A birthday cake fit for the Queen

To celebrate Her Majesty the Queen turning 90, Stork has re-imagined Britain’s best loved birthday treat: the iconic caterpillar cake, to honour one of the Queen’s much loved pet dogs. The Candy the Corgi cake has been created by baking brand Stork and the Great British Bake Off’s Edd Kimber using ingredients the Queen is rumoured to love such as vanilla bean, whipped cream, apple compote, and honey frosting. The quirky design features the corgi's face, tail and paws on a cream coated Swiss roll. 

You can find the recipe and instructions at http://www.bakewithstork.com/recipes/corgi-cake/

Stork challenged me to have a go at making my own cake based on the Candy the Corgi design for Her Majesty’s birthday. It seemed like a fun idea for me to try out!

Now, I don't think I could ever match up to Edd Kimber when it comes to cake baking, so I have made my own cake design featuring Candy the Corgi.  I chose a chocolate tray bake made using Stork, topped with a chocolate frosting and a chocolate plaque featuring Candy himself! (I did my best attempt at chocolate work...it ended up looking more like a weird looking rabbit than a corgi, but I managed to impress 6 year old Freddy so I was happy!)

Chocolate Traybake Recipe

8 oz Stork margarine

8 oz sugar

4 free range eggs

8 oz self raising flour

4 tablspns of milk

3 tblspns cocoa powder

Cream the Stork marg and sugar together.

Beat in eggs.

Sieve in flour and cocoa and fold together with milk.

Pour into a traybake tin. (I use disposable foil traybake tins.)

Cook in oven pre-heated to 180 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Once the cake is cool, top with a chocolate buttercream and decorate with a chocolate plaque (I made mine using the Chocolate Picture Maker from ZimpliKids) and chocolate hearts. Traybakes are a really simple way to make a great cake for any occasion - even for a Royal birthday party!

Freddy's birthday party with four generations of our family!

Freddy's birthday is next week, but as his big brother will be on holiday and his big cousin Tom will be emigrating to America, we had an early family birthday barbecue to celebrate last Sunday.  My guest list included all the family - meaning that all four generations (aged between 1 and 81) would be together for the first time ever.  I was so happy to be able to pull this off, especially as this was Tom's final visit before he heads off to make a life for himself in Georgia with his lovely American fiance. I will miss him so much but am so proud of him for achieving his dream.  It was a nice opportunity for everyone to say their goodbyes.  He stayed with us for four days around the barbecue and I cherished every moment and may have drank a few too many beers and shed a few tears!

Freddy's party had a construction theme.  His birthday cake was going to be a three tiered chocolate cake with diggers on top, digging up the top layer of sponge, but Freddy was adamant that he wanted a vanilla tray bake!  So I put my thinking cap on and topped the vanilla frosting with crushed Oreos and decorated the cake using Playmobil construction workers.  Cadbury's Pebbles made good rocks for the wheelbarrow and bucket! It was a very easy birthday cake and I'll use the idea of making a tray bake as a base for a themed scene again.

I bought some sand toys; buckets, spades, a wheelbarrow and a big truck, which were used to hold crisps, biscuits and sweets.  The little ones loved digging for the goodies with the spades!  A tool box made a good holder for some of the snacks and I used tin cans decorated with a construction themed label to hold cutlery.  We had a veggie barbecue served with an assortment of salads and bread.  We had construction themed plates, cups and napkins, and we had balloons with diggers and trucks on them to decorate the gazebo. Freddy's JCB toys, die cast vehicles and toy trucks were dotted around.  The theme worked well and I was pleased that everything came together.

My parents are now both in their eighties.  They have a total of 13 grandchildren and two great grandsons.  It's been years since they have had all their grandchildren in one place at the same time and the great grandsons had never met before.  Ted is my eldest son Joe's little boy who is 18 months old.  My adorable great nephew Baby Michael is my niece's son and has just turned one.  These newest additions to our family mean we have four living generations, which is a great honour. Seeing everyone together made my mum and dad's day.

With everyone together we had to try and take a family photo of my parents with the grandchildren and great grandchildren.  One of my nieces had left by this point, but 12 out of 13 wasn't bad going!  Unfortunately Freddy decided not to pose and little Ted was not going to cooperate and run off half way through.  However, this is my favourite shot of our slightly chaotic family - it really tells a story! 

The kids loved playing in the newly refilled sandpit, blowing bubbles and bashing the pinata. I had ordered a truck pinata but it was out of stock, so I got a fire engine instead. It was well and truly bashed and eventually spilled its contents of sweeties to the delight of the little ones.  Thankfully, bar a little shower, the sun shone.  It was a lovely day and I loved having my children Joe, Megan, Ella, Kizzy and Freddy all together at home.  It makes me feel whole again.

Once most of the guests had left, I remembered that I hadn't cut the birthday cake!  So Freddy blew out his candles watched by his Nana and Grandad, his sisters, a couple of Ella's friends (who Fred adores and wanted to invite), two cousins Tom and Kate and Baby Michael. (At least it meant more cake to go round!)  He had a wonderful day!

We'll be celebrating some more next week for Freddy's actual birthday.  He's a lucky little boy!

PS. Thank you to Freddy's Auntie Debbie for the fantastic Angry Birds onesie that Freddy wore all day long!

Bakerdays Letterbox Cake Video Review

I was sent a fabulous Bakerdays Letterbox Cake, personalised with one of my favourite photographs from my blog and a cascade of red hearts, to review.  The impact of receiving a beautiful cake like this through the post is simply wonderful!  There is something about seeing your own face immortalized in icing that gives cake lovers like me a huge thrill!

It arrived package in its own tin, safely within a sturdy box.  It came with a gift card and a packet of Love Heart Sweets...the perfect romantic addition!  The packaging ensures that the cake withstands the postal service and arrives to your door in perfect condition.

The cake itself was a moist and delicious carrot cake and the icing was soft and sweet.  A perfect combination.  There was enough for four slices, although it was so delicious I could happily have eaten the whole thing myself!

                             

Bakerdays Letterbox Cakes are the ideal edible gift for any occasion.  There are hundreds of designs to pick from on the easy to use website.  They can be personalised with text and photographs, so you can create a cake to suit anyone.  

They are delivered free of charge in the UK and cost £14.99.

What a wonderful way to say Happy Birthday, Congratulations or even I Love You!

Find out more at www.bakerdays.com

Things I Love - April Edition

It is the end of yet another month in 2013 and I am reflecting on some of the things that I have discovered, used or done, which have made me smile over the last few weeks in my monthly round up of things I love!

De-Cluttering

Now that spring has almost arrived, I am thinking about projects that I would like to do to my home.  We decided that this is the year that we are going to reclaim space in our house that has previously been given over to the accumulated clutter generated by having had five children.  So last week I  blitzed my wardrobe, clearing out six sackfuls of clothing.  I was pretty ruthless deciding that if I hadn't worn it recently or if it was looking a bit tired, it had to go.  It felt quite therapeutic sorting out my wardrobe space.  I had had so many landslides in recent weeks as my irregularly arranged piles of t-shirts, vests, jumpers and nightwear slid over one another as they vied for freedom from their fabric prison.  Making rows of neatly folded articles of clothing and removing the dozens of empty coat hangers from my hanging rail has given my wardrobe a new lease of life.  I found long forgotten clothes so it felt like I'd been on a shopping spree!  Now I just have to apply this principle to the rest of my house!

Springtime 

I love that we are finally beginning to believe that the UK has another season other than winter and there are a host of seasonally themed products appearing in the shops to remind us of this fact.  For instance, you can make your washing-up chores fit in with the season by using new Spring Blossom Persil Washing Up Liquid.  Featuring hints of freesias, white rose, vanilla and dry fruits, the pretty pink washing-up liquid has the perfect aroma to welcome spring into your home.  With its burst of fragrance it makes the kitchen smell fresh, and the sparkling results make cleaning up less of a chore.  It is especially pleasing if your husband is the one who does the washing up!  It retails at £1.00 for a 500ml bottle making it great value too.

I was sent one to try!

Window Blinds

I have always been a curtain-person.  I have only ever had blackout blinds for the kids' rooms and have never previously thought of them as being anything beyond functional.  However, curtains are quite frankly a bit of a pain.  They are a nightmare to hang, the hems fray, the fabric billows in the breeze knocking things over and they are such an all or nothing method of light control.  Recently I have begun to covet the array of blinds that adorn the windows of my neighbours' houses.  They look so stylish and modern with their clean lines that I am thinking that this is the way I should go when I revamp my bedroom.  I love the way that they allow in as much light as you want and they give you privacy.  (I'm forever flashing the neighbours when the curtains are open and the bedroom light is on.)  I really love these Dark Chocolate Vertical Blinds from Web-Blinds which  can be bought online made to measure.  I always enjoy adorning my home with things that are named after food.  I have Pecan paint in my living room, Toffee Fudge in my kitchen and Mint in my hall. It sounds utterly delicious but is totally calorie free.

Dark Chocolate Vertical Blind  #sp

Birthdays

In our family April is a month of celebrations as both Ella and I have birthdays two days apart.  This year we had a weekend of chaos and fun when everyone descended to help us celebrate.  Then to continue the birthday fun we have had cakes, meals out and made favourite dinners at home.

Ian took me on a date to see The Evil Dead at the cinema!  He is such a true romantic!!  Even Google got in on the act giving me a personalised home page on my special day.  This really made me smile :)

TV Finales

Two of our absolutely favourite TV series are coming to an end and we are both excited to see how things pan out and feeling bereft that we will be losing them over the summer.  Dexter and The Following have both had us totally riveted for the last few weeks. Ian, Ella and I have our weekly dates where we join together on the sofa for our fix of our favourite serial killer and our favourite FBI agent who battle it out in their own respective shows.  How will they end??  I can't wait to find out.  I hope some new shows come along to fill the gap.  I have high hopes for Hannibal which starts on Sky Living soon!

Five People You Meet in Heaven

Ella bought me this book for my birthday.  It is by Mitch Albom.  The story follows Eddie, a fairground maintenance guy who dies while trying to save a little girl from being crushed by a ride that has malfunctioned.  He is sent to heaven where he meets five people who significantly impacted his life.  I read it in one day because I didn't want to put it down.  It is a beautiful and powerful book that made me think about how everything that we do impacts on others and reminds us what is important here on Earth.  I highly recommend it for comforting the soul and bringing a little faith and light into your life.

Win a Delicious Bakerdays Letterbox Cake -CLOSED

We recently reviewed the utterly gorgeous and totally scrummy letterbox friendly cakes from Bakerdays.  We were very impressed with the cute, personalised cake that Megan received for her 21st birthday, so much so, that we are going to give one away to one lucky reader.  With Christmas coming up, a fabulous festive designed cake straight to your door would be wonderful!  They have a brilliant Christmas range including one cake covered in Brussel Sprouts!  I think they are utterly brilliant and would make a great gift idea for a loved one.  After all who doesn't LOVE cake!

Image from bakerdays.com

To be the lucky winner of this cake, simply follow the Rafflecopter entry instructions below.  Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions
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Delicious Personalised Cakes Through The Post

Delicious, fresh cakes through your letterbox.

You can't always be there when a loved one celebrates a birthday or other special occasion.  But you can let them know you are thinking of them by sending them a personalised cake from Bakerdays.com.

This unique gift is designed to be sent through the post and drop through a letterbox without causing it any damage.  As it fits through most letterboxes you don't have to worry about whether anyone is in to take delivery.  It is so much better (and yummier) than just receiving a card!

The cake arrives boxed in its own special tin which protects it and keeps it fresh.  A candle, balloon, gift card and party blower and are also included to help the recipient celebrate.

There are over 400 designs to choose from and five cake flavours: Madeira, lemon, fruit, carrot and double chocolate chip.  You can personalise your cake with a name and a message and even upload a photo.

This week we celebrated Megan's 21st birthday and Bakerdays kindly sent her a cake.  It arrived via Royal Mail in perfect condition.  

The personalised iced top was such a surprise when Megan opened the tin.  It really is a delightful gift to receive.  The double chocolate chip cake itself was "lush" and "fudgy" and a definite huge hit, and there was enough for four slices.  She was really thrilled and loved the idea of getting a fresh, delicious cake through the post. 

A personalised letterbox cake starts at just £14.99 including delivery.   Simply go to www.bakerdays.com to choose and create your own special gift.  If Royal Mail can reach your loved one, so can a Bakerdays cake.

Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday - Project 52

This week we have celebrated Kizzy's 10th birthday.  We managed to cajole her Nana and Grandad in joining us for her birthday meal at a local restaurant, which totally delighted Kizzy.  They are usually creatures of habit so I was really pleased that they accepted the eleventh hour invitation! Kizzy had a lovely evening with her family.  Although Nana and Grandad left for home straight afterwards, the rest of us came back home for birthday cake.  Freddy 'designed' the cake, telling me exactly what he thought Kizzy would like.  She ended up with a green sponge, filled with orange buttercream, topped with blue glace icing and pink buttter icing, finished off with hundreds and thousands!  It was pretty bright but tasted just like vanilla if you shut your eyes!!

I still can't believe how grown-up Kizzy is getting.  She is a gorgeous young lady and we are so proud of her!  I'm glad she had such a good birthday.  She gets to do it all again with her friends in a few days as ten classmates descend on my house...should be fun!!

Here are some photos from Kizzy's special day.