BAKE OFF OF THE WEEK

let them eat cake...

Those of you who know me will also know that I am to baking what Ramona is to sewing, so it's more than a little ironic that last week both of us very successfully had a crack at doing what the other does best. Mine was Max's first birthday party for my very large extended family... and our family does like a cake, or thirteen. While I didn't get the Women's Weekly Birthday Cake book out for a cowboy fort or cricket bat cake I did manage the following... Chocolate and Raspberry Cream cupcakes, Nigella's Lemon Syrup cake, Chocolate Banana cupcakes (for the birthday boy), and a Karen Martini last minute straight out of the weekend papers coconut butter cake with passion-fruit frosting for the big birthday cake. And they all worked !!! Just to be sure that the family didn't all go into diabetic coma's I also whipped up some spinach and cheese triangles and my crafting compadres tried and tested "cheese twists" (...which were a massive hit). I must confess I wasn't the only contributing baker on the day with my auntie Sue adding the traditional ginger fluff sponge to the mix (not a patch on yours miss penpen) and Ramona backing me up with a tray full of delicious carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that were ultimately the hit of the day. Of course there was too much food even for my starving hordes, so everyone got a take away pack for morning tea at work on Monday.Oh and Max, well he loves and audience any time, so to be able to be the centre of attention for a whole afternoon, have 25 or so people sing for you, a garden full of balloons and as many cheese twists and banana cakes to eat as possible was pretty much heaven. Happy birthday little guy.