My Paris-and-tea-cup themed birthday cake

I don't like surprises. So when a milestone birthday of mine was approaching, I told my husband what I wanted as my gift. A cake. No jewelry, no flowers. No surprise party. Definitely, no surprise party. Just a cake.

Is this a test, he asked me in disbelief, was I going to be disappointed if I got just a cake? I assured him, I wouldn't.

And you can see why. I didn't want just any old birthday cake. A Cake Boss-type, amazeballs, I-can't-believe-it-cake.

Maybe, just maybe, I seem spoiled to you.  I just wasn't sure if I'd ever really celebrate a birthday again on a larger scale, especially with a young son. So I wanted to do this one my way.

I told him who he should get it from, Bakerbots Baking, which you may remember from the stunning Noah's Ark-themed cake I purchased for my son's baptism.

I also had a few suggestions as to the theme. Paris, Roald Dahl, and vintage tea cups. And I knew I wanted red velvet cake. The rest was up to Bakerbots' Rosanne.

So when I came down a couple of weekends ago, and saw this creation on my kitchen counter, I just about cried.

This cake was me. I couldn't have designed it better myself.

Rosanne incorporated macarons, my favourite, some of the tea cups I actually own, and elements from Paris such as the Eiffel Tower, and the English-language bookstore Shakespeare & Co.

It seems like it could feed a thousand people, but the top two tiers were for decoration only, the bottom tier was the one we ate.

And because the decorations were made of fondant, I kept the "Happy Birthday Mary" banner, as well as the teeny tea cups and Shakespeare & Co. sign.

My actual birthday was spent in Jamaica with my family, who showered me with pearl earrings, a new Christian Lacroix silk scarf, an oil landscape that I had my eye on, books, and kisses from my son, and I had a wonderful time all around.

What do I want for my next birthday? Maybe a trip to Paris is in order. What do you say? What was the best birthday gift you ever got?