Silent Hill – Butter Cake

I’m pretty excited about this week’s Gourmet Gaming because I happen to be a huge Silent Hill fan. When I was about 10 I was given a ‘cracked’ import version of the game from Thailand as a holiday present from one of my mom’s friends.

The entire game was in black in white.

That’s what you get for buying duff versions of games, kids. Silent Hill was, needless to say, shelved after a few nightmares. I then returned several years later and managed to complete Silent Hill 2, which led to my great obsession with the series. Butter Cake appears to be one of only a few foods available in Silent Hill. Is it perhaps the source of all evil? There’s only one way to find out…

What you will need: An 8-inch spring-form cake tin, a sieve, a large mixing bowl and greaseproof paper/baking parchment.

This recipe serves 10-12.

Ingredients:

200g / 1 Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

300g / 1½ Cups Light Brown Caster/Superfine Sugar

4 Large Eggs (Room Temperature)

380g / 3 Cups Plain Flour

2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Salt

240ml / 1 Cup Milk

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

To Garnish:

1 Tablespoon Butter

2 Tablespoons Sugar

Making the Butter Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 165C/325F. Lightly grease and line the cake tin. Dust the greased tin with a sprinkling of flour then set aside for later.
2. In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar. Beat for about 5 minutes, until it’s pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, sieve in the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Alternate adding the milk and the flour a little at a time into the cake mixture. First add some flour, mix, then add some milk, mix again and continue until all the milk and flour has been added, ending with adding flour. This technique is important to make sure the cake has the right texture.
4. Finally, add the vanilla extract and stir well once again. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and place in the middle of the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes.
5. Once firm and golden, remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool.

Preparing the Garnish:

1. Add the butter and sugar to a small saucepan and allow to melt. Don’t let it boil!
2. Once warmed through, and with the cake fresh from the oven, brush the butter over the top of the cake and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin and serving.

Definitely the source of all evil. Including heart attacks and childhood diabetes. If this is what Pyramid Head has been eating all this time, I’m not sure how he’s so buff. Maybe Silent Hill is just an illusion caused by a build up of Butter Cake on the brain. That seems more reasonable than most of the theories floating around some forums. The Butter Cake is an unusual dense sweetness that I’d serve with a dusting of icing sugar, cream, ice-cream or fruits. Just don’t eat too much or you’ll never be able to escape!

Like this? You might also enjoy the Minecraft - Cake.

Dragon Age – Found Cake

When I had a read through Game Rant’s “Most Disappointing Games of 2011” I wasn’t surprised when I saw Dragon Age II among the expected movie tie-in games of the year. Although I know a lot of people loved it, it was a saddening shadow of the awesome that was Dragon Age and an even greater festering husk of Baldur’s Gate for me. I was so involved with Dragon Age and so attached to Alistair (I don’t even find blond men attractive) I once drunkenly reprimanded a guy with the same name at a party for sacrificing himself at the end of my tale. I’m not sure how he felt when I declared my love and explained the impending grief for both me and the people of Ferelden but thankfully I still had my trusty dog (Bucephalus) who once brought me this cake. Personally, I don’t know what the hell Tycho was complaining about – I’d eat a “found cake”. Cake is cake, after all.

This recipes serves 6.

What you will need: Two 8inch (20cm) round sandwich tins, sieve, 2 mixing bowls and a whisk.

Ingredients:

175g / ¾ Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

175g / ¾ Cup Caster/Fine Grain Sugar

3 Eggs (Room Temperature)

175g / ¾ Cup Self-Raising Flour

70g / ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder (High Quality)

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

To Garnish:

250ml / 1 Cup Whipping Cream

Icing/Confectioners Sugar (Optional)

2 Strawberries (Halved)

Dog Spittle (Optional)

Making the Found Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F. Grease the cake tin with a little butter, line it with greaseproof paper/baking parchment and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and creamy. While continuing to mix, gradually add the eggs and whisk well until light and fluffy.
3. Sieve in half the flour, gently fold it in then sieve in the rest of the flour along with the cocoa powder and baking powder. Add the vanilla extract and stir.
4. Divide the cake mix between the prepared tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The top of the cakes should spring back when softly pressed if ready. Once cooked, remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool.
5. Once cooled, remove the cakes from the tins. Whip the cream (with a little sugar if you wish), spread half the cream on top of one layer then turn the other layer upside down, place it on top and cover with the remainder of the cream. Place 3 of the strawberry halves on top to decorate.
6. Optional: Place the cake on your kitchen floor and get your dog to serve it for that final, authentic touch.

I’ve based the recipe for the Found Cake off the traditional Victoria sponge. This is a simple, fuss-free cake that wouldn’t be out of place in a Ferelden setting. It’s incredibly light and fluffy which means you can eat four slices for each slice of normal cake, ideal for any New Year dieters, because I’m pretty sure lack of cake is what turned Flemeth into that dragon.

Like this? You might also enjoy the Portal - Cake.

Christmas Special Dessert: World of Warcraft - Graccu’s Mince Meat Fruitcake

I’ve never set foot in Pandaria, been on a forty man raid at two o’clock in the morning to Darkwing Lair or suffered the ‘Wrath of the Lich King’… but I do like cake! I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve not yet earned my WoW badge, like I’ve also not earned my Minecraft one and in all seriousness it’s because I know I’d befall the trap and vanish into oblivion. To be honest, I’m saving my online RPG virginity for Diablo III which I am eagerly awaiting (for the love of God, Blizzard, I only have so much patience). Anyway, what better way too round off a Christmas feast than with a traditional fantasy fruitcake!

This recipes serves 8-10.

What you will need: A 25cm Bundt cake mould, 2 mixing bowls and a sieve.

For the Mince Meat Fruitcake:

250g / 1¾ Cups Self-Raising Flour

150g / ¾  Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

100g / ½ Cup Golden Caster Sugar

50g / ¼ Cup Dark Muscovado Sugar

75g / ½ Cup Mixed Dried Fruits

2 Eggs

450g / 1lb Jar of Mincemeat

75g / ½ Cup Flaked Almonds

120ml / ½ Cup Whisky (Optional)

To Garnish:

Icing/Confectioners Sugar

6 Glacé Cherries (Halved)

Making Graccu’s Mince Meat Fruitcake:

1. Sieve the self-raising flour twice into a large mixing bowl to aerate it properly, then set aside.
2. Grease the bundt tray well with a little butter and preheat the oven to 160C/325F.
3. In a separate bowl cream the butter and the sugar until well combined, try to break up the Muscovado sugar as much as possible.
4. Next add the dried fruits and almonds, stir well, then add the jar of mincemeat and mix again.
5. Beat the two eggs together and gradually add them to the mixture, stirring in as you add. If you’re adding the whisky, do so now and mix well.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and fold them together gently then pour the mix into the prepared bundt tray. Pop in the oven and cook for approximately 80-100 minutes – if it’s cooked an inserted skewer/knife will come out clean.
7. Once cooked remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the bundt mould.
8. You can, if you wish, ‘feed’ the cake some more whisky by pouring small amounts over the cake every few hours . If you’re impatient (like me) simply remove once it’s cooled enough.
9. Sieve over a sprinkling of icing/confectioners sugar and arrange the glacé cherries around the top of the cake. Ideally, serve with some brandy cream.

This cake is “Preserved with Graccu’s special spices! It’ll be a very long time before these turn bad…”; I ate this entire cake in a day. I regret nothing. My Irish roots ensure I’m very particular when it comes to fruit cakes, I like them and I love that winter gives me the excuse to tuck into various incarnations starting with a Hallowe’en Barmbrack and finishing, very often, with a third helping of Christmas pudding. I’ll never again buy a Christmas cake now that I know how easy and cheap this is to make. Apparently you “must remain seated while eating” which is ideal should you choose to eat this while questing or watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the thousandth time.

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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Sweet Roll

This Friday Skyrim will be hitting the shelves and it’s one of my most highly anticipated releases of this year! Since I’ll be spending the entire weekend glued to my TV and ignoring all signals from my body that it’s tired and wants to go to bed (my brain will be shouting “DRAGONS!” to keep me perky) I figured I’d need some suitable snacks. I read a pretty funny article last week called “Things I Ate In Skyrim” that obviously included the infamous Sweet Roll. Before you climb up on your high armoured horse and start saying “that doesn’t look like any Sweetroll I’ve ever seen” this is a Skyrim edition Sweet Roll (note: no longer “Sweetroll” as it used to be in Morrorwind and Oblivion) that we got a sneak peek at - it seems to have gotten a bit of a visual upgrade and some frosting! I’ve gone with a dense spiced cake recipe that I think compliments the rustic, fantasy setting.

This recipe makes 6 Sweet Rolls.

What you will need: Large deep muffin tray, greaseproof paper/baking parchment, sieve, 2 bowls, wooden spoon, a pot and a knife.

For the Sweet Rolls:

180g / 1 Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

175g / ¾ Cup White Caster Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

2 Eggs (Room Temperature)

250g / 2 Cups Self-Raising Flour

2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

125ml / ½ Cup Milk

For the Frosting:

200g / 1 Cup Cream Cheese

55g / ¼ Cup Butter

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

125g / 1 Cup Icing/Confectioners Sugar

For the Cinnamon Syrup:

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons White Caster Sugar

2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

Preparing the Sweet Rolls:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. To prepare the muffin tray, cut small squares of greaseproof paper and stuff them into each muffin well – create folds and crinkles and then smooth them out to help create a rustic, uneven finish to the cakes.
2. In a large bowl cream the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and maple syrup together until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one and a time and mix well.
3. Sift in the self-raising flour and cinnamon then add the milk and stir gently until a smooth batter forms.
4. Fill the prepared muffin tray with the batter, filling each well nearly to the top and place in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown (a skewer inserted should come out clean when cooked thoroughly). Set aside and allow to cool completely while you prepare the syrup and frosting.

Making the Frosting:

1. Add the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix gently until combined.
2. Slowly sift in the icing/confectioners sugar and stir gently. Allow to chill in the fridge before using.

Making the Cinnamon Syrup:

1. In a pan on a medium-high heat melt the butter, sugar and cinnamon together until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside for use later.

Making the Sweet Rolls:

1. Unwrap the cakes from the paper and careful slice the puffy top off the cake. Turn the cake upside down so that the cut top is now the bottom.
2. Cut a small hole in the top of the cake that’s about 1cm deep and 1cm across. Pour a little of the cinnamon syrup into the hole.
3. Drizzle the frosting over the top of the cake and serve.

Now for the infamous question: While in town the baker gives you a Sweetroll. Delighted, you take it into an alley to enjoy only to be interecepted by a gang of three other kids your age. The leader demands the Sweetroll, or else he and his friends will beat you and take it.

1. Act like you’re going to give him the Sweetroll, but at the last minute throw it into the air. Hoping that they’ll pay attention long enough for you to get a shot in on the leader.

2. Drop the Sweetroll and step on it, then get ready for the fight.

3. Give him the Sweetroll now without argument, knowing that later this afternoon you will have all your friends with you and can come and take whatever he owes you.

Protip: Don’t take your Sweet Rolls into any alleys.

Like this? You might also enjoy the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - S’Jirra’s Famous Potato Bread.

Costume Quest – Mossy Log

Mossy Log came second in the Costume Quest vote. I’m glad Mossy Log won because it meant I had the perfect excuse to invest in an electric hand mixer and finally got to witness what “stiff egg whites” looked like outside of a cookery show. I had a bit of a quandary over whether to make Mossy Log as one big cake or lots of little cake rolls – in the end I thought it would be better to create a large cake. You could of course make several large cakes and claim them as small cakes and eat as many as you like. That’s my kind of cake logic.

This recipe serves 6-8.

What you will need: 30x35cm Swiss roll tin/baking tray, 4 large bowls, whisk, small Tupperware container, pot, greaseproof paper/baking parchment, spatula and a cupcake casing.

For the Chocolate Log:

5 Eggs (Room Temperature)

140g / 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar

100g / 1 Cup Self-Raising Flour

25g / ¼ Cup High Quality Cocoa Powder

1 Cupcake Case

120 ml / ½ Cup Double Cream

1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar

For the Frosting:

190 ml/ 1 Cup Double Cream

300g / 1½ Cups Dark Chocolate (70%+)

For the Moss:

25g / ¼ Cups Desiccated Coconut

Green Food colouring

To Garnish:

25g / ½ Cup Chocolate (For the shards)

Black Writing Icing Tube

Making the Moss:

1. In a small Tupperware container with a lid, pour in the desiccated coconut and a few drops of food colouring. Close the lid and shake well until the coconut is dyed and the desired colour. Set aside for later.

Making the Chocolate Frosting:

1. On a medium heat bring the cream to the boil then quickly remove from the heat – don’t let it burn or overflow! Break in the chocolate and mix well until it has melted and the mixture is smooth.
2. Leave the chocolate cream to cool then place in the fridge to chill for about an hour until spreadable.

Making the Chocolate Shards:

1. Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie. Lay out a large piece of greaseproof paper/baking parchment on a counter then have another of the same size set aside. Once the chocolate has melted slowly pour it into the prepared paper and spread it out thinly leaving a small gap around the edges.
2. Place the second sheet of greaseproof paper/baking parchment over the top and press it down. Fold the paper up starting from the bottom into little strips until it’s all folded up then place in the fridge to chill.
3. Watch this video for step-by-step instructions - Making Chocolate Shards at FineCooking.com.

Making the Chocolate Roll:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F, have your cupcake casing ready and grease and line the Swiss roll tin.
2. Separate the eggs; put the yolks in a large mixing bowl and the whites in another. Add the sugar and water to the egg yolks and whisk well until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift in the cocoa powder and flour and gently fold them in, keeping the air.
3. Next whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and form peaks then gradually and lightly fold the egg whites into the cake mixture.
4. Spoon a small amount of the cake mixture into a cupcake case (enough to half fill it) then pour the rest into the prepared tin, spread until even and bake both for 10-15 minutes.
5. Lay a sheet of greaseproof paper/baking parchment onto a surface and sprinkle with cocoa poweder – once cooked turn the cake out onto the prepared sheet, cover with a tea towel and allow to cool. Leave the cupcake aside to cool also.
6. Once the cake has cooled trim any edges to create a perfect rectangle. Using the greaseproof paper underneath, roll up the cake into the shape with the paper inside and set aside.
7. Whip the double cream with the sugar to taste. Unroll the cake and spread the cream inside, leave a small gap on the edges. Roll the cake up again and place in the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes.

Making the Mossy Log:

1. Take the cake from the fridge and using a little bit of the chocolate frosting stick the cupcake on top of the cake to create the stump. Frost the entire outside of the cake liberally, covering the cupcake stump and creating a smooth finish.
2. Sprinkle the green coconut over the top in small batches being careful not to get any stuck on the stump.
3. Take the sheet of chocolate from the fridge and unroll it, it should snap and break and create the shards. Picking ones that are the right size, stick them to the frosting along the bottom of the cake on the front and back, half way up.
4. Use the black writing icing to create a swirl on the stump and your Mossy Log is ready to serve.

This cake is delicious. Actually it’s not really a cake it’s more like a chocolatey cloud. Someone suggested a minty kick would go down well, so maybe adding a little peppermint extract to the coconut would be nice. Although this is supposed to be a Halloween creepy treat, I think it would nicely replace any Yule log at Christmas too. 

Don’t forget to check out the other winners - Pizza Sundae and Choconana!

Request: Minecraft – Cake

I purposefully don’t play Minecraft; though enough of my friends have harassed me to play it and I’ve heard nothing bur praises. I’ve spoken before of my horribly addictive personality and I know that if I got involved in Minecraft I would never again see the light of day and they’d find my shrivelled, malnourished corpse collapsed over my laptop. It would be a good way to go, but just not yet. Either way Minecraft Cake has been on my list for a while now and enough of you have been asking for it so here you go!

This recipe makes 2 small cakes.

What you will need: Large mixing bowl, 20x20 square cake tin, small bowl, small pot, sieve, whisk, rolling pin, spatula, greaseproof/baking paper.

For the Cake:

200g / 1½ Cups Plain Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

200g / 1 Cup Golden Caster/Superfine Sugar

200g / 1 Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

3 Medium Eggs (Room Temperature)

3 Tablespoons Milk

For the Frosting:

100g / ½ Cup Dark Chocolate

25g / ¼ Cup Butter

150ml / ⅔ Cup Single Cream

100g - 200g / 1 - 1½ Cups Icing Sugar

To Finish:

White Ready-to-roll Icing

Red Ready-to-roll Icing

Preparing the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 20x20cm square cake tin.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

3. Beat the eggs and add them slowly to the butter and sugar along with the vanilla extract.

4. Sieve in the flour and baking powder then combine it gently into the mixture. Pour into the prepared cake tin and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

5. Once golden brown and springy, allow to cool and store in the fridge while you prepare the frosting.

Making the Frosting:

1. In a bain-marie, melt the chocolate, butter and cream together until smooth.
2. Allow to cool until the mixture thickens slightly, then slowly whisk in the icing sugar until the chocolate is light and fluffy. Allow to cool further before spreading onto the cake.

Making the Cake:

1. Once the cake has cooled, level it carefully then cut it into 4. You may want to use a cookie cutter or make a template so each piece is of equal size.

2. Take a portion as your base and add a little frosting to the top of it and layer another piece of cake for the top – set aside.

3. On a clean work surface, sprinkle some icing sugar and roll out the white icing to about 1 cm thick and cut a piece large enough to comfortably cover the cake.

4. Spread some frosting on top of the cake and then cover with the white icing. Trim the icing, then cut in the pattern. You may want to make a template and use scissors/scalpel.

5. Roll out the red icing to about 1cm thick like before and cut out 4 large and 6 small squares, arrange the red squares on top of the cake to match the Minecraft Cake.

6. Cut appropriately to serve. If you leave the cake you will have to return to the cake to continue eating it.

I found this really stressful! I’ve made it at least three times now because this is a rather important entry! The cake its self is beautiful, just a simple sponge recipe, the tricky part is getting the shapes and icing correct. I didn’t think I would have to use my technical graphics skills to work out cake patterns – maybe I would have enjoyed it more at school if that had been its purpose from the start. All I can say is cardboard templates really saved the day here. You can of course make this cake massive if you have the right sized tins, I did not so I had to improvise and make smaller, personal cakes - that way I didn’t have to share. I am, however, officially sick of eating cake.

Like this? You might also enjoy the Minecraft - Mushroom Stew.

Request: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Cheesecake

This is a special request from my good friend Geoff and it is in fact his 25th birthday present from me to him. Geoff spent quite a while deciding that this was what he wanted and I could hardly deny his request because frankly… it’s pretty awesome. I’m a big fan of Castlevania but after watching a play-through of the most recent instalment, Lords of Shadow, on the 360 I’ve yet to brave it myself (seriously one of the greatest endings to a game ever ). I had been tempted to do a Castlevania entry before, often distracted by the German-esque “bakery” levels filled with breads and treats that sometimes fly at your face. So I was glad that Geoff pointed out this delicious looking cheesecake. According to its description on the Castlevania Wiki it is “with chocolate chips” but one drunken conversation later we agreed that the strawberry topping angle was the way to go for maximum tastiness and Alucard would probably pick around the chocolate chips anyway.

This recipe serves 6-8.

What you will need:

A 20cm cake tin, baking/greaseproof paper, rolling pin, large mixing bowl, wooden spoons, whisk, small bowl, pan.

For the Base:

85ml Melted Butter

140g Digestive Biscuits

1 Tablespoon Golden Caster Sugar

For the Cheesecake:

600g Cream Cheese

170g Golden Caster Sugar

2 Tablespoons Plain Flour

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

2 Large eggs

1 Yolk 

150ml Sour Cream

For the Strawberry Glaze:

500g of Strawberries

150g of Caster Sugar

2 Tablespoons Ground Arrowroot

Making the Base:

1. Prepare the cake tin by buttering and lining the base and sides with baking/greaseproof paper and preheat the oven to 160C.
2. Put the biscuits in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin (should your claymore be at the cleaners) to bash them into crumbs, then place in a bowl. 
3. Melt the butter in a pan on a medium heat and pour over the biscuit crumbs along with the tablespoon of sugar. 
4. Mix well until the butter has been absorbed and then press the biscuit mixture firmly and evenly to the base of the prepared cake tin. Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, remove and set aside to cool - make sure it has cooled completely otherwise you will end up with a soggy base like I did.

Making the Cheesecake Filling:

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese gently until creamy and slowly add the sugar. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir in slowly making sure to clean the sides of the bowl. 
2. Whisk in the vanilla and lemon juice. Add the eggs and yolk one at a time and then the sour cream whisking gently, being careful not to over-mix. 
3. Pour the filling over the buttery biscuit base, gently tap or knock the tin to remove any air bubbles. 
4. Bake for 10 minutes at 160C, then reduce to 90C and cook for 20-40 minutes. I found just keeping an eye on the cake until the centre was a little wobbly but firm was best. 
5. Leave it out to cool, the top may crack but don’t worry as this will be covered. After an hour you can put it in the fridge to continue cooling.

Making the Strawberry Glaze:

1. Chop the 500g of strawberries, place in a pan, bring to the boil with about 6 tablespoons of water and the sugar.
2. In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of arrowroot with some water to create a runny paste.
3. Once the mixture has boiled in the pot, add the arrowroot water a teaspoon at a time until it begins to thicken then remove from the heat and leave to cool for several minutes.
4. Once cooled slightly pour/spread the strawberry glaze over the cheesecake and return to the fridge to chill for several hours.

I have never made cheesecake in my life. The making of was relatively easy but then the lengthy cooking and cooling process is something I wish I’d planned better and well in advance… because as I write this it’s later than I would like and I’m praying I can post this before the clock ticks onto midnight and ruin my Wednesday posting spree. It might be a little rough around the edges, but it’s still a cheesecake! And it’s one hell of a tasty one. Despite the upset tummy and ills I may incur I had to steal a little piece to taste. I will make this again most likely, only with 3 days before it’s actually needed so I wont have to cry into a pot of boiling strawberries (the tears make it taste sweeter). You see Geoff, you SEE the lengths I go to for you?! It was great to have a challenge for once though, not everything should run so smoothly all the time and the result did taste pretty excellent - it’s just one of those things you need to make a few times to perfect. The base ended up a bit softer than I would have liked, so I’ve edited the recipe accordingly - other than this it tasted perfect! I can’t seem to think of a Castlevania qu-whip without it sounding too cheesy… oh, oops. (Also sorry for the late posting - I’ve had the flu this week)

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Animal Crossing: Wild World - Birthday Cake

Animal Crossing: Wild World holds a bit of a special place in my heart; it was the game I got with my Nintendo DS (after I traded in Metroid Prime: Echoes due to stupid frequency of respawning enemies - the only game I‘ve ever traded in to date) and I played it constantly for several months after I first moved to London while I was waiting for my Xbox to join me. I’d spend many nights lying awake in bed waiting for it to rain at a precise time so I could catch that missing bug or fish or charm my exotic neighbour for some rare item of furniture. Never seemed able to save enough Bells to reap to benefits of a bank account though; far too many tempting accessories. But a treat comes on you birthday, a reward for all your hard work almost - a wonderful birthday cake that gives you visible feelings of delight when you eat it! So since it’s my birthday on Friday, I thought I’d give myself an excuse to eat some pre-birthday cake and share it with you. But not really. It’s all mine. None for you.

This recipe serves 8-10.

What you will need:

2 mixing bowls, hand whisk, a sieve, three 8-inch cake tins, baking paper and an icing bag/pipe.

For the Cake:

4 Eggs (Separated and  at room temperature)

4 Teaspoons Baking Powder

400g Plain Flour

½ Teaspoon Salt

227g Butter (at room temperature)

450g Caster Sugar

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

200ml Milk

¼ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

For the Pink Coconut Icing:

500g Cream Cheese

200g Butter

50ml Natural Yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

270g Icing Sugar (approx.)

Few Drops Red Food Colouring

To Garnish:

6 Strawberries

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Flakes

4 Green Candles

Preparing the Cake:

1. Grease your 3 cake pans and line them with baking paper, preheat the oven to 175C.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat together the butter and 350g of the sugar until it is pale and fluffy.
3. Add the 4 egg yolks one at a time, then add the vanilla extract.
4. Slowly sift in the flour, baking powder and salt , mix, and then slowly add the milk.
5. In a separate bowl add the egg whites and whisk them until fluffy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk until peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 100g of sugar until the peaks stiffen.
6. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake mixture.
7. Pour the mixture evenly among the 3 prepared cake tins then bake in the oven for around 25 minutes.
8. Once cooked, leave to cool and then store in the fridge while you prepare the frosting.

Making the Pink Icing:

1. Beat the butter in a bowl until light, then add the natural yoghurt and vanilla.
2. Gently stir in the cream cheese, being careful not to over mix as this will thin the frosting making it runny.
3. Gradually add the icing sugar bit by bit, adding more as you need it - to thicken or sweeten the icing.
4. Add the red food colouring, then put the icing in the fridge to chill.

Constructing the Cake:

1. If needed, even out your cake layers carefully so they’re as flat and smooth as possible.
2. Ice the bottom layer, being careful not to go over the edges, place the next layer on top and continue the process until you have a stack of 3 cake layers.
3. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of icing and cover the cake in the remaining icing - this does not have to be neat.
4. Imagining the top of the cake as a clock, place the strawberries (with their stalks trimmed), pointed end up at 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10.
5. Put the last bits of icing into an icing bag/pipe, using a large nozzle, pipe drops of icing between each of the strawberries around the cake.
6. Garnish with the green candles and a sprinkling of coconut.

Yum, yum, yum. What a glorious birthday treat for myself! My mom can’t bake and I can’t exactly pick cakes up in stores so having something to eat in celebration of my birthday is very rare! The sponge in this cake is heavenly. It’s sticky and sweet and moist but yet light and tastes of creamy vanilla - it’s like the ultimate birthday cake recipe. The icing however makes it a little heavy, I would probably swap it for something else next time, but I guess it’s normal for most people to only eat one piece of cake at a time, unlike my usual 2 or 3. I don’t know what gifts I’m getting this year though, so I guess I should take my golden slingshot outside and wait for a parcel on a balloon to float by…

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