When you write a blog, family events are fair game. Welcome to the annual birthday celebration with our adult children (+ spouses)… and cakes from Georgia, New York and Florida.

The best way to speak to this monstrosity of sugar is to rank everything on the dessert table. So let’s begin.

Top Rank: Cocoa Dolce

Identified in the image as A and F, these sweet treats represent our great state of Kansas. The colorful Macarons and specialty chocolates are from Wichita’s very own Cocoa Dolce.

Cocoa Dolce was founded in 2005 and has established a well-known reputation for serving beautiful chocolates and confections. With certified chocolatiers and pastry chefs behind the scenes, only the finest ingredients are used in their creations. We give Cocoa Dolce a big IMBHO-Yes!

Tied for First: Milk Bar (New York)

Finding a gluten-free cake that has a good texture has been a mission of ours for some time. We have tried and failed more than once, but finally we found the perfect gluten-free cake from Milk Bar. This Funfetti cake (B in the photo) was beyond good, with a slight tang to the frosting to keep it from becoming overwhelmingly sweet.

Milk Bar entered the dessert scene in 2008 and was founded by chef Christina Tosi. Not only is she a James Beard winner, but she was also a judge on MasterChef for seasons 6, 7 and 8. It’s another big IMBHO-Yes! #christinatosi

Birthday Boy Favorite: Savannah’s Candy Kitchen (Georgia)

The oldest birthday boy in the room had a favorite pick — always the red velvet cake. This year’s cake from Georgia was a handmade layer cake. It had a mild chocolate flavor that balanced well against the cream cheese frosting. This cake was also beautiful, even after traveling 1,248 miles (approximately) to our home. (D in photo)

Savannah’s Candy Kitchen has been around for 40 years and 3 generations. The longevity of the Strickland’s family business speaks volumes. IMBHO-Yes!

Next Up: Junior’s Cheesecake (New York)

If you’re going to eat cheesecake, it should be New York cheesecake. Searching for fan favorites, we came across Junior’s Cheesecake and it did not disappoint. (C in photo)

We had five pounds… yes… 5 POUNDS of cheesecake on the table with four flavor profiles: plain cheesecake, brownie explosion, Brooklyn crumb, and strawberry. All were decadent and silky smooth. The brownie delight was quite possibly the favorite of the group. IMBHO-Yes!

Junior’s Cheesecake was founded in 1950 by Harry Rosen and the establishment at the corner of Flatbush and DeKalb in Brooklyn has become a landmark restaurant.

And Finally: We Take the Cake (Florida)

If you’re looking for a cake made from Key limes, there’s no better place to look than Florida. Key limes to Florida are like wind to Kansas. (We’d rather have the key limes!)

We ordered a key lime bundt cake (E in photo) from We Take the Cake. It was the only cake that didn’t arrive to us frozen and it was the only cake that didn’t get rave reviews. There was something about the cake’s flavor that was “off”. The key lime was there, but not enough, and the cream cheese frosting didn’t pair well with the cake. It could have just been a fresh issue; it had notes of “old oil” when we ate it.

We Take the Cake started as a mail-order bakery in 1997. Interestingly enough, the key lime bundt cake we ordered was once one of Oprah’s favorite things. She must have eaten it while it was fresh.

To add a little whimsical to the evening, we used air plants as our centerpieces. This was a last minute decision and KC Exotic Air Plants worked quickly to get us 12 Bulbosa (Belize) air plants for our tables. Thank you, Crystal & Keith!

If you love air plants, you should check out KC Exotic Air Plants. This is our second purchase from them and we’ll be back for more. IMBHO-Yes! Oh, and one of the first IMBHO blogs we wrote was on KC Exotic Air Plants. Check it out here!