Pirates

I've had a lot of fun this week making pirate cookie pops for a friend's little girl's birthday. That is a lot of apostrophes I know, but I think my grammar is accurate. These are like cake pops, but made using a simple sugar biscuit dough.

The tricky bit is the icing. You have to start by outlining your basic shape using a thicker piping consistency.

The black icing was not easy to colour but a mad dash to Sainsbury's helped.

Then you can start to 'flood' the different areas and add details such at the white spots on the bandannas. 

Please don't ask me what ethnicity these pirates are, the skin tone was particularly orange at one point and they were in danger of looking as if they had been given a dodgy fake tan!

Finally some more piping/flooding to create the facial details. Unfortunately the black icing bled a little into the surrounding colours despite the fact I left them to dry in between each stage.

These are in no way my own invention, I closely followed the instructions here. Yes, you read that correctly I 'followed instructions'. It was quite a novel experience for me as I'm sure the gorgeous husband would agree.

Didn't I Say Never Again?

So amazing son number 2 was 9 a few weeks ago and tomorrow we are taking him with some friends for a climbing wall party. Despite my previous misgivings about making more cake pops for the sons'  birthdays I couldn't resist. However, due to a broken hand (out of plaster, in a splint, still sore, but healing nicely, thanks for asking) I am somewhat limited in what I can do. So I did cheat a little and ordered a Lego ice cube mould. I used this to make Lego brick cake pops. I think he will be pleased.  Cake, Lego, chocolate combined - can't argue with that really.

Birthday Brownies

Amazing son number 2 turns 9 on Monday and is currently out socialising for the day. My plaster cast means the proper birthday cake (yes, I am thinking cake pops again despite my previous misgivings) is going to have to wait until his party at the end of the month. I can still mange to make brownies though, and asked amazing son number 1 if he wanted to make them with me for his brother's birthday. After our embarrassing little bus journey a few days ago I wasn't sure whether he would actually want to be seen with me in the kitchen, especially if I was wearing an apron! I am glad to say it's clearly OK to be seen with your mother if chocolate is involved. I might take to carrying some with me at all times to ensure I'm less embarrassing to him in future. Particularly on buses.

13

That's all I can bring myself to type as a title as I am still in shock at officially having a teenaged son. Surely I am far too young. Amazing son number 1 turned 13 at the weekend and (teenage grumps aside) is becoming a wonderful young man who we are very proud of, particularly as anyone who knows our story will know a little bit of the obstacles he has already overcome in his life.

He chose the new hat himself - thank you for it to Uncle Chi, Aunty Karenza, Victoria and Daniel, even though this is the first you will know about it!

Having made Lego Head Cake Pops for amazing son number 2 for his birthday I decided to make Super Mario Mushroom Cake Pops for amazing son number 1. Needless to say both the amazing sons thought they were great, and have even started making requests for their next birthdays. I haven't the heart to say that I'm thinking of going back to making Nigella's incredibly speedy ice cream cake next year, probably because I also know I will undoubtedly relish the challenge (if not the hours required) to make more cake pops nearer the time.

Chick On Sticks - The Recipe

Cute hey? I decided against adding eyes or beaks in a different colour - minimalist chicks you could say. The amazing sons, the gorgeous husband and the fab friend all enjoyed them on Easter Sunday. They are very sweet though - so be warned if you don't have a sweet tooth or if you do and need to avoid indulging your sugar addiction. So, here's how....

Ingredients

• 2 x Sainsbury's basics Madeira cake (yes, the basics variety - cheap but actually very nice)
• 1 x tub Betty Crocker vanilla frosting (cheating all the way my lovelies)
• 1 x packet of Scotbloc (you really can still buy this from Sainsbo, fabulous stuff)
• yellow oil based food colouring
• lollipop sticks - the paper variety preferably
• chick shaped cutter (unless you are feeling very creative and have lots of time)
• polystyrene block (available free from Homebase I understand, or be prepared to hold the cake pops until dry)

What To Do

1. crumble your Madeira cakes into, well, crumbs
2. stir in the frosting, all the frosting - this is why they are so sweet
3. refrigerate the dough for a good hour or so
4. roll out the dough to the depth of the cutter and cut the chick shapes out, repeat as necessary
5. refrigerate the chicks for another hour or so
6. melt the Scotbloc gently in the microwave and stir in enough food colouring to get a good yellow colour
7. dip the lollipop stick in the Scotbloc and gently push into the bottom of the chick - about an inch or so
8. (yawn) refrigerate again for about an hour or until the scotbloc has fully hardened
9. re-melt the scotbloc gently in the microwave
10. dip the chicks headfirst in the melted scotbloc so they are totally covered
11. gently tap and twizzle the chicks over the bowl until the scotbloc stops dripping
12. insert the stick into the polystyrene block to dry

It sounds more complicated and long winded than it really is. You can do it in stages over a number of days which is what I did. A good website for supplies is The Cake Decorating Company, and they delivered incredibly quickly when I used them. I also referred to Bakerella's YouTube video for the tap and twizzle method so you get a nice smooth coating. Maybe I have too much time on my hands, or perhaps my housework aversion is to blame, but I love making cake pops. More to come I would imagine.

Chicks On Sticks

Since making the Lego Head Cake Pops for amazing son number 2 I have been longing to have another go. With Easter just around the corner and the fab friend coming for lunch with us all I've just the excuse - especially when there is the bathroom and bedroom to clean. Have I mentioned before how much I loathe housework? So work is under way - rather quickly as these are a lot easier than the Lego Head ones as I have used a cutter to form the basic shape.

Just need to coat them in 'chocolate' and add an eye or two. Recipe to follow once they are finished - a cheat's delight this one! Now, what else can I find to do other than cleaning.....

Simply Too Much Fun

The Lego head pop cakes for amazing son number 2 are now finished. I got a little over excited about making them and couldn't wait any longer. I'm assured they will be fine until Saturday but I am so tempted to put one in each of the amazing sons' lunch boxes on Friday as a surprise. I think I would make them a little smaller next time but I am really pleased. I think that amazing son number 2 is going to love them and it will be a total delight when I see his face. One problem though - where exactly do I put the candles?

Lego Head Cakes

The amazing son number 2 is turning 8 on Saturday and is completely Lego mad. I have lost count of which different Lego sets he has asked for or is planning to buy. Our playroom is usually covered with Lego pieces (perfect excuse not to hoover too often in there, you never know what you might accidentally suck up). I usually make an ice cream birthday cake (softened vanilla ice cream, bashed bourbon biscuits, lots of different chopped chocolate bars all stirred together and frozen in a spring form cake tin) and served with either hot chocolate sauce, hot caramel sauce or hot chocolate/peanut sauce - thank you Nigella. However, I've been inspired to break with tradition and make individual Lego head "cake pops". That's cakes on a stick to you and me. I've got as far as the basic shapes which now need to have a lollipop stick inserted and to be dipped in melted chocolate and decorated. So far so good. I'm planning on doing a bit more to them over the next couple of days and will post some more pictures when they are finished. You can see the big Lego torch I used to model them on is keeping guard in case either of the amazing sons get the midnight munchies.......it has been known!