Happee 4th Birthdaee, Sweetie Pie Bakes Stuff!

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, my dear blog,

Happy birthday to you!

It has been a whole four years since I started writing this little blog. It started as a hobby, and now has a life of its own, with readership all over the world, and nearly 22,000 views overall! I am so proud of my blog: she's fabulous!

For the second and third anniversaries, I made little birthday cakes, so why break the tradition? Seeing as it was St Patrick's Day yesterday, I thought I'd make a green cake, like I did for the second anniversary.

Green is not really a common colour in baking, as not many flavours evoke that colour as a mental image: for me, I only think of mint or lime. On asking my companion, he said apple and kiwi, which are two thoughts that had never occured to me.

In keeping with a green cake, I decided to go with mint. But mint by itself in a cake I feel would be a little toothpasty, as mint usually needs a carrier, and works best as a secondary flavour. Last time I used coffee (which is actually a fabulous combination), and this time I went for the more common used chocolate.

I then got out my sketchbook and came up with some ideas and came up with something like this:

mint chocolate chip ice cream <= CHOCOLATE CHIPS => choc-chip muffins

As such, I made a chocolate chip muffin in the shape of a small cake, and iced it with mint flavoured green buttercream icing. I also grated some chocolate into the icing, and decorated with chocolate icing and chocolate chips.

So chocolatey and minty!

As usual, I will include the recipe, and my traditional list of the top posts of the last year. Even though 2016 was light on blogs on account of life and health difficulties, I think I made some really interesting things, and made huge strides in pastry and yeast dough techniques. I also did some really cool layer cakes and gâteaux

So here are the most popular blogs in order of the last 12 months:

1. Neapolitan Cheesecake Gâteau
2. Spotted Dick: a Traditional English Pudding
3. Buttermilk Scones
4. Caramel Macchiato Ombre Gateau
5. Milky Ice Pops: Chocolate Flavour
6. American Style Cookie Dough Ice-Cream
7. American Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
8. Chocolate Lime Cupcakes
9. I've Finally Cracked It! Working with Yeast and Spelt: Iced Finger Buns
10. Birthday Cupcakes and Centre Piece Cake: Wheat-Free Lemon Sponge

And finally, the recipe.

INGREDIMENTS
for one 4 inch (10 centimetre) round cake

For the sponge cake:

• 3 ounces (225 grammes) white spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) baking powder
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) butter
• 2 ounces (115 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) warm water
• 1½ teaspoons (7 millilitres) cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence
• 2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) chopped chocolate, or chocolate chips

For the icing:

• 1½ ounces (40 grammes) white vegetable fat, very soft
• 1½ ounces (40 grammes) butter, very soft
• 6 ounces (170 grammes) icing sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) cocoa powder
• 1 or 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 millilitres) milk
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) grated chocolate
• Peppermint essence, to taste
• Green food colouring

HOW-TO

Prepare the cake,

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4), and grease and flour a tall 4 inch round cake tin. I use a tin from a shop bought steamed pudding.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gently and gradually incorporate the egg, beating between each addition, until pale and creamy.
• In a cup or small bowl, place the cocoa powder and gradually mix in the water. Sieve half the flour and baking powder into the butter and sugar mixture, and fold with a spatula. Add in the cocoa water and vanilla, and fold again. Finally, add the last bit of the flour and fold until completely mixed.
• Gently fold in the chocolate chips, and then scoop the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth out as much as possible. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Check for doneness with a cocktail stick, and if it is fully cooked, cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the icing,

• Make the buttercream according to this recipe, if you don't know how to make buttercream already, omitting the cocoa powder. Only use as much milk as is needed to keep the icing soft and spreadable.
• Split and fill the cake and ice the outside, leaving about 3 ounces of the icing leftover. Mix the cocoa powder with a little milk in a cup or bowl to make a paste, and mix into the remaining icing to make it chocolatey.
• Use this icing to pipe the top and bottom borders and decorate with chocolate chips.
• Allow to set completely, either in the fridge for up to an hour, or on the work surface for up to 3 hours.
  
  
  

3rd BIRTHDAY CAKE: Strawberry and Chocolate Mini Cake, and top blogs of the year

2nd BIRTHDAY CAKE: Mint Coffee Mini Cake, and top blogs of the year

1st BIRTHDAY BLOG