...And Many More!!

Birthdays seem to be surrounding me at the moment. This morning I was singing "Happy Birthday" to my big sister over the Internet, on Saturday my sweet little niece will be turning 2 and tomorrow, together with the Queen, Paul's boss will also be in on the Birthday action. Unfortunately I can't be there to join in on the celebrations with my sister and her daughter on their big days, and no, I didn't get an invitation to the Queen's party either. I can however help to celebrate the Guv'ner's birthday, and as he has the biggest sweet tooth of anyone I know, that always means baking him something special for the day.


For the first time in ages I found myself paging through my countless cook books again, searching for a cake fit for the occasion. As I looked over all of the glossy pictures of beautifully decorated cakes and bakes, I felt that familiar old sense of inspiration tingling in my very veins again. I could hardly wait to get back into my own kitchen and get started. I found my recipe, a fluffy, eggy and moist almond cake, I started rummaged through my cupboards for a suitable cake tin, but instead found a mini muffin silicone mould. Immediately I changed my mind. Why bake one big cake, when I can bake lots of little bite-sized cakes?! I felt almost giddy when I started taking out all of the ingredients, and by the time I took the cakes out of the oven, I was as happy as Larry.


I kept the frosting simple, bitter cocoa powder and icing sugar mixed to a smooth paste with a few drops of warm water. Luckily for me, I made a few too many cakes and could use a couple to make a quick dessert for Paul and me. Topped with a dollop of whipped cream, a slice of strawberry and a sprinkle of chocolate shavings, I had something special to celebrate everyone's birthday.