Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Happy Birthday to me!

In the midst of the excitement over the engagement...comes my birthday as well! Interestingly enough, birthdays are just not the same as I get older. In fact, my mother and I had a VERY interesting conversation

Mum: "Happy birthday to you for Tuesday! How will you be celebrating?"
Me: "Thank you!!! Just dinner with AR and maybe lunch with friends on another day. Simple."
Mum: "Yes! See, you are now OLDER"
Me: "Wah... your turn to make fun of me......."
Mum: "HAHAHAHHAHA..yes! Finally my turn!! You are reaching your mid-twenties finally! hahhahaha

I couldn't stop laughing either...

It may seem bizzare to you but mum being mum, it's rare for her to tease!

So anyway, since it's my birthday, I guess it makes sense to share a cake I baked earlier in the month. This is one UGLY cake. Seriously. Really ugly. The surface uneven, the batter looks messy... just not what you will expect from a cake.



See how uneven the surface is? It looks like a blob of mess!



I even tried to use the software program to add "Stars" to make it look nicer.. Still it is one ugly cake.. Maybe kids will think it is the surface of Mars or another planet..

HOWEVER, I was pleasantly surprised by how moist and chocolately the cake was. The flavors were deep and rich. It's Mocha cake, so there was also a hint of coffee in the sauce. More importantly, the cake is LOW fat without taste being compromised! Seriously yummy. I had 2 helpings of it.

It doesn't look like it but as the saying goes... Looks can be deceiving.

Mystery Mocha Cake

Cake
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (3/4 ounce) low-fat cocoa
3/4 cup (6 ounces) skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Sauce
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (3/4 ounce) low-fat cocoa
1 cup double-strength coffee, room temperature

Cake: Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a cake pan.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Add the milk and vanilla; beat till smooth. Pour the batter into pan.

Sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the white and brown sugars. Sprinkle evenly over the cake batter in the pan. Pour the coffee over all. This may look kind of strange and messy, but never fear; everything will turn out fine.

Bake the cake for 40 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed gently. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. This cake is best enjoyed warm, between half an hour and an hour after you've taken it out of the oven.

Adapted from the King Arthur Flour Company

17 comments:

InspiredMumof2 said...

I am sure the cake is yummy. Sometimes cakes don't look nice but taste just as good...

SIG said...

Happy birthday to you!!!

culinaryprincess said...

CONGRATS daphne and a very happy birthday to u!! you must still be in cloud 9. Hope u have a wonderful birthday with ur fiance :D

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday!

Well, you may think it does not look pretty but most importantly, it's chocolate-based and it taste good, isn't it? :)

Lazyg3r said...

Happy Birthday, Daphne!! And congrats on your engagement. Woo... Double happiness!

Retno Prihadana said...

Happy birthday Daphne! I wish you all the best! Ur cake look lovely at the last picture!

Big Boys Oven said...

Happy Belated Birthday!!!

Little Corner of Mine said...

Happy Birthday Daphne! Guess it's called for double celebration dinner tonight huh? ;)

daphne said...

inspiredmumof2-yeah! I'm actually a little surprised that the end result was a rich and delicious cake.

singairishgirl-thank you!

Culinary princess-I have to get back on earth to finish my work! haha. Thank you for your well-wishes.

tigerfish-spot on! the taste is important!

laztg3r-haha. thank you! indeed it is double happiness. =) I hope mal is feeling better now.

retno-thank you! it's funny how ice-cream and strawberries make the cake look so much nicer.

big boys oven-wish I can have a slice of the cake you bake! especially the durian one!

littler corner of mine- just a quiet one. It is nice though to finally get a chance to have a chat with him on what he wants.

EriQa said...

Happy (Belated) Birthday to you babe! :) Hope you had a fantalicious one ;)

Oh my the cake looks fabulous. I must try this oun out.

Lady Gargle said...

Yummy yumms! And I'm a lil late but Happy Birthday to you :)

Precious Pea said...

Happy Belated Birthday!!!!

Well, the cake do look a bit ugly, sorry la, got to tell the truth rite? But my 6th sense telling me that it tastes yummy! Especially with Bulla creamy yoghurt ice cream...yum yum yum.

daphne said...

eriq+akontena-welcome! i did! it was nice to have a quiet dinner.

frankensteina-thank you!!

precious pea-it's true! really ugly! but nothing that abit of ice-cream won't fix.. hehee

East Meets West Kitchen said...

Happy, Happy, Belated Birthday!
And that chocolate cake looks so deliciously sinful and rich. Bravo!

J@n!ce said...

Came across your blog from EMWK.
Happy Belated Birthday to you.

I love chocolate cake. Sinful but yummy :)

Janice Ng

Babe_KL said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! *hugs*

sowwwyyy i came in too late and now i have to wish you a blessed belated burpday :(

daphne said...

east meets west kitchen-thank you!!!! hhee.. that is an easy cake.. just ugly looking!

Janice-hey hey! thanks for dropping by!!! ya! that's why this version is less sinful.. hehe..

Babe_KL- thank you!!! *hugs* better than than never!!!!

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