Friday was The Great Ballymaloe Bake Off, the most enjoyable morning of cooking so far. Usually I have multiple recipes in my order of work but on Friday I had just one thing – a chocolate cake. The criteria for winning was crumb texture, icing consistency and presentation. I went for a rustic natural look and picked some flowers before class. My teacher Florrie gave me a beautiful, antique style stand with panels of faded turquoise and red to present my cake on. My inner six year old was in her element! Sadly I did not win but that was okay. The winner was my pal Cecily, who made a fabulous cake and decorated it with handmade leopard print chocolate shards. Well deserved!

I love this one!

The winning cake of my kitchen

Drippy Icing in action

Marigolds

Forget me nots

I learned : Buttercream keeps cake fresh so the more layers you put in your cake the longer it will last. Win – win.

Food of the day : Cake batter. I did lick the bowl but I can assure you I washed my hands thoroughly afterwards.

Line of the day : Silence. The kitchen was quiet today because people were concentrating so hard on their cakes and it was blissful.

Órfhlaith