A chocolate mud cake recipe from the professionals

Today I wanted to share this recipe with you. WHY? because it is so good. So good in fact I believe a large portion of the Whangarei cake decorators guild (that sell their cakes) all use this recipe. Every few years, as new memebers join our guild, this recipe gets talked about again - and the recipe is again printed off for all members. Full credit for the original goes to Heather Clarke, a long term member of our club. The winning attributes of this recipe, is the cakes keeping qualities (allowing for several days decorating time during the week, ahead of a weekend wedding). It also tastes great, is lovely and dark & moist. And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, there is a tried & tested banana alternative. It freezes well. Many of the members say, even though they have tried other recipes from time to time, they always go back to this one.

Chocolate or Banana Mud Cake (Heather Clarke)

400g butter

3 cups sugar

2 cups milk

4 tbsp Golden Syrup

Warm together until sugar is dissolved. Cool. Add 5 cups of flour.

For Chocolate cake add

4 heaped tbsp cocoa

2 cups milk

4 tsp baking soda dissolved in milk

Optional* add 100g melted chocolate if desired

For Banana cake add

2 cups mashed banan

1/4 cup milk

4tsp baking soda (dissolved in milk)

Bake 160 degrees celcius for 2 hours (recipe will fill a deep 10-11'' tin). Tie wet newspaper (three or 4 thicknesses - do not overlap at join) around outside of tin. Don't use fan bake.

On the 16th day of Christmas - Royal icing bauble ornaments

On the 16th day of Christmas my true gave to me.................. Royal icing Christmas ornaments

Full credit for the idea for these royal icing ornaments, goes to Dorothy White who is our club secretary at the Whangarei cake decorators guild. She demonstrated them one club night last year. I didn't write down her instructions at the time, so the method used, is what I did.

These lovely ornaments have a myriad of uses for Christmas cakes, but also make great balloons on a childs cake. Teh royal icing can be coloured if you wish or left white as I've done.

To make these neat little ornaments, blow up tiny water bombs with air to make tiny balloons (they are around $2 per pack of 100 and can be found easily at many stores). I used a balloon pump as they are difficult to blow up without. I blew up more than I needed in case of any disasters, they have a tendency to fly about, so I popped them under a cake dome.

Grease your balloon with a fine layer of oil/shortening. (I tested what happens when you don't grease your balloon - the icing breaks in some places as the balloon deflates)

I used instant royal icing mix to create these baubles. I always have a packet in the cupboard. I find as I use only a little royal icing at a time, it is more economic for me, than making it from scratch. I piped a version of cornelli all over the balloon (I say version, as true cornelli doesn't touch or crossover - but as this shape has to hold once the balloon is removed, the design needs to touch in some places for the shape to be sturdy)

Be sure to leave room at the very top for the deflated balloon to be removed - once you have piped your design all over the balloon hang it up to dry. I used paper clips to make hangers - as I don't have a drying rack, I used a shelf in my pantry. I let them dry overnight. To deflate the balloon make a very small cut or prick in the balloon. Don't pop the balloon, the shock is too much for the icing and it shatters. Keep hold of the top of the balloon as it deflates, as you don't want the balloon to drop inside your bauble.

One of our own on Cake Wrecks

I got word today that Lisa from the Whole Cake & Caboodle (based here in Whangarei) had made it to the Cake Wrecks site (When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong). But rest assured it is not because Lisa's cake is a wreck, quite the opposite. Lisas stunning Sesame Street cake made it on, in celebration of 40 years of Sesame Street. BECAUSE IT WAS SO GOOD. Now we all grew up watching Sesame Street. I had great delight introducing my children to Sesame Street and even now I enjoy the Sesame Street DVDS. Particulalrly the 25th anniversary edition, which has some clips, I remember. Hopefully they'll bring out a 40th anniversary DVD. I'll be first in line to get it.

I hope this has made you think about your favourite Sesame Street moment. Click here to see the full Cake Wrecks Sesame Street post.