What's in Your Fridge? Probably Not One of These . . .

The children of friends threw them a surprise anniversary party, and I volunteered to bring the celebratory cake. 

Just a few days after a massive grocery restocking, finding storage space was a challenge.  Before: 

And here's the basement fridge, mid-process.  Everything on the floor had to sit out, first to make room for the separate layers:

and later to hold items from upstairs.  Len removed a shelf from the main fridge so the stacked tiers would fit inside.

I made a family favorite:  hazelnut cake filled with raspberry jam and chocolate ganache, iced with French buttercream.  Elizabeth recorded the recipes at the end of this post.

The straws above are helping keep the cake together.  I wasn't confident that the ganache would set up well enough (it did).  I use more straws (cut to fit) to support the plates holding the upper tiers.

The decorations are quite simple.  My rosebuds are still tightly closed, but another friend let me cut some from her bushes.  They're certainly more beautiful than any I could make.

And yes, our friends were completely surprised!  Their children did a fantastic job planning and carrying out a memorable celebration.

Another cake note:  I can't always find hazelnut flour (sometimes called hazelnut meal) at Trader Joe's, so I usually buy it online.