Strawberry-Chocolate Dream Cake

Cakes are perfect for all occasions. Baking one can be one of the most satisfying art forms. Not only is it an enjoyable thing to plan about, but you and your guests get to eat the results of a joyful effort.

People usually depend on a cake book for their cake-making escapades. I too have a good cake book collection but I prefer to make experiments and be creative in my cakes. Try this strawberry-chocolate dream cake and make this your own delicious surprise for any occasion.

You'll need:

• 1 ready prepared deep sandwich cake
• 110g (3 ½ oz) strawberry jam
• 315g (10 oz) milk chocolate
• 13 firm strawberries with stalks, washed and dried
• 110g (3 ½ oz) plain dark chocolate bars
• 12 rose leaves leaves
• 155ml heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Piping bag with large star-shaped tube

Procedure

Melt milk chocolate. Spread about 2/3 of the melted chocolate over top and sides of cake with a palette knife. Leave until fully set. Using back of knife, mark top of the cake to form 12 equal portions or slices, but do not slice. Meanwhile, dip 12 of the strawberries into remaining milk chocolate until half-covered. Leave to set or until chocolate is firm.

Melt plain dark chocolate then brush melted chocolate over tops of leaves. Set aside to set or until chocolate is firm. Very carefully pull leaves away from chocolate. Make more chocolate leaves than you need in case of breakages. In a large bowl, whip cream with milk until thick, using a whisk or hand-held mixer.

Transfer to prepared piping bag and pipe 12 swirls around edge of cake. Decorate with the half-dipped strawberries and chocolate leaves. Place the plain strawberry in the center.

Enjoy your new chocolate birthday cakes.

Old-Fashioned Cookies - Why Are They So Much Loved

I want to make some sugary delights, like that of an old-fashioned taste in a cookie. Well, I have flour, eggs, oil, sugar...pecans...almonds...a handful or so of currants...honey, peanut butter, jam...Is there anything I can make that is yummy from any one of the ingredients I have? I was thinking maybe caramel or something, like old fashioned candy made from boiled sugar water with stuff added in. Or pecan bark or something?

Despite the fact that chocolate oatmeal cookies are not much considered a favorite these times, old cookie recipes are still among the best, and the reason why? Traditional cookie recipes carry the emblem of the memorable delicious taste and spirit of long ago. Therefore it is proven that sometimes traditions are best! Even the kids today will want to get savvy to make a treat of this wonderful historical taste in their cookie.

As well as I can remember, every time my youngest Aunt makes a batch of a cookie, she always begin by pairing things that she likes like peanuts and beer, for instance, then she'd find ways to wrap them up together in a neat little package. Chocolate and coffee were a pretty easy one to accomplish, but getting pastis, which I'm wild about, into a cookie, took a little more experimenting.


In addition to her classic combination, she said its her great way to encourage people to be more adventurous gastronomically. She says that combining unexpected flavors and then offer them from the framework of something that’s so comfortable and familiar, guarantees deliciousness in your cookie recipe. Like her, I've also become a big fan of anything baked. So good that when I eat them, I say ‘that's really good!’