer to beat until smooth.

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Add sugar and beat until well-combined.

3 cups granulated sugar

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3 large eggs

Stir in vanilla extract.

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

4 cups all-purpose flour,1 ½ teaspoons baking soda,1 ½ teaspoons baking powder,1 ½ teaspoons salt

Using a spoon or spatula (but NOT the electric mixer any longer) add about a fourth of the flour mixture (no need to measure, just eyeball it) to the butter mixture and stir until just combined.

Now add approximately ⅓ of the buttermilk and stir again until combined. Repeat alternating adding flour mixture and buttermilk until all ingredients are completely combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

2 cups buttermilk¹

Stir in sprinkles.

½ cup colorful sprinkles

Evenly divide batter into the prepared pan. Transfer to 350F (175C) oven and bake for about 28 minutes if using 9” pans and 32-34 minutes if using 8” pans, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edge of the pan and carefully invert each layer onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. While cakes are cooling, prepare frosting.

CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

You will need a large bowl, this recipe makes a lot of frosting to cover all three layers of cake!

Combine butter and cream cheese in your stand mixer or in a large bowl with electric mixer and beat until creamy and well-combined.

¾ cup unsalted butter,12 oz cream cheese

Stir in vanilla extract and salt.

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract,¼ teaspoon salt

Gradually, with mixer on low-speed, add powdered sugar. Once all sugar has been added, stir in cocoa powder. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that all ingredients are well-incorporated.

5 ¼ cups powdered sugar,¾ cup natural cocoa powder.