Birthday cakes for Peter H.

Some birthdays call for something special, especially when those birthdays happen to favorite people who are getting on in years. So several Saturdays ago, I made two French genoise for a gentleman whose creative life has given the world of religious music some rich and notable compositions. Each three-layer cake is infused with a cognac and coffee blend and garnished with toasted walnuts and (edible) silver dragees; one cake is frosted with a coffee/cognac French buttercream, the other with a chocolate/cognac French buttercream. Yum. Or as the French say, "Miam."
Sigh. Why would anyone want anything but a liqueur-infused cake topped (and filled) with a French buttercream? I don't understand.