A very happy birthday… cake.

Nigella Lawson's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake {so good!}

I do love a little cake. Or a lot. And birthday cake is the best kind of cake there is, it seems to be void of calories… simply because anything you do on your birthday is guilt-free. If you didn’t know that already, I’m very happy to be delivering this news to you.

Today is my birthday. I am another year older/wiser/wrinklier/more wonderful {?}.

A few weeks back I went and renewed my drivers licence, as I do every June, and because I’ve managed to not get in any trouble {i.e. have no infringements or fines} they offered me a deal for a half price licence. I find it oddly hilarious that the RTA {or whatever they’re called now} are offering discounts/deals on licences like I was at the petrol station getting a 2 for 1 deal. The deal was that I could get my licence for 5 years at half price. Now, I’ve painfully dragged myself to get a new licence every year since I was 17 because I like having that record of photos, and I always think I’ll look better next year. Five years is a big commitment.

“Hmm,” I pondered while the kind girl behind the counter waited patiently, “You see, I like getting one every year because I have a feeling I’ll be skinnier next year. Five years is a long time.”

She muttered something about saving time and money, and before I could argue I was sitting in front of the camera giving my best non-smiling face. And it was done.

When I got home I told Hubby of my bargain purchase, and it hit me, “OH MY GOD. In five years I’ll be 38!”

To rub salt in the wound Hubby added, “And you’ll have a 10 year old AND a 5 year old.”

I could have rubbed it right back in and mentioned something about him edging closer to his late 40s, but I wouldn’t do something like that {instead, I’d write it in a blog post}.

I don’t mind getting older, but I was 18 when my parents turned 38. I was 20 when they turned 40 and I cooked a kick-butt dinner party. You know where I’m heading with this, don’t you? I’m turning into my parents? I’m aging.

But right now, I still feel young. My mind still thinks I’m 23… so I’m staying that age a little longer, no matter hold old my crows feet really say I am.

Nigella Lawson's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake {so good!}

Back to the cake. It’s a Nigella Lawson recipe, and it’s good. She knows how to do indulgent well. She suggests putting icing in between the two layers and smothering the whole thing with icing, but being a lady of 33 I do have refined tastebuds and I halved the icing/frosting recipe and then whacked some cream and jam in the middle.

Nigella Lawson's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake {so good!}

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup cocoa
170g butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream

Method

♥ If you have a bit of time before you start baking, take all the butter and sour cream from the fridge and let them come to room temperature. If you like me, you don’t have time for that… just do it as you please.
♥ Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius and line the base of two 20cm round sandwich tins. Grease the sides with butter.
♥ Now comes the easy part, place all your ingredients into a processor {or I did mine in the Thermomix} and process until you have a smooth, thick batter. If you don’t have a processor, then just use a mixer adding the ingredients gradually – starting with the butter and sugar.
♥ Divide the batter evenly between the two tins. It’s a thick batter so it’s hard to spread them out to the edges, but use a spatula and you’ll get there.
♥ Place tins in the oven {on the same shelf preferably} and bake for 25-35 minutes.
♥ When the cakes are cooked, let them cool in the tins for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cake rack. Let them cool completely.

Now for the icing…

Ingredients

85g butter
85g dark chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1/2 tbs golden syrup
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

♥ Melt the butter and sugar in a bowl over a simmer saucepan of water. Once melted and combined, let them cool a little.
♥ In another bowl place the icing sugar. Add the golden syrup to the cooled chocolate mixture, then the sour cream and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add to the icing sugar and mix until nice and smooth.
♥ You can either double this icing recipe and go chocolate crazy, placing it in between the layers and all over the cake. Or you can whip some cream and fill the middle with jam and cream, and smother the top layer with the icing. Totally up to you.

Reveal: How old are you right now?

Ingredients

Method

41 thoughts on “A very happy birthday… cake.”

  1. After some time fighting the thought now at 36 I have come to the decision I need a good eye cream to combat the ‘mummy’ eyes! That is my measure of getting older. Happy Birthday. You will have another little person to celebrate with!

  2. Be good if there was something to fight ‘mummy brain’. I meant you will have another little person to celebrate with next birthday. So exciting

  3. I have had this delicious cake before and my goodness it is wonderful!! PS. I am 24, in 5 years I’ll be 29 with an eight year old….thanks for reminding me Chantelle 😛

  4. Happy Birthday!!! Hope you have an amazing day. It is so true, you can eat what ever you want on your birthday and it does not count. How old am I right now? If you look at my drivers licence it will tell you I am 45 in September. If you ask me I will tell you I am feeling closer to 85 (teething toddler = no sleep). I I could pick an age I would say the late 30s are the best, old enough to have the knowledge, young enough to enjoy it.

  5. Happy birthday Chantelle! I hope you have a glorious day today. And enjoy eating that cake, it looks amazing!!!
    I’m 27 🙂

  6. Happiest of Birthday’s to you fms! It is also my amazing Mumma’s birthday today – she’s 54 today + has just landed in New York for a holiday! Special ladies are born on June 20. I am 23 turning 24 in August. I love that you still feel 23! Enjoy your day + all the cake 🙂 xx

  7. Happy birthday beautiful Chantelle! I know the feeling, I turned 33 earlier this year and it seemed THAT much closer to getting older than 32 ever did 🙂
    But as this yummy post show, with birthdays comes cake and that’s always a marvellous thing. Have a gorgeous day xx

  8. Happy birthday I am 56 and I sometimes forget and say random ages when asked Recently I surprised myself by adding a year when a students asked me so i guess that is evidence that I am finally comffy with the number whatever it is LOL

  9. Wishing you a wonderous birthday!! Wow your parents must have started young!! I am 43 this year…..!!!

  10. Happy Birthday and yep you are only as old as you feel 🙂
    My age? I am 21, really I am…even though i have 19 year old!!! And our youngest is 8, and LOVES to tell me that I have more grey hairs every time he looks 🙂

  11. Hope all your birthday wishes come true! Soon, you’ll be enjoying your baby bundle – that’s the best kind of belated birthday present! I can hardly believe I am going to be 42 in a few weeks… I seem to have gotten so old, I sometimes genuinely lose count. Enjoy your special day, you deserve it!

  12. Happy birthday beautiful lady!! I am currently 37, will be 38 in September, but seriously I am only 28 have been for years, and will be for some more!!
    I hate getting older, I really wish that I will meet a vampire some day so that I can live forever! xx

  13. Hmmm I just turned 50, but in my head I’m still in my 30’s. I refuse to be 50!! PS Happy birthday gorgeous xxx

  14. Happy birthday!! I turned 31 (I think…? … yup 31) just the other week – expecting my first bubba in late Nov.

  15. Happy Birthday, Chantelle.
    Those numbers… I just stopped counting at 25 and whenever someone asks me about my age I really have to think hard.

    This cake looks to die for. Nigella’s recipe just never disappoint.

  16. I’m 33, turning 34 this coming Monday, officially having reached my “mid thirties”…..

  17. That cake looks delicious. I often make the Betty crocker chocolate cake mix and coffee flavoured icing. Put the icing in the middle and on top. It’s my grammas (I know that’s spelt wrong but thats the way we always spell it) icing recipe and it brings back so many memories. I’m 29 and will turn 29 again on the 26th of December 😉

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