Layered Rainbow Cake

This pretty creation was my daughter's birthday party cake from this year. Isn't it so beautiful!

She saw this cake on the front of the April edition of BBC Good Food Magazine and wanted me to make it for our Easter celebration cake, but I wimped out and make a chocolate cake instead. 

But I couldn't deny her request for this year's birthday.

Yes, it is a bit of a fiddle and yes, it took me a whole day to complete, but the gasps of delight of my daughter and her friends (and me) when we cut it open at the party made it well worth while.

I went with a pastel colour scheme for the cake. Some other examples of this type of cake I've seen are almost 'radioactive' looking the colours are so bright. I wanted something a bit more subtle, with less colouring and I think it turned out really well.

The mascarpone icing was wonderful. It was lovely, thick and sweet and complemented the squidgy cake wonderfully.

I followed the recipe from BBC Good Food to the letter. It was easy and the sponges were moist and springy. As this was not my original recipe, I will not reproduce it here. If you'd like to make this cake, click here for the recipe.

Chocolate caramel coconut slice

Behold this morsel of sweet goodness!

It contains some of my favourite ingredients - chocolate, caramel and coconut. Combined together, these ingredients make this divine little slice.

My lovely daughter requested a batch of this slice as a birthday treat. She also helped with the making and baking, which was fun, as we were able to lick our sweet, sticky fingers afterwards.

Word of warning - this slice is very sweet, so you only need a very small square to satisfy. A 2cm square is plenty, and will ensure that the slice stretches far.

Banana, raspberry and coconut bread

Quick recipe for banana, raspberry and coconut bread.

Desserts and cakes using banana are rare here is Austria. Most probably because the banana is a tropical fruit and there weren't many around when the traditional cake recipes were devised.

I sometimes get an interesting reaction from people when I bring banana muffins or a banana cake to morning tea. As was the case when I handed over this banana, raspberry and coconut bread to my host for as my contribution to afternoon tea by the lake.

But it went down a treat with all the hungry swimmers and I had to leave the leftovers there so the host could eat it for breakfast the next day! 
So it must have been alright.
Great with a cup of tea or coffee, or have it for breakfast - you could even toast it! The bread had the tang of the raspberries and the moistness of the coconut and banana. I also added cinnamon and nutmeg for a subtle hint of spiciness. Add some cold butter for a nice treat.

Scotch eggs

I've never made scotch eggs before, but I have always wanted to try. I think these crumbed balls, with the bright yellow yolks in the middle look so pretty. Just like a little surprise package.

We were recently invited for a swim at a friend's house and I offered to bring the an antipasti platter for the evening meal. I made these eggs as a part of the platter. I made extra so we could also try them at home, served with a simple green salad for a light dinner in the hot weather. The little people thought they were really great and even helped me making them, which was a nice activity for us all.

You have to invest a little bit of time to make these eggs, as there are a few steps, and chilling in between, but I think it was worth the effort.

These would be an excellent addition to your next picnic. The eggs would travel well in a sealed container and would be great with some cheese and a little chutney. Yum!

Meatloaf

This is a 'feed a crowd' dish. And there's not too much effort involved. The oven does most of the work for you. 

I think you could make this meatloaf after work and have on the table in an hour. Or make it the night before and heat slowly in the oven the next night. Or make a double batch and freeze one uncooked meatloaf for cooking later. 

In our house it is definitely a crowd pleaser, for the young and the not-so-young.

I served the meatloaf with warmed sauerkraut. If you don't like sauerkraut, a simple mashed potato compliments the meatloaf just as well.