My daughter has a habit of requesting her birthday cakes 1-3 years out.

"When I turn four, at my birkday (yes, she pronounces it with a "k"), I want a Moana cake. Mama, can you make a Moana cake? I want it to have peaches, chocolate chips, and marshmallows. 66 chocolate chips. And, Mama, when I turn five, at my birkday, can I have a Moana cake with her Mommy?" - Daughter, age 3.

My husband is almost as bad: six months before his birthday, he told me that he wanted a cake inspired by our trip to Portugal: a cake filled with the cream from a pasteis de nata and covered in a port buttercream.

Let me tell you something, I had six months to prepare and prepare I did. But it was bad. Ick. Unfortunately I figured this out the day before his birthday SO I was in a bit of a predicament. But chocolate saved the day (it always does). 

Add a lot of chocolate to a port buttercream and you end up with a slightly sweet and rich chocolate frosting. Fill the cake with a pastry cream and tadah you get a Boston cream pie birthday cake! Add a babysitter, a surprise comedy show, and a surprise party at Surly brewing (with a $4 per slice cake cutting charge), and you get a pretty sweet birthday.