Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday dear Cheryl,
Happy birthday to me !
Yes, today is my birthday. I had to make my own birthday cake but all I can say is yum - it was worth it ! I decided to use Nigella Lawson's Devil's Food Cake recipe - you can see it here - and join in with this month's cookalong.
I was a bit dubious at first - you mix brown sugar, cocoa powder and boiling water together so it looks and smells more like hot chocolate than cake !
After creaming the butter and sugar, I added some vanilla paste.
Time to mix in the rest of the cake ingredients - eggs, flour and the hot chocolate mixture. It all comes together and makes a wonderfully chocolatey cake batter.
Juliette suddenly appeared, eager to lick the bowl !
I decided to go for two different shaped and sized cake tins for a layered effect. Off to the oven and time to start preparing the icing.
Eek that's a lot of butter !
That's a lot of chocolate too ! Calories don't count on your birthday, right ?!
The frosting tasted utterly gorgeous but stayed very runny.
Juliette helped with the sporadic whisking.
The cakes came out perfectly but have a tendency to break apart when you transfer them to the wire cooling rack or the plate - you have been warned !
Juliette told me politely to go away now, it's my birthday cake and she's taking over !
The layered effect worked, even if it looks more like a chocolate fountain that a cake because of the runny icing !
Another willing little helper who, judging by his face, has been licking the bowl too !
White chocolate chips and Mentos fruit sweets to decorate, as if it wasn't decadent enough already !
Happy birthday Mum ! (Pierre said "oh, are you 4?" to which Sophie replied "no, it's one candle for ten years, we'd never fit 41 candles on there" !! Cheers for that !)
This is a truly delicious cake. Light fluffy sponge and a wonderfully rich icing. Yum !
If you'd like to join in this month's Cookalong, head over to Nigella's website. Get your skates on though if you want to try out the Devil's Food Cake - there will be a new recipe to try out for November.
Other blogposts you may be interested in :
This looks absolutely gorgeous. Mmmmmmmmm. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteOh, happy birthday to you, hope you enjoyed big slice of that well-deserved, gorgeous looking cake!xx
ReplyDeleteOh I certainly did ... and another one this lunchtime and there's still some left !!
DeleteWhat a dreamy looking cake-the chocolate topping is so silky! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays
ReplyDeleteThis does not look good for my diet *drools*
ReplyDeleteit wasn't good for mine either !!
DeleteThat looks moist and chocolatey yumminess!
ReplyDeleteThat looks so good! Happy birthday to you x
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! That cake looks beyond amazing, I would kill for something chocolatey right now!
ReplyDeleteSharon x
thank you - I'd send you a piece but it's all gone !!
DeleteBelated Happy Birthday! I cooked a Nigella dinner tonight - never quite looks like it does on the pages of her book! Tasty though. The cake looks scrumptious :)
ReplyDeletethanks - there's a new cookalong every month if you want to join in too :)
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