Should I reopen the happy place cafe?

[sashh]

I'm often awake in the night, today was a lie in for me, only properly awake since 4am.

In lockdown I opened, 'the happy place café where I would make virtual breakfasts and people would come to chat.

When it was last opened my French pastry chef Florence had married Fernando the cocktail waiter.

The kitten bees are inside because it is too old but the bumble cats are in the garden as usual.

SO should I reopen or was just something for lockdown?

Oooh chocolate fudge cake mummy thank you @Igglepigglesgrubbyblanket

I am hopeless at baking so I am going old school and have made rice Krispy and cornflake chocolate and marshmallow cakes .

I love the understated card @cassiatwenty

Morning all, well this is quite the party.

@AnneKipankitoo yes, that was quite the party..always is when the WAG gang joins in.... the karaoke was so fun...I didn't know @cassiatwenty could sing so well..I suppose we should take some chocolate fudge cake over to the neighbours to apologise for all our partying noise. And maybe a knob or 2...although they may be tempted to throw them at us.
Is the porridge ready this morning? If so, may I please have a huge bowl? And a latte, too please.

Actually that should be to @sashh not @AnneKipankitoo about the party...sorry!

It’s fine! I know what you are like after singing and sugar ingestion @Sweetpea1532 .

@BeautifulDayintheneighbourhood I do have the recipe - the cake is just a pound cake (so for every egg there is 2oz each of butter, sugar & SR flour) use slightly less flour and put a good amount of cocoa powder in so the mix is quite dark - you want it to be chocolatey! If it's a bit dry looking you can slacken the mix off with a bit of milk. I usually do a 3 or 4 egg cake.

The fudgy part is the topping: 3oz sugar, 3oz evaporated milk, 4oz dark chocolate (choose a type you love). Dissolve the sugar in the evap on a low heat & the boil for 6 mins without stiring. Then take off the heat and melt in the chocolate in. Let it set a bit in a cool place before you put it on the cake.
Sometimes I double this because you can never have enough chocolate fudge topping and the evap comes in a bigger tin sometimes.

Morning all.

That cake sounds fab, I bet Florence will be baking it soon.

I think hot chocolate would be chocolate overload with it so I'll get on with making teas and herbal infusions.

Slice of cake sounds heavenly, maybe with a strong mint tea?

One of the kitten bees appears to have got itself stuck in the fudge cake topping. I'll just rescue it and try and wash it down a bit.

I'm seriously thinking I need to put them in a cage when there is chocolate about.

@Igglepigglesgrubbyblanket thank you for writing out the recipe for us
The cake sounds divine and I think I'll make up the chocolate fudge topping and eat it with a spoon
yes @AnneKipankitoo you do know me well from our karaoke days on the road

@sashh may I please have a giant mug of cold milk with some of Florence's chocolate cake? Thank you for staying open all this time..the happy place cafe has been a welcome addition to my late nights when I can't sleep ( because I've had too much chocolate in the afternoon 🙄)

Morning!
Coffee and a croissant for me please.

Morning all.

Well I've been catching up on the great British menu, I'm not totally caught up but I have seen so many mushroom dishes that's what is on offer today.

Chanterelle, button, cep, hen of the woods, oyster, morelles. I do have some ink caps but don't mix them with alcohol.

Fernando is making some vanilla and milk vodka combination to go with the mushrooms and Florence is making trifles, I have no idea why, but the raspberry one is fab.

Morning!
I've not been to the cafe for a while but sleep is not happening tonight so thought I'd pop in!
I'm not sure what I fancy though yet so going to take a comfy seat and have a think 👍🏻

Mushrooms on toast is one of my favourites!

I did a mushroom foraging course with the expert from river cottage a few years ago it was amazing!

I'm not sure I want a trifle at this time of night, but I'd love to take one away for later. For now, please could I just have a big mug of milky tea?

Sorry about all the coughing. I've been coughing for over 3 months and I thought it was getting better but it's started up in earnest again. I figured this is probably the one cafe I can bring it into without putting people off their breakfast. And the one fire I can sit in front of without making it worse. :-)

Yes! I remember you sashh
I loved your cafe so much. I remember the pastry chef and everything! I wondered what had happened to it. Please reopen 😊

Oops, sorry, late to the party as usual! I can see you've been open a while. Just catching up on 18 pages of posts! Really hungry now! Have insomnia caused by peri. When will you be open? I'll be first in I reckon!!

Oooh mushrooms on toast with lots of pepper and a swirl of creme fraiche please. And a big mug of tea. Sitting by the fire watching the rain outside will be lovely.

Raspberry trifle for me

@BouleBaker is that you Scott B, who's watching the kittenbees? 🤔

Morning all.

I see the mushrooms and trifle went down well.

I'm in for a fishy morning so kedgeree, smoked salmon scrabbled eggs, kippers and maybe a a potted shrimp on toast.

Morning @sashh
Whilst the kedgeree was delicious last time, I tend to be a pastry person. I wonder what Florence has been baking? (If she’s not sulking with me for asking for German pastries).

I’ll have my coffee outside under a blanket.

Morning. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with a large mug of black coffee sounds lovely.

The cafe feels very cosy this morning. Have you put new pictures up?

The croissant look delicious , I might have one or two

@MinnieMountain She has croissants and pain au chocolate coming out of the oven.