First was an entry into the Threadcakes competition. I’ve been wanting to make this baby Godzilla cake, based on a Threadless shirt design, for a while and finally found the motivation (and time) to do it.

Cute and delicious

I baked a couple of test cakes and found a delicious madeira recipe (which I tweaked to make it an orange madeira cake) that was perfect – delicious, moist and something I could carve into. It was a lot of work, but I think I did well for my first sculpted cake. More details and photos can be found on my Threadcakes entry.

The other cake was for a friend’s grandaughter’s third birthday party. The wee girl wanted a yellow castle cake and I decided to add Rapunzel into the mix.

Yellow castle cake

Waiting for her prince

The main cake was a dense banana cake (I think I’ll use another recipe next time), and the skinny tower was a chocolate roll. Both are filled with a delicious butter cream. The skinny tower gave me troubles as it started leaning and sagging a bit – oh dear. The top tower was also a challenge to cover.

Just a bit of practice to better my cake decorating skills. I have lots to learn still!

Then I notice there’s carrot cake on the table, obviously a help-yourself situation. (Turns out it was a thank you morning tea from one of the managers for some feedback workshops we’ve had.)

I want carrot cake, but I have boring plain fruit toast on the way.

The result? Carrot cake without the icing, and fruit toast with the carrot cake icing. Yum and yum.

(I also later have a big piece of caramel slice. I was going to take some home for the hubby, but it was not to be.)

Fruit toast with carrot cake icing, with carrot cake on the side

Thursday 12 February 2009

What a rainy day it is! The water fountain in Cuba Street looks like it’s working over time.

Water, water, everywhere

Friday 13 February 2009

I threw this lollipop in my bin at work earlier in the week as I had an ulcer and it was too much to finish. It’s now dried to my rubbish bag, forever. Unless I get a new rubbish bag.

Oh hai, again.

Saturday 14 February 2009

Valentine’s Day. Hubby and I find out we are going to Christchurch for our free mystery weekend. The rental car that is part of the package turns out to be a brand new one that has only done 12 kilometres. Yayah.

Brand new cars are great

Sunday 15 February 2009

The hubby and I have ice cream and fish and chips (in that order) before heading back to Wellington.

Sherrrberrt

Monday 16 February 2009

Our first wedding anniversary! After watching the movie Valkyrie, we come home and cut our cake. It’s still good – and full of rum.

Mmmm cake

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Everytime I see a whale now I think of the Fail Whale. Here is one on Courtenay Place.

Whale on the footpath on Courtenay Place

Wednesday 18 February 2009

The only thing we brought back from Christchurch is a bag of habanero chillis. Hubby chops up a couple and fries them to make some chilli oil. He also tries a bit after they are fried and loses much of the feeling in his mouth.

Handle with care

Thursday 15 January 2009

I finally wear a skirt to work today – first time for years. Usually it’s too cold inside with the air conditioning, but we’ve fixed that so hooray! Awful photo.

Yay for skirts and warm weather

Friday 16 January 2009

The four of us take off after work to Napier for the weekend. I make the husband stop the car when we spot some miniature horses. This one reminds me of Kurt Cobain.

If Kurt Cobain came back as a mini horse

Saturday 17 January 2009

The weather is fantastic in Napier today.

We go shopping in town, have lunch at a pub (where I am asked for ID, boo!), and visit Hastings where the shops we want to visit are unfortunately closed.

In between Buck’s Fizzes (and beer for the boys) there is some hacky sacking – the most exercise I’ve had in a while!

One of the good old summer sports

Sunday 18 January 2009

The weather is not so fantastic in Napier today.

In between the intermittent downpours we get some lunch that includes some fresh cream donuts and lamingtons – yummy!

Too hot for tea, but not for tea cakes

Monday 19 January 2009

We harvest some peas, courgettes and beans from our garden when we get back from Napier.

A little reward from nature

Tuesday 20 January 2009

Hubby reminds me I need to use up the cream in the fridge.

I make some chocolate cupcakes and ice them with Malibu lemon icing.

Delicious, yes.

Wednesday 21 January 2009

There is a power cut this morning and I have to take a cold shower.

I get to work and find I can’t take any lifts up from Lambton Quay to the Terrace. I walk up Plimmer Steps and notice crowds of people unable to get inside and up to their buildings. The power cut is more wide spread than I first thought.

The power is back by the time I arrive at work, about an hour and a half since the cut began.

Traffic lights out at the intersection of Wellington Road, Kilbirnie Terrace and Hamilton Road

The birthday cake

This train cake took three of us about two hours to make, and the cake was already baked beforehand.

It’s a basic butter cake with butter cream icing and a whole lotta lollies! It even had chocolate coins as wheels. The design isn’t our own – it’s straight out of a book and we did pretty well replicating it. The coin wheels were our own touch thought.

And yes, it was delicious. I had a piece from the allsorts carriage of course :)

The birthday boy (hubby’s nephew) loved it too, even though it was a little tricky to eat.

Eating his birthday cake

And you know what made me even more jealous? He had a bouncy castle! A proper one. I never had a bouncy castle at any of my birthdays, and I don’t remember anyone who had. Lucky little bugger.

Bouncy castles are a great way to keep the rascals busy and it also tires them out (yus!), but do expect tears because kids will be kids.

Oh, the fun they got up to… There was even a moment where they all decided to play with the party ice and started putting it down each other’s pants – hehe!

To be a kid again… *sigh*.

Bouncy castle!

Tea Party Essentials

Eeee! Look at all my pretty things. Not just good to look at, but will be most useful at every tea party.

From top right going clockwise:

1. Cupcakes! The recipe I swear by is one for “Scout’s Cupcakes”. It’s a gorgeous recipe that’s so simple and makes really fluffy cupcakes – the best I’ve found. I make them chocolate sometimes.
   The orginal recipe is available from Taste.com.au but here is my version modified with some clarifications and suggestions:
   Scout Cupcakes
   • Break 2 eggs into a cup measure and fill to the top with fresh cream. (In New Zealand we only have one type of cream but overseas make sure you buy the thick stuff that can be whipped.)
   • Pour into a large mixing bowl and beat on high with electric mixers for 1 minute.
   • Add 1/4 teaspon of vanilla essence and 3/4 cup caster sugar.
   • Beat for another 3 minutes.
   • Sift in 1 cup of self raising flour (I normally use standard flour plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt).
   • Fold to combine taking care not to over mix.
   • Spoon into 12 cupcake cases (or more if you have extra batter) and bake for about 12-15 minutes at 180 degrees celcius until golden and springy to the touch.
   • Remove from tins straight after baking and cool on wire racks before icing.
2. 3-tier cake stand to display all your goodies. This was a score from Ikea in London. I hadn’t been able to find any decent ones at home and any that I did find were hideous or really expensive. This is eagerly awaiting use!
3. Pretty teacups and plates. I fell in love with these when I saw them at Farmers – they were footed, red and with polka dots! And they remind me of Alice in Wonderland. I haven’t yet used these either because I only bought them a few days ago.
4. Sprinkles, and lots of them.
5. A large teapot so all your guests can fill up.
6. A simple, elegant and sturdy cakestand (it’s underneath the teapot in the picture) to display more cupcakes, or maybe a mega cupcake…
7. The middle picture is actually an ice cream bowl, but it has cupcakes painted on it and so pretty that it can’t be left out at a tea party. I see it more as a lolly dish, maybe to put some decandent truffles into?
8. Under the ice cream bowl/lolly dish is a Lazy Susan. I purchased this with cake decorating in mind. This was another bargain from Ikea as cake turntables aren’t so cheap here in New Zealand.

I can’t wait for my next tea party where all these pretty powers can combine!