This winter is giving me all the reasons to bake! It is so cold in my part of town plus it’s been raining and there is very little scope for any outdoor activity. I love the sunshine especially in the colder months but there is also the prospect of getting better photos on a cloudy day than those days when the sun is shining bright in my backyard where I normally shoot. So I ended up baking 7 cakes in 6 days.  Yeah, I’m amazed at myself where I go for days feeling like I have nothing new to add or nothing better to create. And then there are these bursts of energy on certain days when I don’t have enough hours to give shape to my crazy imagination.

Chocolate, almond and strawberries in a cake speak for itself. All the great, stuff, right" And the bonus is that the batter can be made in one pan. Just mix and pour!
The buttercream is actually chocolate flavored, made with cocoa powder and tinted with red food gel colour. I’ve been meaning to make a red frosting for months and finally got my chance.

 

 
Chocolate, Almond and Strawberry Cake

Makes a 6 inch round cake

150 g unsalted butter, room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda

1 cup self-raising flour

1/4 cup almond meal (ground almonds)

3 eggs, lightly whisked

1/2 cup strawberries, roughly chopped
Cocoa Buttercream

125 g unsalted butter, softened

11/2 cups icing sugar

1 tbsp milk (more if needed)

1 and...