MarsLady! coeee!

[SoupDragon]

You once mentioned swapping the lemon for cocoa in your fabled lemon drizzle cake - how much did you use?

lol

I used 3-4 tbsp but I also put extra milk in and some melted chocolate (but the melted chocolate isn't necessary...but it is yummy!)

I was thinking about including chocolate chunks...

Ta.

Oh, and nigella has a chocolate cake in one of the books that involves drizzling over a chocolate sauce IIRC...

Really?????????????????? how yum!

Actually.. that's made me remember that I haven't made hot choccie pudding for a while. It's a basic chocolate cake mix which you put into a deep dish then you mix soft brown sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa powder and hot water and pour over the top!

Must make that tonight. My kids will love me forever. I have to say that they are half way through the lemon drizzle cake I made yesterday... still it goes to school with them as well in lunches and for break time snacks!

I think you will find that is called Secret Sauce Pudding

please talk to me about North London in winter

thank you

I have a lemon drizzle cake sliced (I make it in 2 loaf tins rather than one square) in the freezer. Defrosts in 30 seconds in the microwave to a nice fresh-baked warmth

Choclate pudding.... with chocolate custard... happy childhood memories... sigh.

I would make it in 2 loaf tins if I thought the kids would let me get away with it!

They run in from school and bellow...."I'm hungry is there cake left?" Then they devour the loaf of bread (must make another loaf), then they demand dinner, unless it's their turn to cook. PMSL

Well south London in the Winter is cold but not as cold as it should be iyswim and very, very blustery, it's actually that lovely weather that makes you feel like it's blown the cobwebs away. On a less positve note the binmen have had a riciculously long Christmas break and the bins are out of control, bet that wouldn't happen in Oz

I only have 3 small children and, er, they never know I've baked it...

PMSL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You wicked woman. If I could I'd hide the hot choccy pud... but they smell it on route from school... I swear they do!

Clearly you're too good a mother and give them homebaked items so often they always assume you've been baking.

I bake so I don't have to cook veg! lol

I'm reasonably sure my kids would find it debatable that I was a good mother lol! After all... I send them to bed... I make them do chores... I send them out to the shop... I make them do the DTs bath time.... lol

you send them to bed... you make them do chores... you send them out to the shop... you make them do the DTs bath time.... and you bake cakes and chocolate pudding

I've tried the chocolate non-lemon drizzle cake. I think I need to try another slice to be sure though...

Nigella's choc syrup was 100g sugar, 125ml water and 1 teaspoon cocoa. Boil it for about 5 minutes to reduce it to a syrup (not sure mine ever got to a syrup as such and you may need to double it for the 2-loaf-size cake). After t=it had been "reduced" I also added about 2 generous table spoons of that posh drinking chocolate which is choc flakes. Because obviously it needed extra chocolate! I would imagine you could make up the lemon drizzle icing with water rather than juice and some cocoa though.

LOL!

To ice it I would melt a large bar of chocolate in the microwave, add a dollop of oil and stir then leave to set!

I can't be arse with that boiling water, mix with cocoa etc rubbish. I just chuck the hot water in after the cocoa and whisk!

I just shoved it all in a saucepan and let it boil over... makes a god awful sticky mess on the hob I can tell you.

I speared the cake with a cocktail stick and then poured the syrup over so it all soaked in.

Well that's cos you let it boil over you daft mare! lol

Twice!

Now twice is just plain silly! lol