Why you should have me around on (or after) your birthday

It's going to take me a while to get round to proving that my post today has ANYTHING to do with socks, but how's about sticking around for some yummy pictures?


Monday was Andy's birthday, so our kitchen was a flurry of cake-making and putting together. Actually, I was also assembling a birthday present for my friend Sarah. Her birthday was months ago but her pressie was in the pipeline for so long because I had to pick my moment to give it to her. We often meet in town, but it wouldn't do to have to carry it round, plus it's perishable! Sort of. You'll see anyway.


Andy's a hardcore chocolate boy so I made the most gigantinormous cake ever! I'm not much of a chocolate or sugar fiend, but judging by what I made, you'd think I were a major shareholder at Green & Black's or Tate & Lyle. Sorry Pandy, I'm not quadruple-timing you...I just needed a good dose of the sweet stuff that day! It makes me a better wife, honest! *wide-eyed innocence*

Chocolate KABOOM!

The verdict so far has been excellent! This recipe was recommended by my sis, the elusive SesMuphs, but I've had plenty requests for it too. It's a great throw-everything-in-and-stir cake, which is even easier if you have a set of measuring cups and spoons - my favouritest type of cooking! Recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients together.
2. Combine all the wet ingredients together in another bowl.
3. Pour the liquid ingredients all at once into the dry ingredients, and beat until smooth.
4. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pan. When cool sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

I don't think you can go wrong with this, but I've added some salt to the recipe as it helps to bring out the flavour of the cake. I also used olive oil because I ran out of veggie oil, then decided to go all out Mediterranean and try balsamic vinegar instead of the plain white. I don't think it made any difference at all, so feel free to experiment a little.

Thwarted by the empty veggie oil bottle...thank goodness for olive oil!

I find greaseproof paper v. fiddly, so these paper clips are most helpful!

I worked out this trick for getting a cake tin to stay lined. Put your tin in the middle of the paper, cut it inwards to mimic the rays of a Japanese flag, use the longest rays to hold the other pieces against the tin and clip over the edge.

Pour in the goo stuff

See? No leakage and the paper doesn't flop everywhere and dent your pretty cake. I made a chocolate orange icing with the following:

Zest and juice of 1 orange

Squirt of lemon juice

Small piece of butter

Tablespoon or two of unsweetened cocoa

As much icing sugar as it takes to make a thick but spreadable icing

Mix everything together and spread it on the middle, top and sides of your cakey! (or all over yourself, if you're messy like me). Lick your fingers, and the bowl =P~

Variations: You could also add a few drops of orange extract to the cake mix, or more orange juice and zest. Just reduce the water to make sure the proportions of dry and wet ingredients are about the same as the recipe.

Or try an orange drizzle topping? Mix orange juice and zest to granulated sugar (without dissolving it), then spoon it over the top of your cake.

Birthday boy gets to lick the whisk too, lucky thing!

I decorated it with a few jellies and borage flowers from our garden.

I was promptly forgiven for spending the whole afternoon with the said Green & Black and Tate & Lyle

We're gonna eat you, li'l cakey!

I also made some grapefruit creams for Sarah, since she really enjoyed them and maaaaybe dropped a tiny subtle hint about her birthday when I offered them round at my party months ago. My longtime friend, Roz, also loves orange creams, so I've saved her some of these too. Grapefruit creams are just a variation on orange creams that I decided to try. 

This is all it involves:

Juice and zest of a grapefruit

Squirt of lemon juice to reduce sweetness

As much icing sugar as it takes to form a kneadable dough

Large bar of chocolate (I used plain dark)

Mix the fruit and sugar together to form a dough that unsticks from the bowl. It takes a while, so keep going and don't worry that you've made a mess of it.

This is too liquidy, so keep going...

Make little balls with the juicy sugary dough and line them up on greased paper. Dust a fork with more icing sugar and flatten the balls. Chill in the fridge until they're firm, a few hours or overnight is great, but you can get away with an hour or so.

Creamed, balled and flattened

Melt some chocolate in a bowl over a pan of water and dip each cream in. Leave to firm up in the fridge, the longer the better, but again, I only had an hour or two and it still worked!

They closed in fast, their serrated jaws dripping with black goo...guess this is what happens when you cream, ball and flatten someone.

Pack them in between layers of greased paper and give to a thrilled recipient, or eat them off the tray by yourself if you don't want to share (or have no friends)! Hehe.

Okay, and here's what all this has to do with socks. I learnt how to crochet about 2 weeks ago & made a wee trinket so Sarah had something to keep after all the creams were gone. Socks are knitted, or crocheted...and so's this! Wheeee!

Tum tum TA-DAAAAH!!!

This is not just Sock 'N' Soul...this is Sock 'N' Soul Food!!! Pardon the corniness...geddit geddit? Heehee xxx