I love nothing more than baking a cake, and in my time I have certainly baked a fair few. There is the children’s Birthday cakes I have lovingly stayed up all night making, cakes for
I love nothing more than baking a cake, and in my time I have certainly baked a fair few. There is the children’s Birthday cakes I have lovingly stayed up all night making, cakes for friends, cakes for cake sales and cakes for no reason other than just because we all need a little cake in our lives sometimes. Making an actual cake is theraputic and very rewarding, putting all the ingredients together, creating something that people enjoy and even the smell of the cake baking in the house are all lovely bonuses about baking your very own cake. I was pleased to hear that I am not alone in my crazy cake baking hobby, Emma Kenny, one of my favourite Psychological therapists who I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago, says how it can be therapeutic and refers to it as ‘Baking therapy’. I love that phrase and it is certainly one that I shall be using more often.
World Baking Day is coming up on 17th May 2015, and to celebrate I shall be getting my bake on. But it’s not just any cake I am making this time, I shall be joining forces with the much loved Stork and baking ‘The World’s Happiest Cake’. I thought long and hard about who I should make this cake for, and I came to the conclusion that everyone in my household needs a slice of this. We live with my children’s grandparents at present, and Granny does an awful lot to help us out. From washing our clothes, to babysitting every morning while I complete the school runs, Granny P has been a lifesaver. She most definitely deserves a big slice of ‘The World’s Happiest Cake’ as she puts a smile on all of our faces.
So how do you make ‘The World’s Happiest Cake’? Well here is the recipe I am using courtesy of Stork.
Coconut, Mango and Lime Cake Recipe
Servings: 16
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes
225g Stork block
325g caster sugar
4 eggs, medium
250g self-raising flour
100g plain flour
Zest of 2 limes
50g dried mango, finely chopped
50g flaked almonds
50g desiccated coconut
Syrup
Juice of 2 limes
60g caster sugar
Fillin
55g (2 oz) Stork tub
175g icing sugar
1-2 teaspoons milk
100g mango puree (fresh or tinned)
Topping
100g icing sugar, sieved
25g each of shredded or desiccated coconut and dried mango
15g each sunflower and pumpkin seeds
15g flaked almonds, toasted
1. To make the cake, place Stork and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time and fold in remaining ingredients
2. Place the mixture in a greased and bottom lined 23cm deep cake tin
3. Bake on the middle shelf of a preheated moderate oven 170° C, 160° C fan oven, Gas mark 4 for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean
4. Turn out and cool on a wire tray
5. For the syrup place sugar and lime juice in a pan over moderate heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and then pour over warm cake
6. Filling: place Stork, sugar and milk together in a bowl and beat together until smooth. Split cake into 3 and sandwich together with icing and mango puree
7. To finish the cake, make a glace icing by adding either lime juice or water to the icing sugar until a thick pouring consistency and spread over the cake. Top with a mix of seeds, mango, coconut and almonds.
Are you a fan of baking? Are you making something special for World Baking Day? Maybe you have a different reiept for what you think is ‘The World’s Happiest Cake’, I would love to hear what it is. You can visit worldbakingday.com/uk and you can even show off your special bake by using the hashtag #worldbakingday where you may just get some more inspiration too.
This post has been sponsored by Stork for more details on their products please visit www.bakewithstork.com. Disclaimer: I cannot be held liable for any dribbling that may occur while browsing the site.
