Di-licious

There is no finer tradition than creating traditions, and Easter is no exception. This year we introduced Easter PJs as a special gift from Mr E.Bunny himself. There’ll still be an egg hunt on Easter Sunday but it’s nice to have a treat on Good Friday to kick start the weekend’s festivities (and gluttony). Easter is also a traditional time for baking so it was inevitable I’d find myself making something di-licious. It started as a special request from Mr Di-licious’ work colleagues – could I possibly whip up some cupcakes for the staff Easter morning tea? No worries. I was kind of excited to dust off the cupcake papers again – these were going to be my first batch of cuppies for 2011. Chocolate was the obvious flavour choice but the decoration required some thought. I wanted them to be in the spirit of Easter but appealing to adults and children alike. What could be sweeter than some candy coated mini chocolate eggs nestled in a clump of buttercream grass? If you can hold...

I guess it happens in every social circle but we’ve re-entered the zone of milestone birthdays – this time it’s the big 4-0. In February three close friends were turning forty within a week of one another. I remember them negotiating dates for parties months before. Invitations were issued, RSVPs sent and before I knew it I had three cake orders, three weeks in a row – all for big celebration cakes. I have this memory of my Dad’s fortieth birthday cake back in 1981. Mum ordered it from a bakery – it was a huge square cake, possibly chocolate, filled with mock cream and coated in chocolate sprinkles. Happy 40th Birthday Dennis was piped on top by a practiced hand. Whilst the fashion of cake decoration has evolved mostly for the better, a big square layer cake remains a classic for big celebrations. My interpretation of the ultimate milestone birthday cake is a triple chocolate layer cake. Three 11inch square layers of di-licious chocolate cake, sandwiched with chocolate butter...