Goodness we’ve been busy!
There’s a string of birthdays at the end of August and beginning of September, and I’ve been baking cakes. Lots of cakes. I’ve simplified the process this year by baking in the paper pans I bought from Southern Cross Supplies…
I always use our Chocolate Slab recipe, and for Small Man’s cake above, I divided the batter between two of the 8″ pans (I’ll include another copy of the recipe below).
For Carol, Lily and Maude’s cakes, we made a batch of dark caramel in our new copper pot and squiggled it out onto an oiled tray. Once set, it was broken into shards (or “wings”, as Nic called them) which were positioned on top of the cakes after frosting…
We still have to work a bit on our presentation, but overall we were pretty happy with the result!
Chocolate Birthday Cake
Cake
- 1¾ cups (440ml) boiling water
- 170g (6oz) dark chocolate, chopped finely (we use Callebaut 811/54% dark callets)
- 1 cup (110g) Dutched cocoa
- 2 cups (300g) plain (all purpose) flour
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), sifted
- good pinch salt
- 285g (10oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 1¾ cups (packed) (380g) brown sugar
- 4 large (59g) free range eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (we use homemade)
1. Preheat oven to either 165C (330F) with fan (if baking in paper pan) or 175C (350F) with fan (if baking in a metal pan). Spray two 8″/20cm paper pan with oil. Alternatively, line two 8″ round pans with parchment paper. Note that the original Mrs Fields’ recipe specified 9″ pans for a wider, flatter layered cake.
2. In a medium bowl, pour the boiling water over the dark chocolate and let it sit for five minutes. Add the cocoa and stir with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool while you prepare the rest of the cake.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sifted bicarb soda and salt.
4. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, then add all the flour mixture and half the chocolate mixture. Beat on low speed to combine, then on high for 1½ minutes. Add remaining chocolate mixture and beat on low to combine.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 40-50 minutes (time will vary depending on the thickness of the batter and your oven temp), until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Be careful not to overcook. Remove the cakes from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once cool, carefully tear the sides and base of the paper pans away.
This quantity of batter is sufficient for a very large double-layered cake. For the cakes we were giving away, I made single layers (each using a half batch of the batter) and decorated them with chocolate frosting and toffee shards.
. . . . .
Chocolate Frosting (makes enough for one large double layered cake)
- 315g (1¼ cups) unsalted butter, softened
- 500g (4 cups) icing sugar mixture (powdered sugar), sifted
- 110g (1 cup) Dutched cocoa powder, sifted
- 10ml (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- Milk as required to make a spreadable frosting – start with 65g (¼ cup) milk and add more as needed
1. Sift the icing sugar mixture and cocoa together in a large bowl. Be warned – if you don’t sift, you’ll end up with lumpy icing!
2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter in a large bowl, then beat in a third of the icing sugar/cocoa mixture and the vanilla. Beat in the remainder of the icing sugar/cocoa mixture alternately with as much milk as needed to create a spreadable frosting.
This recipe is a family favourite, and I find that it always works. When baked as a large sheet cake, the texture is a little tenderer (possibly because I top it with a chocolate glaze while still hot). As round layers, the crumb is a bit sturdier, which makes them perfect for stacking and decorating with frosting.
Oh, and a note to my friend Sally – we did try making spun sugar. I ended up with hard toffee stuck to my hair, on my fleece vest, on my slippers, concreted to the floor tiles…suffice to say it didn’t go all that well the first time. We’ll have to try again!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Wow! I think your presentation is beautiful and I really like those caramel wings. Must try this for myself. Thanks for the idea!
Thanks Ngan! They were fun to make – we’re loving our copper pot!
LOL re the sugar making experiment… that sounds like what would happen if I tried it, only I’d probably set fire to myself too! Beautiful cake, Celia, love, and happy birthday to all your loved ones xo
Lizzy, that’s why I have Pete. I can’t be trusted with hot sugar on my own – I’m notorious for burning myself! :) Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend love xx
I love the way that small man’s cake stands up nice and tall. It looks very appealing to young and old. Happy Birthday Small Man.This si the sort of recipe that everyone needs for family birthdays. thanks Celia.
Francesca, it slices into tall, majestic pieces.. :) We do like this recipe, hope you do too! xx
Wow, very impressive cakes. Happy birthday to the multi talented small man.
Thanks Madge. Hope all is ok – have been thinking about you all xx
Lovely. It is my view that each and every birthday should be celebrated with at least a small piece of cake. Given your wonderful efforts, no problemo :)
ED, we have eaten cake until it’s coming out of our ears! I think you’re right though – every birthday needs some sort of cake at least!
I think your caramel shards look very regal, the cake looks great too!
Thank you! They’re a bit random, but they were fun to make. They all melted down after the first day though – the shards absorbed liquid from the frosting and turned into caramel sauce! :)
Oh my. Today happens to be my birthday. The husband has told me to leave it all to him, he is going to organise everything but I’m very tempted to send him a link to this post! I think our toddler might be getting a variant of your delicious looking chocolate slab cake for her day later this month! Yum :)
Lisa, the slab cake is always a big hit at parties, not the least because it feeds a lot of people for minimal effort! :)
This is exactly the sort of birthday cake recipe that everyone should have up their sleeve. Looks like it really got put to good use this year Celia! Whenever I’ve watched chefs doing that spun sugar thing on the telly, I have to admit that the first thing I think is what an enormous mess some poor minion is going to have to deal with!! I’ve seen lots of cakes in the posh shops, decorated with shards which is the hot sugar poured onto an oiled tray and then snapped into jagged pieces when cold. Hope Little Man had a great day. Jakes is coming up shortly and I may give your recipe a whirl! Thanks Celia x
Selma, he had a fabulous day, thank you! Hope Jake’s birthday is equally as fine! :)
Spring always does seem to arrive with a lot of birthdays. Your cakes are gorgeous, Celia, and I love the toffee shards – they look so festive xx
Charlie, they were so much fun to make. Tell Carl he needs to buy you a copper sugar pan for your next special occasion! xx
Happy birthday to everybody who is having a birthday and how lucky to be receiving one of your beautiful cakes Celia.
Have a beautiful day.
:-) Mandy xo
Thanks love! Hope you’re having a great weekend, I’m just finally finding time to try and catch up on all my blog reading and comments!
All the cakes are beautiful, Celia. I’ve never been lucky with the shards but I can make that spinny toffee stuff by the truckload. We need to get together and share ideas.
Darn it, I wish you were closer! I’d trade you sugar spinning lessons for chocolate tempering ones!
Celia do you think there is enough chocolate in those cakes? ;) Yum!
Hahaha…we DID go through a LOT of chocolate that week, Rose!
A slice of any of them please Celia. Why no photo of you attempting spun sugar?
Anne, then I’d have had caramel stuck to the camera… ;-)
Good grief Celia – what splendid efforts. Once again, I wish I lived next door to you.
Every time you say that, I think, “ooh, now wouldn’t that be lovely..” :)
You could spend your time doing worse things! I need to get baking more – haven’t had a proper cake for a while.
I’ve baked two more since, and have two more to go on Monday! It’s a busy time of year!
Seriously impressive cakes Celia…lucky family & friends x
Thanks hon, they were fun to make!
pretty chocolate cakes are perfect for birthdays. We have crazy birthday season around this time of year too but a lot of our birthdays are overseas
Johanna, that makes it easier, I guess! Sometimes I bake anyway and send a “virtual” cake! :)
The caramel wings are beautiful. Everyone is lucky to have such delicious and beautiful cakes for their birthdays. It is our birthday season as well, hubby and youngest in September then oldest in October and middle in November.
Gretchen, it’s a busy time of year, isn’t it? We’ve been flat out over here!
Love your presentations just I’m sure everyone enjoyed the cakes.
Karen, thank you! Cake decorating isn’t my forte, but they DO usually taste good!
I think I must disagree with you…your cakes were lovely. I think your too modest. :)
That cake looks absolutely stunning. The caramel wings are very impressive. Enjoy all of the birthday’s coming up. I have just posted my September IMK post and added a link to your blog. Take care. Emma xx
Thanks for playing Emma! :)
Wow my youngest has a birthday soon those cakes look like winners.
Thank you! Hope you like the recipe!
Pinned, pleated and tucked and what a gorgeously simple recipe! This one is going in the oven today. Next step…how to make caramel without a gorgeous copper sugar pot eh? OH the harshness of the long distance overseas Taswegian! ;)
Fran, I’m sure you could order one from someone and get them to send it to you. It’s not THAT far to Tassie.. ;-)
It certainly feels like the outer Antipodes some days ;)
Your cakes are beautiful! I giggled when I read about you trying spun sugar, hope it all cleaned off easily.
Clare, I had to take to my hair with scissors – made me think of you cutting your own hair… (have I remembered that right?) ;-)
They sure look scrumptious Celia- Happy Birthday Small Man! The toffee can be a bit messy, and just be careful of the weather add it doesn’t work at all well on wet or humid days in my experience. Perhaps it’s just me though! :)
Becca, the copper pot seems to make good hard toffee even when it’s raining. I have no idea how!
Those cakes look fantastic. Small man’s is a perfect looking celebration cake. Had a laugh about the spun sugar. How did you get it all off?:)
Jody, with a scraper and I had to cut bits out of my hair with scissors. Lucky my hair is already so short! :)
Gorgeous cake, or should I say, cakes!!! Love ’em, Celia!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Thanks Julie! :)
Love the cakes…we have been having a string of a birthdays as well! When I came here and I noticed your birthday post, it seemed like you had been reading my mind :)
Snap! Look forward to reading your post Laila! Sorry I haven’t got there yet – it’s been frantic here!
G’day! Your cake is beautiful Celia and birthdays are my favorite to celebrate!
Enjoy! Cheers! Joanne
Thanks Joanne! Hope you’re having a great weekend! xx
Wow, Celia! Those wings are the bomb! That first cake a gem, too. I’d be more than happy to see either one set before me on my birthday .. in January … the 24th … it’s a Saturday. :)
Birthdays always come in clusters don’t they? Our months are March and July. So many in each! I see that the cake liners are like the loaf liners – I’ve never used them before but once I get some, I won’t be able to live without them. Vile temptress!
Those are beautiful cakes Celia! I really admire you’re handiwork with the caramel which is such a clever idea. With just 2 of us here I hardly bake since I don’t like freezing cakes and always wonder about just halving a recipe to make a little mini cake. I’m such an insecure baker though, I always wonder about timing – I guess I’ll just have to experiment…sort of like what it sounds like you did with the spun sugar! I imagine spun sugar could really keep your hairdo in place for quite a while.