Party time and the perfect cake for childrens' parties

This is a bit of a busy week.  A really big bit busier than normal.  It is my daughter's birthday in a few days and we had her party on monday.  I also volunteered to bake three hundred Easter biscuits for a party at my son's school and I am having our annual Easter egg hunt as well. 

All this translates into a lot of baking and making.  Not that I mind.  Nothing quite like being in the kitchen and baking.  Nothing, except maybe making things for parties.  

My little girl loves to draw.  She wakes up and starts looking for crayons or pencils and some paper.  We always take some drawing stuff with us just in case and we are never in the car without them.  So it was not long before the fairy party turned into a drawing party.  And then she became so excited.  She counted the sleeps and helped with the crafts.  She even helped to do her cake.  

And on the day she hopped and skipped and giggled, all day long. So precious.

I painted a big floorboard with chalk board paint and some filing boxes became chairs with a bit of white paint and a chalk board lid.  I kept the eats simple and made some painting aprons from plastic table cloth covers.  I simply glue gunned the frills, ribbon and rickrack to the plastic.  So simple, but the girls adored them.  The cake was a bit of a last minute affair, but M was so happy with the end result and in the end, that is all that count.  Her happy smiles and giggles made me giggle too.  

Chocolate and Yogurt Birthday Cake
(From Leiths Baking Bible)

150ml plain yougurt
150ml oil
3 eggs
60ml golden syrup
85g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour
60ml cacao
½tsp bicarbonate of soda


Heat the oven to 170°C.  Grease a deep 20 x 25 cm cake tin and line with baking paper.
Beat together the eggs, oil, yogurt, syrup and mixing bowl.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda and fold into the egg mixture, using a large metal spoon.  Pour into the prepared tin.
Bake in the centre of the oven for about 40 - 50 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.


The cake improves with keeping and is easy to cut into shapes.

Marshmallow pops

Mix some golden syrup with some warm water to the consistancy of wood glue.  Use a paint brush to cover the bottom of the marshmallow and dip into sprinkles.  Press gently onto a popsicle stick.  Let dry upright.