OK, I admit it. I’m a Martha Stewart devotee. Some of her ideas may be a tad too precious, but dang, those recipes work every time and they always look amazing. So who could possibly resist this polka-dot, hop scotch cake? It’s an orange flavored cake, filled with sweet orange marmalade – although Martha (yes, I like to pretend we’re on a first name basis), says you can substitute lemon curd or any berry jam.

The cake is buttery and divine, the icing a cloud-like Swiss meringue – and may I just say, yes, it’s much more work than popping open a can of frosting, but the flavor is incomparable – and the polka dots are simply piped, colored frosting. Get the recipe and instructions here.

More Cakes from the 2010 Birthday Cake Countdown:

• An Extravagant Purple Squid Cake
• Coming Soon: Fairy Cupcakes