♥ Happy Birthday Hubby ♥

Today we are celebrating my hubby's 37th birthday! To celebrate the occasion I baked him a 4 layer Vanilla and Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes. Both of which have been thoroughly enjoyed today. It's been a great day of retail therapy, followed by lunch and then ten pin bowling with our son and his girlfriend. We plan to finish the celebrations this evening with a romantic meal for hubby and I at our local Thai restaurant.

Vanilla and Chocolate Layer Cake

Ingredients
For the cake:
340g butter, at room temperature
280g caster sugar
6 eggs, medium
280g self-raising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted

For the icing:
520 icing sugar, sifted
220g butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 180oC/fan oven 160oC/Gas mark 4. Grease four 8in cake tins, and line the bottoms with greaseproof or baking paper.

Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift the flour on top and fold in. Separate half the mixture into another bowl and sift in the cocoa powder until well combined. Stir in the vanilla extract to the other mixture. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tins and spread out evenly, using the back of the spoon. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn out the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, beat together the icing sugar, butter, vanilla and milk until smooth and creamy. Spread each cake layer and then swirl the remaining icing all over the cake.

Chocolate Fudge Birthday Cupcakes

Makes 12

Ingredients

140g soft butter

140g golden caster sugar

3 medium eggs

100g self-raising flour

25g cocoa, sifted

For the frosting:

85g milk chocolate, broken

85g soft butter

140g icing sugar, sifted

Sprinkles (optional)

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and put 16 gold cases into a fairy-cake tin. Tip all the ingredients for the cake into a mixing bowl and beat for 2 mins with an electric hand-whisk until smooth. Divide between the cases so they are two-thirds filled, then bake for 12-15 mins until risen. Cool on a wire rack.For the frosting, microwave the chocolate on high for 1 min. Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the melted chocolate. Spread on the cakes and decorate with various sprinkles.