as I was making the Chocolate Buttercream frosting to go with it, which does require a mixer and a fair amount of kitchen know-how, my old faithful hand mixer up and died on me.

I had a pound -- no lie -- of chilled butter cut into tablespoons waiting to be mixed into the frosting, and about 45 minutes until school pickup.

But moms are survivors, so I whipped all 32 tablespoons into that frosting by hand, nearly breaking my arm in the process. And then, after blowing out the candle later, Sam wanted a six-month-old piece of Halloween candy (we've got to throw those out) instead of a piece of cake.

So I thought I would at least treat myself to two pictures.

No-Mixer Vanilla Cake

Serves 14 to 16

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups extra-fine granulated sugar

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks melted unsalted butter

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set rack in the middle of the oven. Sift the flour into a bowl for accurate measurement and whisk in the other dry ingredients to combine.

Measure the liquid ingredients into a plastic container with a lid. Seal it and shake well. Whisk the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, combining thoroughly.

Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, but do not spray the sides. (I lightly buttered the parchment on the side that would face the batter.) Equally divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven when the cake is golden brown and a wooden skewer poked in the center comes out clean.

Cool thoroughly on a heat-resistant surface. Run a thick metal spatula around the rim of the pan to release the cake, and invert onto a plate. Frost as you like, or serve with a dusting of powdered sugar.

--From "Cakelove" by Warren Brown

Per serving (based on 16 servings, without frosting): 238 calories, 3 grams protein, 11 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 33 grams carbohydrate, trace fiber, 91 milligrams cholesterol, 167 milligrams sodium. Analysis by registered dietitian Jodie Shield.