Superhero's super birthday cake

It was Darling boy's 4th birthday this weekend and, being nuts about Spiderman, Superman and all things 'super', he had chosen a superhero theme.  We went all-out for the fancy dress, and, as last time when the theme was pirates,  the kids and grown-ups all dressed up.  We had prizes in various categories, from best superhero accessory, to best mini-skirt in a superhero capacity.

Huge amounts of fun were had by all, lots of chasing around and dashing about- all brilliant stuff.

The cake I made for Darling boy was chocolate- to Darling boys request- was the same recipe as I used for Handsome husbands Granny's 90th birthday.  It was iced in blue buttercream icing, with the customised logo made from royal icing and cut out with an art knife.

The accompanying superhero cupcakes are lemon, with matching stars and home-made superhero comic book style cupcake flags.

Salted caramel and chocolate tart

This is the second time I have made this for Sister in laws birthday  Its her most favourite combination and what the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl will get.

We had this in the evening, when the boys were in bed- it is definitely not food for children.  Too salty, too sweet, too chocolately, too good!

I also made a day-time birthday cake that Darling boy and Little brother could join in with.  After all, it was a special big birthday (but don't tell Sister in Law, I don't think she is too pleased about turning this particular number) and therefore deserving of not just one, but two birthday cakes.  I will be posting about the day-time cake soon.

This one went down a storm with Sister in Law and her Lunnun chums- they were all down in Devon helping with the celebrations and larking about on the farm.  All that fresh air and quad bike action meant we were hungry.

photo by Dancing Steve

90 years of birthday cakes...and here is the 90th

It was Handsome husband's Granny's 90th birthday last week and we went on a (super long) road trip to see her.  Oxford and back in one day from Devon is no joke, especially with two under 4 year olds and a big bump in tow.

Great Granny eats like a bird, but has a legendary sweet tooth and so a super-mega chocolate birthday cake was called for.  It also had to be something relatively compact as although we were taking the big car, we were also taking my in-laws too.  Our 7 seater car was to be carrying 6 people, 3 changes of clothes (small boys need wardrobe changes much like Lady Gaga does, though for reasons of water, mud and chocolate, not high fashion so much) plus toys and books to provide suitable distraction for the aforesaid little ones, and, of course the cake.

I wanted to go feminine, but not too girly.  So I opted for a simple round shape, and went with the ribbon effect chocolate buttercream and pastel flowers, with matching glitter.  The cake recipe is one I hadn't tried before, but will definitely be doing again.  Chocolate cake is often not all that chocolately, and more often that not, a cocoa disappointment, but this was everything you'd want a chocolate cake to be, rich, moist, and actually chocolately.

The birthday girl seemed keen on the cake and half of it was eaten on the day by us partygoers, and the rest was carved up and taken home by the rest of the family, wrapped in napkins and stashed in handbags.

I asked Great Granny if she liked being 90 years old, and in true Great Granny style, she quickly said 'No'.  I asked her is she preferred being 89 and she said 'No'...Though she did say her favourite age was 40 years..so as I'm 33 this year, it means I've got something to look forward to!

Onwards and upwards I say.

Caterpillar birthday cake

 One of my lovely Devon friends asked me to make a joint birthday cake for her super lovely children.  Her eldest is a boy who is 4 years old today (and incidentally, one of Darling boy's most favourite of friends) and her little girl, who is a total cutey pie will be 2 years old in a few days.

The only request was 'with your yummy buttercream icing and glitter please' as both are so popular with the birthday boy and girl. I racked my brains thinking of something I could do for a joint cake.  Trawling google images didn't bring much joy.  I thought animals might be popular and was trying to think of two animals that go together, but are a bit boyish and girly in their own way.  Genius struck and the idea of a caterpillar and butterfly theme landed in my head. The body is made from two vanilla bundt cakes, cut and shaped.  The legs and feet are made from CakePops, shaped into feet and moulded onto chocolate fingers for legs.

I finished the cake late last night and was so pleased, I was very tempted to wake up Handsome husband so he could come and admire it too.  Luckily good sense prevailed (I don't think he would have appreciated being woken up, however pretty the butterfly cupcakes, or how jaunty the caterpillar's antennas)  He did however admire the cake in its glory this morning and was suitably impressed.

The party was today and the cake went down a storm.  It is such a joy to make things that are such fun to create, and that delight and please the people it is made for.

Vintage finds at the village fete

On my list of favourite things, featuring highly is the village fete.  All those traditional stalls  from your childhood are still going strong, the tombola (where you win back the tins you donated 2 years ago) splat-the-rat, the raffle, the farmyard derby (my personal favourite), skittles, guess the weight of the cake / baby / chicken.  And of course the cake stall.  Turn up late and the cake stall is always totally empty, as it gets raided first, like a tuck shop at midnight.

Well, here in our corner of the world we pride ourselves on a good village fete and ours most usually has entertainment.  Last year it was Morris Dancing men, fearsome fellows with handkerchiefs who bashed the hell out of some sticks and then waved bells at each other.  They were brilliant.  This year we had a chap playing a squeeze box, with his dear lady wife accompanying him on the spoons (I kid you not) and the guitar and a lovely warbly voice.  They were charm itself.

On the jumble stall, I managed to find these totally lovely plates, which I think I got for a quid.  Amazing.  I love them.  And of course we bought millionaire shortbread from the cake stall, and geraniums from the plant stall.  Darling boy and little brother had a marvellous time, winning mini mars bars on the hoopla and larking about with their chums. 

Marble cake with chocolate frosting

For Grandads birthday, a cake was called for that fitted the bill exactly.  Grandad shares with Handsome husband a distrust of puddings containing fruit, as well as a preference for the plainer things in cake.  However, he also has a very very very very very very very sweet tooth.  This is the man who I have seen sink a tablespoon full of sugar in a jug of double cream and transfer the lot to his waiting mouth several times.  Now that's dedication to the sweeter side of life.

So, for his birthday I went for a traditional chocolate and vanilla marble cake, but coated with a thick gooey layer of chocolate frosting.  The perfect mix.  It went down well with everyone after tea, perfect with a nice hot cuppa.   Little brother wasted no time in efficiently scoffing the lot, calling for more and more cake when he had finished his.  I wonder where he could possibly get this trait from?...

Little brother turns 1 year old!

 We can hardly believe it, but Little brother is 1 year old already. To celebrate we had a lovely party, full of family, friends, kids, sugar, sunshine, musical bumps and more sugar.  It was perfect.  I have made a promise to myself that every kids party I host will always have cake and fizz. I think its a good promise.

The cupcakes were chocolate and lemon.  The lemon ones had a secret centre of homemade lemon curd which went down very well.  I even managed to bag one myself before they all went, and I can vouch for its tastiness too. Just the right balance of sweet and zesty. Yum.

The cake is a two tiered vanilla sponge.  It is about 10 inches across, and shaped like ducks as this is one of Little Brothers most favourite things and I think the 3rd word he said (after dadda and mamma)  We talk about 'ducks' a lot, me and Little Brother (and 'doors' too, as he can also say 'door')   So when it came to deciding what to do for Little Brother's cake, what else could it be?  I must confess this sort of cake it not normally my thing, but for my bambinos, anything goes.  And iced in buttercream and covered in glitter, its just a hop, skip and jump away from my more usual style.

The embroidered tablecloth you can see under the cake was handed down to me by my mother in law.  I think it was either made by her mother in law, or great mother in law.  Anyway, it is beautiful and so perfect it is incredible.  I know childrens parties aren't normally an occasion for getting out your 'best' but I have decided this lovely handmade craft work should see the light of day.  And what better occasion, that celebrating Little brothers first birthday.