DD is a year on Saturday and I want to bake her the most amazing birthday cake ever known to man  ;D ...not that she'll even notice it…

Plain old sponge is a bit boring…any ideas?

Victoria Sponge with chocolate added (if chocolate cake is your child's preference), then just go to town on icing, sprinkles and some kind of decoration.  I usually end up gathering up little Lego men or other washable toys and using them on the cake.  For my DS's 8th birhtday, I found a Bionicle and had him sitting in the icing, reading a mini newspaper with a tiny pencil stuck behind his ear (made out of a cocktail stick).  It was very funny to look at and I think DS thought it was good to see his Bionicle doing something other than saving the world.   ::)

I run out of ideas a lot of the time and I exhausted Mr Men cakes years ago (lovely, simple shapes!!)   ;D

This is my very very best cake.  I make it for special occasions and everyone seems to adore it

180g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)  (2 bars of dk G&B's)
200g ground almonds
175g butter, softened
125g sugar, unrefined (I often use 1/3 bottle of maple syrup instead)
4 eggs, seperated

Melt chocolate bain-marie style and cream butter and sugar together.  Add melted chocolate, ground almonds and egg yolks to butter mixture and blend smooth.  Whip egg whites to a peak and then fold in.  Pour into grease proof paper lined tin.  Use a very large shallow round one, 25 cm is best.  Bake at 150 C/gas 2 for about 35 mins (bit longer if liquid sweetner used).  The edges should be crisping up and the center still squishy.

Cake is about 2.5 to 3 inches thick, fudgey and gooey and fabulous.  I melt more chocolate over the top, decorate and serve with whipped cream  Delicious

Be warned though, it is amazingly addictive and forever more everyone who eats it will be hankering after more and begging you to make it again!  Not a hardship tho, it is seriously yummy.

oh that sounds really really good….do you think it would be ice-able too? mmmm it sounds so yum!