1st elaborated cake i baked!

Today's Bro Xiong's Bday!

I have long decided to bake him a cake, but was worried abt the busy CNY schedule + my skills!
U see, my prince n princess have been so used to cakes from Secret Recipe, Sweet Secrets, Royals etc.... my homebaked cake may just be a tad too ...LC for them lah!

So I set abt to make a very chocolaty cake, hoping at least they will give the chocolat some face!

1st, check the fridge - see got what fruits to use! =D

2nd, check the ingredients - alas, couldnt get Self raising flour from the store b4 CNY (outa stock), so decided to ask my "Best friend" google for the ratio to mix my own Self Raising flour!

3rd, make advance "booking" for the kitchen!

All set & ready to go!

*Interesting method of beating over a "double boiler" of simmering water...

Supposed to make sure it's thick & flowy!

Mix the cocoa, butter & flour mixture...

Got OR-LING! =D

Chocolate & Orange! BEST COMBI!

*Rind of 1 X or-ling

Mix & Pop it in!

Make the icing for the chocolate spread!

*Lotsa Butter n Tudor Gold dark chocolate!

Cake is baked & nicely dome-d shaped!

1st layer of 3, chocolat icing +

almond (since have some in the fridge)!

After piecing tog 2 more layers!

DECOR:

Shaved some white chocolate +

dark chocolate +

got some cherries in the fridge!

Heart shaped cherries really made some difference to the plain cake (though it's not very red, more like deep purple in colour)!

*Got some more left over chocolate shavings, spread it ard the edges of the cake!

VIOLA!

*Erm... dun ask me if the cake is supposed to look like this... cos I impromptu tot of the design myself.... I just piece them up along the way... used up most of my creativity juice, now the level very low liao!

*FAINT!

Ok, can ask me if the cake is nice... =D

other than it's a little too dry (I made it 1 day in advance + put in fridge + mayb can put some milk). the icing were so yummy! I still have some leftover to spread on bread (use like nutella spread! SINFUL!)

Overall, the cake was yummilicious!

Best of all, bro xiong liked it very much, he was happy not cos the cake was very yummy, but cos this is the 1st cake that was baked specially for him... somemore by his own younger sis! He was rather touched... =D Me? I'm happy cos I made him happy!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

*Phew.... now I can dip my finger into the tube of chocolaty icing & lick my fingers off!