It seems it has been a while since I last posted anything. I wonder how I will get anyone interested in reading my ramblings if I don't ramble?
I am still finding the blogging thing a little daunting.
My favourite blogs are always the crafty ones that inspire me to get crafting, by myself, or with my children. But I don't seem to be organised enough to write one myself.
That's not to say we don't do crafts together, my daughter and I.
My son is only two and still a bit scatty, so we don't craft so much. Although he did surprise me by helping to make a cake recently and Not spilling the contents all over us both!
For valentines my lovely Snow White assistant helped, or made all on her own really, a cake for Daddy.
Has anyone tried Nigellas Devils Food Cake?
It is the business!!
And even my Daughter, aged 4, can make it!
First she had to Cream the butter and Caster sugar. It had to be done by hand, don't we all bake this way?
Ok we don't but my children are of the strange variety that like to eat Margarine. Crazy! I could give them a spoon of the stuff and they would happily lick away as if I had given them a lolly! Bleurgh
Next we cracked in an egg, dribbled the vanilla in and added half the flour. Then another egg and the rest of the flour.
Whilst she had been mixing away, I had mixed the cocoa, sugar and water. This is the tasty bit! It is fabby that the cake uses cocoa to get it's chocolatey taste rather than expensive dark chocolate.
Cake made, this is the best bit.
Everyone knows that licking the spooon is just the best bit!!
Now we had to get cracking with the frosting.
This
is made with dark chocolate and rather a lot of it. Once I realised that, I halved the ingredients and it still went a long long way.
I was back to the hob to melt the butter and sugar, then add the dark chocolate.
You have to leave this to settle and thicken over about an hour, stirring occasionally.
The cake was in the oven for just over half an hour.
I discovered a trick for making a lovely moist cake. As soon as it is out of the oven, turn it upside down, still in it's tin and leave for a while (about 10-20 mins).
It makes for a nice flat topped cake too, bonus!
The finished product!
After all that effort putting everything together. I took over with cutting out a heart shape and doing the frosting.
I am glad I cut the frosting ingredients in half. With what I had made I was able to have a nice thick layer in the middle and a good load on the top.
YUM!
It didn't last long!
You gotta try this recipe!
Nigella Lawsons Devils Food Cake It is as good as any you might pay for in a cafe!
And can be made by a 4 year old!!
