Further to my last post my son Che, who is a keen photographer, and Becky went camping at Three Cliffs Bay on the Gower Coast, South Wales. They took some stunning photos....a few are here... more can be seen on Che's Blog on his website at http://www.chebirchhayesphotography.com/ For years, the Gower used to be our annual family holiday and it is lovely to see Che continuing to appreciate its natural beauty. It was my youngest son's birthday last Saturday - my BIG baby boy is now 27! He is not a big cake fan , but does love moist chocolate cake, the kind you can heat up in a microwave with chocolate fudge sauce and ice cream. I found this recipe a while ago and it is the easiest ever and very yummy so I thought I would share ..... here is the recipe for one big cake without the filling, and this way you don't even need a mixing bowl. CHOCOLATE CAKE - EASY MAKE 3 cups SR flour 2 tblsp cider vinegar 1 tsp bicarbonate soda 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp salt 3/4 cup oil 2 cups sugar 2 cups cold water 1/2 cup cocoa powder preheat oven to 350degreesF/ 160degrees fan Place all dry ingredients into a round ungreased 24cm spring side tin. Make 3 indentations into the dry mix and add the following, one ingredient for each hole - 3/4 cup oil (I used olive oil); 2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 tblsp vinegar. Then, pour 2 cups cold water over the entire mixture until everything is blended well. Bake 35 mins (may still be moist but don't overbake), may sink a little still yummy. ......This way there no eggs, no butter and no mixing bowl! However for the birthday cake I did mix in a mixing bowl and put into two 18cm silicon cake cases, lining the bases with baking paper, and was also able to make 12 cupcakes. For the cake I used reduced sugar jam to spread in the centre before adding chocolate spread, and a little jam on the top centre before adding summer strawberries and dusting with icing sugar. Of course you could be more creative and have a cream and chocolate centre with more strawberries cut in half dipped in a little lemon juice, and decorate with flights of fantasy to your personal style and taste. Be creative ...... happy baking! Also a bit of birthday crafting. You can still tempt him with a tin of baked beans as a treat, and he actually seemed genuinely pleased that I'd made the card. |
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March 2023
Pat's Blog
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