BEWARE: New teenager in the house!!

 I now have two teenage boys in the house, so I foresee many stressful years ahead.  If you want to invest in the stockmarket, I would suggest Gordon's Gin, as I think the share value will escalate over the next few years, as a result of my consumprion alone!!  Babies and young children are challenging , but teenage boys add a whole new aspect to the stresses of being a Mother!!
We have had a lovely family Bar-B-Q this weekend, to celebrate Charlie's arrival into the wilderness of the teenage years, no longer a boy, but not quite a man!!

I had strict instuctions on the cake and pudding front from the boys/teenages/men of the family.

Instead of a traditional birthday cake Charlie wanted Chocolate Guiness Cake, chocolate cuppies and a Summer Fruits Pavlova. I love Nigella's Chocolate Guinnes Cake (Feast) and have been making it for years.  It is very simle and straightforward to make.  Do not be put off, if you are not a Guinness lover, it is a fabulously rich and damp cake that suits most paletes.  Owen, not quite a teenage, requested Strawberry Cream Dreams (see previous blog).



Strawberry Cream Dreams



Cocolate Guiness Cake:

250ml Guiness
250g unsalted butter
75g Cocoa Powder
400g Caster Sugar
142ml sour cream
2 eggs
1tbs vanilla exract
275g plain flour
21/2 tsp bicarbonate of Soda

Pour the Guiness into a large saucepan and add the butter-best if you slice it up, rather than one big chunk!  Once the butter has melted, whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar.  In a seperate bowl, beat the sour cream, eggs and vailla extract and pour into the beery pan.  Now whisk in the flours and bi-carb.

Pour the cake into a greased and lined tin (23cm) and bake for about 40 minutes at 170.  Check its cooked all the way through,  if not return to the oven, until the skewer comes out clean from the cake,  once cooled, place on a wire cooling rack.

For the topping I use (Nigella s125 ml double cream instead of Maple Syrup) 450g of cream cheese (I always use Philadelphia), a couple of tbs of Maple Syrup and 150g icing sugar (sieved).  Beat it all together until lovely and creamy-NO lumps!!  Ensure the cake is totally cool and spread the topping over the cake.

Summer Fruits Pavlova

4 medium egg whites
8oz (225g)  caster sugar
Summer fruits of your choice
1 pint of double cream

Break the egg whites into the bowl (keep the yolks for a number of other dishes) and whisk until you achieve soft peaks that hold their shape.  Whisk in 1 tsp at a time the sugar.  When you have lovely  stiff white peaks, spoon into a greased and lined dish, whatever shape you fancy!  Bake for about 1 1/2 hours at 120.  Remove form the oven and transfer to a bakig tray, carefully removing the parchment paper,  Whisk up the cream and slather onto the top of the cooled meringue, decorate with fruits of your chouce.  I used blackberries, raspberries and strawberries on this occasion.