17th Birthday Cake.

Let's take a step away from the fact that it is Christmas in just 17 days and discuss a different birthday. I made this birthday cake this week with a slightly festive theme in mind - the blue and white (aka I was asked to make it at short notice and had to use whatever I had in my cupboard, which happened to only be blue and white icing), but I think it worked out quite well in the end. I covered the cake in an ivory icing which I had rolled over one of my lace impressions mat to get the swirly floral pattern and brushed with rejuvenator to make the design stand out. I then made a light blue rose accompanied by seven hydrangea flowers in the shape of a '17', all stuck down with edible glue.

Inside was a normal sponge cake with homemade vanilla buttercream and a slither of apricot jam, which I personally love but I know it's not for everyone so I decided not to put too much in. Of course, no cake of mine would be complete without a spritz of pearl lustre spray.

The flowers on this cake could easily be substituted for snowflakes and the floral icing for something slightly more festive.

17 DAYS TO GO! Cakesfordorothy xoxo

My Favourite Chocolate Truffles.

I really do love making these all year round, but especially at Christmas. I find they're great if you suddenly realised you've forgotten to buy someone a present or if you're not sure what to buy for someone and I also love making them as after-dinner. These chocolate truffles are quick, easy, delicious and will go down a treat!

Ingredients:

125g plain chocolate

2 tbsp of your choice of liquor (optional)

40g unsalted butter

55g icing sugar

55g ground almonds

cocoa powder for dusting (optional)

Method:

1. Put the plain chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water and melt, make sure you stir it regularly so chocolate doesn't burn.

2. Carefully remove form the heat and stir in your choice of liquor (I like to use rum).

3. Beat in the butter, sugar and almonds until thoroughly combined.

4. Shape the mixture into balls, I usually use 1 tsp per truffle to ensure they are all of a similar size. This recipe should make on average 18 but it depends on how big or small you make them.

5. If you are going to dust them with cocoa then spread some cocoa powder onto a plate and simply roll the truffles around in it until they are coated all over. Be careful not to put too much cocoa powder on them as this can make them very bitter and have an almost furry texture. An alternative decoration, which I prefer, is melting some chocolate and either dipping them in or drizzling it over them. I would advise refrigerating them for a while before and after doing this.

19 DAYS TO GO! Cakesfordorothy xoxo

Christmas Cookie Inspiration.

I really do love decorating biscuits at Christmas, my earliest memory of this was when I was 7 and I went to Ikea with my mom and buying about 50 of their gingerbread biscuits in star and tree shapes. I decorated them all with festive writing icing and put the first letter of everyone in my year group's name on biscuits and giving to them in cellophane bags as presents. They went down well, despite the fact that I got angry at some people for opening theirs before Christmas day. Since then I've had an obsession with biscuits for the festive season. Here are a few which have inspired me this year...

20 DAYS TO GO! Cakesfordorothy xoxo