A birthday cake must suit the recipient, if she loves chcolate then it has to be a chocolate cake and you just have to go a bit over-the-top. This is especially true for children and teenagers.
It was over a week ago now that we celebrated Idgy’s birthday. Yes, my baby girl is now fifteen, I can’t believe this, it seems like only yesterday……… Of course, her birthday means cake and this year it had to be a chocolate cake.
It has to be chocolate cake
It had to be chocolate cake of course. Have we ever had a birthday cake here that hasn’t been this flavour when it comes to my girl? Last year I went for a sort of all out death by chocolate, pile it all on and scoff the lot look.
This time I was determined to add just a wee bit of sophistication to the chocolaty mass, oh I still had to have the basics, a triple layer cake with chocolate cream fillings and the fun things like chocolate fingers incorporated into the décor, but I decided to top the whole thing off with a mass of bright red juicy summer berries, a sprinkling of sparkly sugar and candles stuck into the strawberries instead of the usual plastic candle holders. The girls loved it, it tasted great, and best compliment of all was the tiny scattering of crumbs and sugar crystals where the cake had stood so proudly just half an hour before.
Birthday parties
I feel blessed that her friends are such a good bunch. They are respectful and polite, fun, frivolous and creative. They love their comic characters, TV heroes and an odd assortment of music. Drawing, crafting, photos and doodling are the order of the day.
They arrived like a whirlwind of presents, sleeping bags, sweets and fun, and left with bleary eyes and carrying less baggage after clearing away all traces of the night before and leaving only the remnants of a party popper dangling from the light fitting.
Yet more belated birthday wishes to my wonderful girl. Now here is the recipe for that lovely chocolate cake.
Love you loads.
Mum x
Looking for more fun and fantastic celebration cake recipes to try? Then check these out before you go;
Gin and tonic lemon drizzle cake
Raspberry and white chocolate rouolade
Easy coconut lemon and ginger cake
Eton Mess Strawberry Sponge Cake
Buerre Noisette brown butter apple cake
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Birthday Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 20 g milk chocolate
- 20 g dark chocolate
- 125 g butter softened
- 125 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 125 g self-raising flour
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder sifted
Filling and frosting
- 125 g chocolate mix of milk and dark
- 10 tbsp icing sugar
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp Nutella
Decoration
- Chocolate finger biscuits
- Strawberries and raspberries
- Melted chocolate to drizzle
- Scattering of sparkly crystal sugar
- Candles!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave and pour into a large bowl along with all the other cake ingredients and whizz together with your mixer until everything is well combined.
- Divide the mixture into three small lightly greased baking tins, or use two 18cm/7” pans for a normal two layer cake. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean and the cake bounces back when you press it lightly in the centre.
- Cool for 5 minutes before removing from tins and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Melt the chocolate for the filling/topping (reserve a little for final decoration) and add it to a bowl along with the other ingredients and mix well to form a workable paste to your liking. Add more icing sugar as needed. Spread between layers of the cake and all over the assembled piece.
- Chop ends off the chocolate finger biscuits so they are the correct height to stand around the side of the cake and press into place all around. Pile up the berries on top, drizzle with the remaining melted chocolate and scatter over the sugar, stick the candles straight into the strawberries.
- Light the candles and sing your heart out!
It all looks absolutely wonderful. Your little girl is turning into a beautiful woman right before your eyes, and the magical part is that she’s sharing it all with you 🙂
You out did yourself with the cake – it looks fabulous! Idgy is so adorable, cannot believe she is 15 either – didn’t she just turn 12?!? Please wish her a happy birthday from her American friend…and I hope she’s never too old for stuffed toys! xo, Nan
Hi Nan
Cake and stuffed toys, never too old, none of us!
K x
Hi Karon
Just checking in after a very long absence from all blogging, cannot believe that Idgy is 15 and I echo what Nan says!! The cake looks amazing and I would love a birthday tea just like that – so much colour and fun in food form!
Hope you are keeping well and all is good with you, am off to check through further
Take care
Sarah x
Hi Sarah
Great to hear from you again. I know it is hard to beleive that Idgy is now 15, seems like only yesterday………
The cake was a lot of fun to make, I did love that chocolate topping with the strawberries, ate quite a few while decorating the cake.
Don’t disapear again, you are missed!
K x