Rainbow cake turned birthday pinata!

SO, Miss 9 turning 10 wanted a pinata cake....
This is how I did it.

Raibow Surprise Cake

160g butter
3 eggs
2C flour
1/8 tsp salt
1C sugar
3T milk
2t baking pdr
4 food colourings


Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, beat well. Add milk and all dry ingredients. Mix. 


Divide mixture into 4 bowls, add food colouring to each one to make different colours.
Grease a round tin.


Add spoonfuls of each colour to the tin, one spoonful at a time till no more mixtures left. With a wet spoon smooth the top of cake.


Cook at 180 for 45 mins.

To create the pinata cake....
I sliced out top of cake, and filled with coins/pebbles/m&m's and iced around outised of it.

Then I needed to create a chocolate cover, so I greased the inside of a metal bowl that fitted over the cake, and put the bowl in the freezer.

I melted about 400g of dark chocolate.

Then, taking the bowl out of the freezer, I smoothed the melted chocolate over its inside surface till it was all covered and as even as I could get it, and then ut bowl (with chocolate now) back in freezer.

Then..... took bowl out of freezer when chocolate was hard. Carefully tipped it over the cake, and the chocolate slipped out. If it sticks, you can use a wet teatowel and heat up the outside of the bowl if necessary..


Then, I melted more chocolate (about 50g) and used it as glue to stick pebbles/m&ms/cake decorating shapes to outside of chocolate shell.

Then I put some bluetac to the side, and stuck 10 candles in - so at least she had something to blow out!

Then, using a hammer or, in our case, a rolling pin, Miss now 10 smashed it to smithereens!

All b-day party kids were suitably impressed!

A lot of time consuming work, but was worth it inthe end.. It isn't a hard cake to make, just have to have the right equipment!

'Cake-in-a-cup', for when it's just you that's hungry!

4T flour
4T sugar
2T cocoa
1 egg
3T milk
3T oil
3T choc chips
1/2t van ess

Take one decent sized coffee cup.
(no need to oil/spray beforehand)
Mix dry ingredients in the cup.

Add egg, mix.
Add milk, oil, van ess and mix thoroughly.
Lastly, gently mix choc chips in - not too much or they sink to the bottom.


Cook in microwave for three minutes. Eat!
This is fantastic when it is just you that needs something scrummy, or ideal for a treat the kids can make, but can be more annoying if you are trying to feed a few!

Peach Custard Pud!

This is very easy, and versatile!
Can be cooked just before eating, or made up to a day before and reheated or served cold..

2 Cups flour
100g butter
1 can fruit (I used peaches)
1/2 C sugar
1t cinnamon
3 eggs
1C syrup from fruit (Make up to one cup with water if necessary)
1 1/4 C evaporated milk

Oven at 180.
Sift flour into butter and rub until crumbly (Or be like me and use the food processor!)
Press into square tin with loose bottom, or line with baking paper or foil.
Drain fruit well, and spread evenly over the flour/butter mix.
Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over fruit.
Bake for 20 mins.

Beat eggs, syrup and milk together until blended but not foamy. Pour over hot fruit and bake for 30 mins longer or until custard has set in middle. Serve with cream!!!

Could use apricots or pineapple instead of peaches.
Enjoy!

Had none, so made some... Mayonnaise

Easy as!

1 egg ,
1tsp salt
1tsp sugar
1tsp dijon mustard
1T wine vinegar
1C oil

Put first 5 ingredients into food processor. Process, and add oil in a slow steady stream until mixture is as thick and creamy as you prefer. Refridgerate. Use within 3 weeks..... Yum!

Chocolate Square

Doncha just love compilation recipe books?!
(And kids that can bake for you!!)


Master 8 was home with a bit of a head cold, so I let him lose in the kitchen. 
He made this with next to no help...
(Can you tell he did the icing?!)


1/2C sugar
1C coconut
1C flour
5oz butter (about 150g)
2dsp cocoa
1t baking pdr
1c kornies (cornflakes etc)


Melt butter, pour over rest of ingredients, mix thoroughly. 
Press into greased (or lined) tin. 
Bake for 20 mins at 180, and ice when cold....

Chocolate Button Biscuits

4oz butter (125g)
1c flour
1t coffee pdr
3/4c sugar
1t baking pdr
1t vanilla ess


Mix all ingredients together, then roll into balls, flatten slightly and then press choc buttons (or if you don't have choc buttons, use choc drops or pebbles or anything really!) into the middles and bake for 15-20 mins at about 160-170.


This recipe made 21 bikkies.. smallish, but perfect for lunchboxes. The coffee gave it an interesting flavour!

Three-way butter sponge

3 eggs
1c flour
3/4c sugar
1t baking pdr
1.5T melted butter with 3T milk

Beat eggs with sugar.

Add flour and baking pdr.

Warm milk and butter and add to mixture.

(For choc sponge, add 1 dessertspoon cocoa)
(For orange sponge add grated orange rind and ice with orange icing).

Bake in sponge tin for 20 mins at 170.

This was super easy to make, and cooked perfectly. I didn't ice it, just sprinkled with icing sugar. It is nice and moist and light....!