21 Cakes for Our 20th Birthday

No matter how old you are, you deserve a homemade cake on your birthday—the more decadent and over-the-top, the better. This July, which marked SAVEUR's 20th birthday, our pastry chef friends outdid themselves: From towering layer cakes to deconstructed plated desserts to sculptures made entirely of chocolate, we received a wide range of creative, decadent, and beautifully constructed—not to mention delicious—birthday cakes from pastry chefs, home-bakers, and bloggers including Dominique Ansel, Sherry Yard, Brooks Headley, Izy Hossack, and Sarah Kieffer. Check out all 21 cakes below—one for each year of the magazine, plus one for good luck!

"Thank you for 20 years of great cooking, great eating, and great reading. Looking forward to decades more!"
—Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking Chez Moi Chocolate cake layered with chocolate cream, finished with chocolate ganache and shards of salted chocolate

"Only 20 years young and look at how much you've done, SAVEUR—what an overachiever you are! Bon Anniversaire!"
—Dominique Ansel, chef/owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery Charlotte cake built inside a Staub casserole pot, made with a vanilla bavaroise, passion fruit gelée, and homemade ladyfingers, topped with a combination of summer stone fruits (plums, peaches, and apricots)

"Bon Anniversaire SAVEUR magazine! We look forward to another 20 years of beautiful recipes and culinary adventures!"
—Jennifer Yee, pastry chef at Lafayette, New York City 6" carrot cake frosted with buttercream and covered in cherry-pistachio cream puffs

"Years ago my husband gave me a subscription to SAVEUR magazine out of the blue; he said it was 'just because I like you.' Every month I look forward to the day I find the magazine peeking out of my mailbox, as it means an afternoon lost in fantastic stories, beautiful photographs, and so many recipes I want to try. Happy Birthday SAVEUR! Thank you for all the inspiration."
—Sarah Kieffer, blogger at Vanilla Bean Blog, our 2014 BFBA readers' choice winner for Best Baking & Desserts blog Buttermilk cake with cardamom cream filling and rhubarb buttercream

"Hey SAVEUR, I sure do love you guys, even though I will never remember the right way to pronounce your name. BUON COMPLEANNO!"
—Brooks Headley, pastry chef at Del Posto Tricolore gelato terrine (greenmarket cherry, Capezzana olive oil, and Amedei chocolate) with chocolate glaze and puffed pasta

"My cooks and I look forward to every issue of SAVEUR. Congratulations on an incredible 20 years, and here's to 20 more—auguroni!"
—Richard Capizzi, pastry chef at Lincoln Ristorante Zuccoto:_ amaretto-soaked black and white_ sponge cake with cocoa nib brownie, filled with strawberry crema with mixed berries, vanilla stracciatella, and dark chocolate mousse

"Happy Birthday from your friends at Milk Bar! Thanks for being a culinary inspiration now and always. Boom boom boom!"
—Christina Tosi, chef, owner and founder of Momofuku Milk Bar Rainbow cake crumble, sprinkles, and vanilla birthday frosting studded with birthday truffles (bites of rainbow cake covered with white chocolate and rainbow cake sand) and topped with half of a strawberry lemon layer cake

A birthday haiku:
"From the first issue
Traveled and cooked my way through
Inspired by you!"
—Elisabeth Prueitt, pastry chef at Tartine Bakery Ice cream cake with homemade ladyfingers, vanilla yogurt ice cream, and raspberry sorbet, topped with frosted fruit and berry sauce

"I love making birthday cakes, but this one was especially significant. 20 years of inspiration and beautiful food! Thank you SAVEUR!"
—Gale Gand, pastry chef, restaurateur, and author of Gale Gand's Lunch Pavlova topped with hand-picked Wisconsin strawberries, rhubarb compote, and pansies

"Joyeux anniversaire SAVEUR! Looking forward to your continued success and inspiring work, and more importantly to celebrating 40 years!"
—Francois Payard, chef/owner of Payard, FP Patisserie, and Francois Payard Bakery Large macaron cake with raspberry and vanilla ganache and fresh raspberries

"Happy Birthday SAVEUR from Wolfgang, Lee, and the Spago family! Here's to the next 20 years of sweet celebrations."
—Della Gossett, executive pastry chef at Spago Beverly Hills Three birthday "coupe-tails":
Lemon Layer Love: lemon buttermilk cake, lemon verbena ice cream, lemon granita, and lemon curd topped with housemade Meyer lemon limoncello
Red Velvet: red velvet ice cream and layer cake with frozen cream cheese curls, fresh raspberries, and raspberry-Campari gelée
Grandma's Old Fashioned: old-fashioned chocolate cake with fudge frosting, Tahitian vanilla ice cream, Amarena cherries, and Amaro Averna chocolate pudding

"Happy 20th birthday to SAVEUR Magazine and all of your readers! May your sphere of knowledge and influence continue to grow! We're honored to be part of your social circle."
—Marc Aumont, pastry chef at The Modern White chocolate mousse cake with raspberry gelée and citrus dacquoise enclosed in a white chocolate sphere with chocolate accents

"Bon Anniversaire, SAVEUR! Thank you for letting us savor the world and its food through your beautiful publication for twenty years."
—Sunny Lee and Nicole Bujewski, chef instructors at The French Pastry School Twist on a traditional croquembouche: cream puffs topped with a sweet dough cookie, attached to tiers of cake and adorned with pulled sugar flowers and gum paste numbers

"Happy birthday SAVEUR! Don't forget to make a wish when blowing out the candles on all of these cakes!"
—Izy Hossack, blogger at Top With Cinnamon, the 2014 BFBA editors' choice winner for Best Baking & Desserts blog Layers of crisp meringue layered with freshly whipped cream, dark chocolate ganache, and sweet cherries

"Happy birthday SAVEUR! Thank you for taking our eyes, minds and tastebuds around the world for the last 20 years. Here's to continued success and culinary adventures!"
—Chika Tillman, chef/owner of Chikalicious Dessert Bar, New York Dark chocolate "black velvet" cake filled with chocolate ganache and covered in fondant, gum paste, and edible gold powder

"To our friends at SAVEUR, happy 20 years! Next year it'll be legal for you to drink on the job! Joyous wishes from me and the sweet gang at Helms Bakery."
—Sherry Yard, chef/co-owner of Helms Bakery, Los Angeles 20-layer "wish cake": buttermilk chocolate cake, Tahitian vanilla ice cream, white gold honey and lavender gelato, fraises des bois_ ice cream, rose diamond nectarine sherbet,_ Mara des Bois_ strawberry sorbet, raspberry rose sorbet, red currant sour cream sherbet, pomegranate blackberry sorbet, black cherry ice cream, and Persian mulberry sorbet, topped with toasted Italian meringue and garnished with Santa Monica Farmers Market berries_

"Happy Birthday, SAVEUR! Here's to another absolutely inspiring 20 years!"
—Maggie Austin, chef/owner of Maggie Austin Cake Three stacked chocolate cakes with peach-apricot preserves and milk chocolate fiori di Sicilia_ buttercream, tied with gold-rubbed brocade sugar ribbons and topped with sugar flowers_

"I was given a subscription to SAVEUR for my high school graduation in 1997, and have been reading the magazine monthly ever since. Your pages introduced me to cuisines beyond my Pacific Northwest roots, the grip of food photography, and the power of food writing. SAVEUR, you've been such a huge part of my own culinary life, that it's an honor to be able to congratulate you on your 20th birthday. Cheers to another 20 years!"
—Dana Cree, pastry chef at Blackbird Quenelle of devil's food mousse, aerated birthday cake-flavored ice cream, and sprinkles

"Happy 20th birthday SAVEUR! Cheers to the next 20 years to come, filled with love—and CHOCOLATE, of course!"
—Jacques Torres, master pastry chef, chocolatier, and owner of Jacques Torres Chocolate Dark chocolate sculpture with white chocolate placard

"It feels like just yesterday that I was a little kid, sneaking off with my sister's SAVEURs to go look at the pretty food pictures. Happy 20th to the first food magazine I ever fell in love with! Sending you hugs from the Midwest!"
—Molly Yeh, blogger at My Name is Yeh, finalist for the 2014 BFBA editors' choice winner for Best Baking & Desserts blog Rosemary-vanilla cake with blackberry preserves, mascarpone frosting, and marzipan Dala horses

"Thank you, team SAVEUR, for the incredible sweet inspiration (and the sour, hot, and salty enticements as well). Please continue keeping our taste-buds and culinary visuals intrigued for years to come."
—Ron Ben-Israel, chef/owner of Ron Ben-Israel Cakes Gluten-free dark chocolate espresso "slice" of cake (36" long by 24" high), filled with alternate layers of peanut butter buttercream and bitter chocolate ganache and covered with fondant