Micha is not a huge fan of baked goods (which irks me to no end some days when I just want someone else to bake and eat cookies with!), so every year for his birthday, I hum and haw over what to make him. Because I really like making ridiculously large layered cakes for people's birthdays (to varying degrees of success and aesthetic pleasantry). But luckily, a few years ago, I found the perfect solution in the form of meat cupcakes, inspired by my friend, Jessica.
This year, I decided a repeat performance was in order, but this time only a larger, personal-sized layer cake would do. Luckily for me, Micha was away in Munich the last couple days before we left for Rügen on his birthday weekend, so I had plenty of time to prepare these while keeping them a surprise (I stuck them in the refrigerator and presented them to him when we returned home on Sunday, his actual birthday).
I used this recipe for meatloaf - because it looked yummy and easy - and then whipped up some mashed potatoes for the "frosting." It took all my willpower not to just devour the mashed potatoes on the spot. They're the one food I would bring with me to a desert island to happily subsist on for the rest of time.
I cooked the meatloaf in a springform cake pan (which was somewhat yucky, I'll admit) and then, after it cooled, cut three large circles out of it using a Maß beer glass. They were the perfect size! And when in Germany...
Then it was all about layering and frosting - first a "crumb layer" and then, after waiting about 15 minutes, another layer of mashed potatoes to make it nice and smooth. You could make the mashed potatoes super creamy and skin-free, but that's not how I roll. I don't peel potatoes ever (our mom never did so that's my excuse) and I like my mashed potatoes with a little bit of crunchiness, which sounds gross but tastes fantastic.
And tada! A wee manly man cake!
I highly recommend making one for the carnivore in your life.
