Banner Cake

 Here is a birthday cake I made for a friend. I used the Hershey's Chocolate cake recipe that is my standard go-to for chocolate cakes:
 http://www.hersheys.com/pure-recipes/details.aspx?id=184&name=HERSHEY%27S+%22PERFECTLY+CHOCOLATE%22+Chocolate+Cake#share_modal

It is super easy and very moist. It's difficult to torte (slice into layers) but I knew I was only going to have two layers for this cake. For the frosting, I made your basic vanilla swiss meringue buttercream.

When it came to the decoration, I piped dots of frosting in a vertical line down the side and then used a small spoon to squoosh each dot. I wanted something to give a little visual interest but didn't want to get too fancy or girly (this was for a guy).  I made a pennant banner by cutting some triangles out of cardstock. I used embroidery thread and a needle to string them into a banner. I tied the ends to these great pinwheel party picks that I have but you could use skewers or straws.