Dark chocolate cake truffles

When is a Cakepop not a Cakepop?  When it doesn't have a stick... 

Darling boy, little brother and I went for a lovely visit to the marvellous mum and dad.  Whilst there we had a family dinner to which I bought along some 'dark chocolate cake truffles'...I knew that something chocolately would always go down well after a big dinner.  So, simply make your cake pops are usual, but eschew the stick and pretend they are a grown up treat instead.  Oh, and if you do a double coating of dark chocolate, it's all the better.

Darts Farm and chocolate cake

Marvellous mum and I treated ourselves to a trip to local foodie shopping mecca, Darts Farm with the boys recently.   We oohed and ahhed over the lovely things, we mooched and meandered around the food hall and, most importantly, we stopped for lunch.

I was able to take advantage of the lovely food hall and stock up on a few essentials (bacon, cream, and a very tasty local blue cheese)  And Darling boy was able to take advantage of the Darts Farm cafe comprehensive cake counter.  As with all battles between cake and toddler, the chocolate cake was a worthy adversary, but it was a child's devotion to chocolate that won through.

Little brother looked on in wonder, but is still too little for cake (though ask again next weekend, at his 1st birthday party and it will be game on)

Cardamon cake

Last weekend Marvellous mum and dad were down to stay, and as an early Mothers Day present I baked this fragrant cardamon cake for Marvellous mum.  She is a wonder and a fabulous mum.  She famously has a very very unsweet tooth, and the family jokes that she would be happier sucking a lemon marinated in battery acid, rather than tucking into  bowl of something tooth-achingly sweet.

I came across this recipe for cardamon cake and I just knew it would appeal to her, being fragrant with a hint of sweetness, rather than the full-on sugar-fest that cake baking can so often be.

Baked using the ground cardamon Sensible K had just sent over from India, this was a truly exotic* Mother Day cake.


*yes, I know most spices come from India, but that's not the point!