My dearest one has become 50. He still looks young and gorgeous in my eyes, but I cannot stop but wonder where does time fly. Marking the occasion, my husband’s 50 year anniversey was quite a family event. We shared all our love with him in small and big ways, but most of all, my making this spectacular birthday cake together with my step-daughter.

We first print A4 number shapes finding variety of template options freely available online. Then we make four delicious almond flour cookies and once chilled, layer them 2×2 filled with cream cheese filling and we decorate the topping with flowers and fruits.

It is amazing how easy this cake turns out to be. Once mastering the basics, the same technique could be used in making all sorts of cookie shapes and impressing and delighting any of your quests.

Ingredients

(Cookie Template Size A4)

For the cookies

• 500g flour
• 100g almond flour
• 2tsp Vanilla extract
• 300g Butter (room temperature)
• 1 large egg
• 1 dash of salt
• 200g powdered sugar
• 4 tsp of cold water (in case your cookie dough is too crumbly)

For the filling

• 450g heavy cream (cold)
• 10g Agar-agar
• 90g water
• 350g cream cheese (room temperature)
• 200g powdered sugar
• 2tsp Vanilla extract

For decoration

• raspberries
• strawberries
• mango
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• 4 – 6 flowers

Method

For the cookies:

1. Sift flour, powdered sugar and almond flour.  Discard lumps.
2. Add butter to dry ingredients and combine with hands until the dough resembles crumbly sand.
3. Briefly stir vanilla extract and egg together than pour into dough.  Combine with hands.
4. Separate cookies into 1 X 300g and 3X 250g portions and pack in wrap.  Allow to cool in fridge for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
5. After an hour, roll out one cookie dough at a time.  If the cookie dough is too crumbly, add 1 – 2 tablespoons of cold water.  Roll out the dough on a flat surface (covered with parchment paper), which can then fit into your freezer.
6. Cut out the desired number from the cookie dough.
7. Place cookie in freezer for 10 minutes.
8. Put cookie in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celcius for 9 – 11 minutes.
9. Allow to fully cool and repeat the same process for remaining numbers.  You will need 2 of each number.  The defined measurements suffice for 4 cookies (2 X 2).

For the filling:

1. Pour powdered sugar into heavy cream and whisk until stiff peacks, pour in vanilla extract and combine well. Then place in fridge.
2. Mix water and agar.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then cook in microwave or in a pot.
3. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese until soft.
4. Fold in heavy cream into cream cheese until creamy consistency.  Pour in hot agar and mix well.
5. Immediately pour into pastry bag and begin decorating the cookies (or cake).

For decoration:

1. Pipe large drops onto the first cookie until fully covered.
2. Place the second (same number) cookie on top and pipe large drops onto that cookie as well.
3. Distribute fruit and flours along the center of the cream decorated cookies.