Cakey

Tomorrow is my birthday! So today I am going to bake myself a birthday cake. Of course, it would be nice if someone else did it for me, but I know my Mum is baking (or buying one, I honestly don’t mind which Mum!) one for the big family lunch on Sunday, and Big-P has one day off a week at the moment and I personally think it’s much more important that he spends that day (today) shopping for my present. And you know I like baking. So now, which one to choose? Any suggestions? I will probably try something out from Nigella’s How to be Domestic Goddess, because I have become a little stuck in the bread chapter in that one and it would be nice to move on. I am tempted to try a multi-layered sponge because I bought the tins and they are sitting there looking intimidating and collecting dust. Maybe I will construct some kind of birthday thing made out of marshmallows from The River Cottage Family Cookbook because Jane’s always make me think I should. Mmmm.

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90 Responses

  1. Happy Birthday!!Enjoy the cake!

  2. Happy Birthday! And congrats for the Bloggie award!

  3. jo.reid@optusnet.com.au says:

    Happy Birthday for tomorrow, I hope that it is filled with all your favourite things (and people). I am a bit caught up at the moment on a hummingbird cake – very very easy and fruity and delicious with great cream cheese icing. And I do have a great fool proof sponge cake recipe that gets made around here about once a week, just because. It must have passionfruit icing and be filled with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. I tried three or four recipes for a sponge before this one and now there is no turning back. Good luck and have fun.

  4. Cheers and Happy Birthday.With the bread and rice thingy happening … what about that nice cake shop in Prahran Market, it sounds pretty nice.

  5. bonne fβˆšβ„’te βˆšβ€  toi, Claire! may this year be amazing and spectacular! (you don’t look a day over 21, BTW)!

  6. wensicia@lesandchris.com says:

    Happy Birthday from a lurker and an admirer of your artwork! As for the cake, definitely something chocolatey and rich and totally indulgent. It’s your birthday, and you are preggers, so it is time to endulge! By the way, I love love love the illustration you did of the mermaid and would buy a print/card of it in a heartbeat!

  7. Happy Birthday Claire! May your day be filled with smiles and joy and of course, many extra plates of cake. Enjoy!

  8. Happy Day before your Birthday!
    Happy First Day of Spring!

    Happy Making-your-own-birthday-cake! I did that last year, and made an icebox cake with those big chocolate wafers and loads of homemade whipped cream. Got to lick the bowl AND the beaters myself; that’s the upside to DIY!

  9. Happy Birthday! I just made almond-lemon cake. I haven’t tasted it yet, but it smells good! Recipe here: http://bumblebee.typepad.com/almond-lemoncake.pdf

  10. sarahjh@three.com.au says:

    Happy Birthday for tomorrow! Hope you have a fabulous day!Personally, I LOVE a nice rich chocolate mud cake served with strawberries and thick thick cream – perhaps a heavenly chocolately cake with strawberries baked into it or served with a strawberry sauce of some description? Mmmm… can I come?

    On a slighty different note – I will be trying those hot cross buns of yours/delias this weekend – can’t wait!

  11. dwbm@comcast.net says:

    Happy Birthday Claire!!! I hope you have a great one and that Big-P gets you something wonderful.

  12. Happy birthday Claire! I hope it’s wonderful, and I hope your cake is very delicious! (i’m sure it will be!)

  13. Happy Birthday!
    The Victoria Sponge from Nigella’s book is reeeeeeeally good, especially if you use fresh fruit for the filling. Mmmm…. Yummy!

  14. Happy Birthday. I understand how intimidating it is to make a layered sponge cake. I made one 2 weeks ago and It did not want to be layered at all.

  15. Hey! You and my Supergirl share a birthday! Happy Happy to you!

  16. Happy Birthday!At least in making your own cake, you get to choose exactly what you would like best. One thing though – I made a Nigella chocolate cake for a friend a few months ago, and it required very classy 70% cocoa chocolate. The cake worked out fine, but didn’t have any fudgy chocolatey action – it tasted like 70% cocoa chocolate – sort of bitter. Don’t know if it was me, or the recipe! And I only eat dark chocolate!

  17. Am I revealing too much if I tell you my favorite new cake came from Martha Stewart? It is sooooo good. My mom is a really good cook (especially desserts!), and my wife made it for my mom (daring!), and then my mom made it for her friends! That’s how good it is.
    Anyway: Chocolate-Ginger Cake With Bourbon Sauce

  18. happy happy birthday!!
    ((heres to lots of cakes!))

  19. dihtri@gmail.com says:

    Happy birthday! May it be filled with sweet confectionary goodness πŸ™‚

  20. Have a great birthday! Don’t forget to put the flour in. LOL. :p

  21. Happy Birthday!! I hope you have a great day!

  22. Happy Birthday Claire! And remember to have a little extra cakey for the baby πŸ˜‰

  23. Happy Birthday to you!

  24. IMHO, *any* cake recipe from Nigella can be made without fear! I recently made her morello chery chocolate cupcakes from “Goddess” and substituted strawberry preserves (and rice flour, since I am coeliac) – another winner!

  25. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.MAKE CAKE.
    EAT CAKE.
    LET OTHERS DO THE WASHING UP!
    HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

  26. Happy birthday for tomorrow, Claire! Hope you get to have second helpings of whatever cake you choose. πŸ™‚

  27. I finally saw your super cute dolls and paintings at hudson today – they are edible. As suspected, I knew I wasn’t financially ready to own one. But I will one day. Please make more, always.

  28. kellie@openthought.com says:

    Happy birthday from a delighted stumbler. My world is a better place now that is has your blog in it!

  29. Happy Birthday! Enjoy your cake, of course we will want to see pictures! I might have to buy Nigella’s book it looks like it has loads of yummies!

  30. Happy birthday, from another lurker. Eat loads of scrumptious squidgy cake and remember what makes your years so marvellous!

  31. Heya Claire… happy birthday. πŸ™‚

  32. Happy birthday! You rock my world everyday. I hope your cake turns out to be DELICIOUS!

  33. Oooooh, cake! When I was pregnant last summer, I had serious cake cravings, I had a never-ending supply coming out of the oven. My recommendations would be carrot cake with cream cheese and lemon icing, a lemon yoghurt drizzle cake with poppy seeds, or Nigella’s black treacle chocolate cake – it’s a grown up’s cake in every sense of the word, and utterly divine!HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

  34. egorseth@rcn.com says:

    The Burned Butter Brown Sugar Cupcakes are divine.

  35. vitaria@btinternet.com says:

    Happy birthday from another lurker. I can heartily recommend the chocolate and honey bumble bee cake from Nigella’s Feast book. I made it as a birthday cake for someone last year and it tasted divine. the little marzipan bees look very cute too.

  36. Happy birthday! The gingersnap cake with lemon icing in the cookbook is divine! I highly recommend it.

  37. Aw, happy birthday, hun. XO, a

  38. Happy Birthday to you! I hope it’s lovely and that you have warm weather for it. (I also wish you better cake-making luck than you’ve had with your bread lately).

  39. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Hope the day is fabulous!

  40. ‘appy’appybirfday2u…

    sorry,
    i just like to
    stand out
    teehee…

    πŸ™‚
    have a great one!

  41. Happy almost birthday! Mmmmm… love the smell of cakes in the oven. Have a fun and happy celebration! Hugs!

  42. Happy Birthday from across the sea! Indulge heavily on your end, hope the cake turns out superb! I will think of you when I bite into my very expensive red velvet Sprinkles cupcake today!Wishing you a wonderful year–but you forgot to tell us your age, my dear.

  43. Happy birthday! My daughter turns 6 today as well… it’s a Cadbury packet mix for us!

  44. Happy birthday for tomorrow!

  45. One more Happy Birthday! If we lived closer, I’d drop a cake off at your door… least I could do for all the reading pleasure you’ve given me. Alas, it mightn’t be too fresh by the time it arrived from Canada.

  46. Have a super Birthday!

  47. Many happy returns for tomorrow. YOu should stop by my place for a birthday mocktail!

  48. Happy Birthday! Cute cake. The best cake I have ever made was a simple Golden Layer Cake from my Grammy’s Betty Crocker cook book. I love this book! There’s actually a picture on the inside cover of a lady in a dress and pearls carrying a cake (or something) and walking under a rainbow. Classic!

  49. Have a good birthday! Relax as much as possible.

  50. dishpantheism@hotmail.com says:

    a very happy birthday to you, claire!

  51. hip hip hooray to you on this special day! eat, drink, and be very merry. x

  52. serj@bigpond.net.au says:

    Happy Birthday to us. Mine too. 34 Same as you I think. We are Birthday twins!

  53. cookrowland@optusnet.com.au says:

    happy birthday Claire from a first-time-to-come-out lurker. I heard about your blog on ABC radio one day and it has introduced me to the adictive world of craft blogs. thanks so much.

  54. jacqui@pacific.net.au says:

    happy birthday!it is my birthday today as well πŸ™‚

  55. Happy birthday! Hope your cake turned out!

  56. Happy Birthday Claire, I love loobylu! Hope you enjoy whatever cake you make!

  57. happy birthday!!! to youhow old?
    enjoy the cake – chocolate?

  58. Happy Birthday!!! Hope your cake was delicious!!! If so…make yourself another one next week too!!

  59. I made a birthday pavlova today Claire but I don’t think you should follow my example, it was a bit of a disaster! Happy birthday to you!

  60. ashalulu@gmail.com says:

    Hope that you had a lovely day. My birthday was yesterday so I’m currently basking in the afterglow.
    Can’t wait to hear about it. πŸ™‚

  61. Happy Birthday! What kind of cake did you bake for yourself?
    I have to bake a cake for myself as well on my birthday if I want one. What I end up doing is making a cake that I love but typically no one else really likes! :0)

  62. Happy Birthday! I hope it is wonderful!!

  63. lindseygwilson@hotmail.com says:

    Happy Birthday! Mine is on saturday, and I think I will be making myself the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate cake (recipe on the back of the cocoa container) topped with the homemade frosting also listed there. It’s the richest, yummiest chocolate cake! Then again, I don’t know that you have access to Hershey’s cocoa (and it may be considered inferior where you are?). Have a fantastic birthday, whatever cake you bake and enjoy!

  64. Happy Birthday Claire! xo

  65. Yay for birthdays! And yay that I’m not the only one who has to make her own birthday cake…tee hee. Hope it was a lovely day, Miss Claire and that you were spoiled rotten!

  66. Happy birthday Claire!

  67. happy birthday claire πŸ˜€

  68. wrega@comcast.net says:

    Happy Birthday Claire! While contemplating homemade or storebought for my wee one’s birthday on Friday I came across this story: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/19/magazine/319food.html and decided to carve out time for a homemade cake. Good luck!

  69. nigella has a recipe for a courgette cake which is multilayered and very delicious.

  70. Hope you had a very sweet B-day Claire! Save me a piece of cake :P, I bet you baked a delicious one!-Marjorie

  71. Happy Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful time. Take some time to relax.

  72. happy birthday claire!!! for 2 days ago. hope you had a good one, had nice surprises and lots of love from the ones who mean the most to you! have a great party on sunday!x dani

  73. Belated happy birthday wishes.
    So which cake did you make?

  74. Oh my.. How many wishes you’ve received πŸ˜‰ HaPpY BiRtHdAy from me too πŸ˜‰ All the best…

  75. Belated… I hope it was a really good one, and that your cake was delicious. Cake, yum.

  76. happy belated birthday!and have you seen the book “stupid sock creatures”? you’ll love it…
    πŸ™‚

  77. Happy Birthday (201st March)

  78. I hope you had a good one and a delicious cake.

  79. Hope you had a happy birthday! I’m interested to hear what you cooked!

  80. Happy Birthday! Hope that cake was delicious!

  81. loobylu@plinth.org says:

    Happy birthday, Claire!

  82. Another mention in the Age on Saturday — this must be very pleasing for you.

  83. nitesky66@aol.com says:

    Hi Claire,
    Happy belated birthday!Hope all is well with you…we haven’t heard from you since the cyclone hit AU (tho’ not near you, I don’t think)…let us know that you are all safe!