A week of birthdays

It's been a busy couple of weeks with birthday celebrations. The week started with the Queen's birthday, which was marked by a public holiday the previous Monday. I've always thought it slightly odd that NZ mark the day with a public holiday, as does Australia, and yet the day goes virtuously un-noticed in the UK!

The Son celebrated his 11th birthday last Sunday. He had a 'movie night' party at home, with the husband making home-made individual pizzas for everyone, each choosing their own toppings. We also had a pick-n-mix, home made pop-corn, and ice-cream cones. The evening was finished off with the Son's favourite chocolate mud cake.

My own birthday was a few days later. It's funny how an 11 year old's view of birthdays can differ so much from someone in their very late thirties. I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to this birthday, as I'm not exactly relishing turning 40 next year. *Sigh*. It took me until early afternoon to really start enjoying myself. By dinner time I was feeling thoroughly spoilt with flowers, chocolates, a charm for my bracelet, and Jo Malone perfume.

To finish the day off, The Husband made us steak with a wine and grainy mustard sauce. He also made me a birthday cake - which was absolutely divine! The recipe was from Nigella's Christmas book.

Nigella's Chocolate Fruit Cake

350g/12¼oz dried soft prunes, chopped

250g/8¾oz raisins

125g/4½oz currants

175g/6¼oz unsalted butter, softened

175g/6¼oz dark muscovado sugar

175ml/6¼fl oz honey

125ml/4½fl oz coffee liqueur

2 oranges, juice and zest only

1 tsp mixed spice

2 tbsp good quality cocoa

3 free-range eggs, beaten

150g/5¼oz plain flour

75g/2½oz ground almonds

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
Line the sides and bottom of a 20cm/8in, 9cm/3½in deep, round loose-bottomed cake tin with a layer of reusable silicon baking parchment.
When lining the tin with the parchment, cut the material into strips that are twice as high as the tin itself (it is easier to use two shorter strips of parchment, than one long strip); the height of the strips protects the cake from catching on the outside of the cake tin.
Place the fruit, butter, sugar, honey, coffee liqueur, orange juice and zest, mixed spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan. Heat the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil, stirring the mixture as the butter melts.
Let the mixture simmer for ten minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes, the mixture will have cooled a little. Add the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and bicarbonate soda, and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients have combined.
Carefully pour the fruitcake mixture into the lined cake tin. Transfer the cake tin to the oven and bake for 1¾-2 hours, or until the top of the cake is firm but will has a shiny and sticky look.
At this point, if you insert a sharp knife into the middle of the cake, the cake should still be a little uncooked in the middle.6. Place the cake on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin.

Magic cake

Well, not magic exactly, but it disappears in a flash. Boom boom (sad in Basil Brush stylee).
The son was helping run a cake stall today that his class had organised to raise money for a trip to the zoo later in the term. I made caramel slice, which has always been a sure fire winner for adult and child alike. The kids did really well with the sale - raising over $500 for their trip!

Caramel slice
Makes 16 pieces

1 cup plain flour
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup soft brown sugar
125g marg or butter, melted
1 tin condensed milk
30g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
100 g chocolate melts


Preheat oven 175C. Line a brownie tin with baking paper.
Put flour, coconut and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Melt 125g marg, and pour on the dry ingredients. Mix well, and tip mixture into brownie tin. Press down well.
Bake for ten minutes.
Meanwhile, pour the condensed milk, 30g marg and syrup into a large strong saucepan. Heat the ingredients over a medium heat - stirring all the time - until melted. Keep on the heat for 5 minutes, still gently stirring all the time. Take the pan off the heat.
When the biscuit base has cooked for 10 minutes, take out of the oven. Pour the caramel mixture over the biscuit base. Spread well so all of the biscuit is covered with caramel.
Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Take out of the oven, and allow to cool completely.
Top with thin layer of melted chocolate.
Cool, and cut into 16 pieces.

Arrrr, Matey!

My friend's wee boy was 5 today, and she asked me to make his cake. He had a pirate themed party (which was fab) and wanted a pirate ship cake to complete the theme.

The cake was the best chocolate cake recipe I've ever tried. It's ideal for a birthday cake as it's dense, moist, and keeps for ages. Thanks to Tracie for the recipe!

Chocolate Mud Cake

200g butter/marg

2 cup sugar

3 cup plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 ½ cup plain unsweetened yogurt

1 tsp vanilla essence

¾ cup cocoa

1 ½ cup hot coffee

Preheat oven 180 C.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add all other ingredients, apart from hot coffee.

Slowly add hot coffee, and mix until mixture is a smooth batter.

Pour into a greased and lined 23cm tin, and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.

I made double the above quantity in a large oblong roasting tin, and baked it for an hour and a half. The cake was cut in half lengthways, and the end third was cut, with one piece for the front and one piece for the back. The cake was sandwiched with chocolate buttercream, and chocolate finger biscuits decorated the outside of the boat.

I used Lego pirate characters to complete the ship.

101 ways to use up unwanted Easter eggs....

Ok, so I don't really have 101 ways to use up unwanted Easter eggs. Probably because the notion of chocolate being 'unwanted' is a strange concept if ever there was one. But I'll start the list here with no 1. No 2 and beyond will have to wait until next year, as rather worryingly The Family appear to have inherited the passion for chocolate, and the Easter eggs are now very nearly gone.

Three over-ripe bananas in the fruit bowl were crying out to be turned into a banana cake. What better way to use up some of that unwanted Easter confectionary, than to make a chocolate banana cake?!

Soon after arriving in New Zealand I was introduced to the wonder of the Edmonds Cookery Book. The Edmonds recipe for banana cake is one of the best I've tried. My chocolate version was a big hit. Slightly squidgy, but not soggy, and very yummy.

Chocolate Banana Cake

125 g butter/margarine
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups mashed ripe banana
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp hot milk
1 ½ cups plain flour
½ cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 Easter egg, broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 180 C.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
Add mashed banana, mix well. Add the baking soda to the hot milk, and add soda mixture to cake batter. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder. Fold into cake batter. Finally add the broken chocolate pieces.
Turn into greased 20cm tin, and bake for 50 mins or until skewer comes out clean.