Happy birthday, Irish Writer!

I love birthdays! My birthday, other people's birthdays - I don't care! (Although mine is obviously the best...) Birthdays are so much fun, there's so much enjoyment in one day; so much cake, so many balloons, so many presents. How can anyone not love it? I've vowed never to work on my birthday again, if I can avoid it, because birthdays aren't like other days - they should be fun, special, and full of magical surprises. And cake - did I mention that?

Today is my Irish writer's birthday, and sadly, he doesn't share my enthusiasm for the concept of this celebration of aging. It was a sad day when I found out, and the first surprise birthday party I tried throwing for him didn't go down all that well. But over the years, I have done my best to convince him of the beauty of birthdays, mainly by way of cake and present bribes, and I think it is starting to work.

Creamy, delicious bursdagsbløtkake

Today I started the charm offensive in the traditional way - birthday breakfast cake in bed. In my family, we've done this since I can remember: a cream sponge cake with candles, served in bed to a 'sleeping' celebratee, with cards, presents and loud singing wholly out of tune.

The cake is always the same: Bløtkake, with lots of whipped cream.

Here's how you make it:

Bursdagsbløtkake


Sukkerbrød/sponge:
6 eggs
200 ml sugar
300 ml flour
1/2 tsp baking powder


Filling:
500 ml (or more) whipping cream
3 bananas, mashed
Raspberry jam
Orange juice or Fanta
Decorations - grapes, kiwis, walnuts, strawberries, chocolate or whatever.


Whip the eggs and sugar gradually in a big bowl until white-ish and stiff - it will become quite a lot, so make sure you have room! Carefully fold the flour and baking powder in, until it is evenly mixed. Bake at 180C for 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the cake form and then on a wire rack.


When the sponge is cool, whip the cream into soft peaks. Add a little vanilla sugar for flavour. Mash the bananas. Cut the sponge in three layers, and put one on a serving plate. Drizzle with enough juice or soda to make it fairly moist, then spread a third of the mashed banana and a good helping of raspberry jam on top. Cover with a fair bit of whipped cream (a fourth or fifth of what you have should be about right).


Put on the next layer of sponge on top, and repeat. Do the same with the third layer, but this time, cover carefully with the cream, and use any remaining cream to cover the sides and to decorate as you please. I like using grapes, kiwis or strawberries: remember that this is first served in bed, and as such constitutes a decent breakfast - as long as it has fruit, I reckon.

Success! Cake!

With a cake like this to start the day, and some carefully selected presents, even birthday grinches are likely to crack a smile.If you want to make the day even better, try decorating the house with flags, balloons and football paraphernalia, and make a success cake for dessert - you're almost guaranteed success. (Recipe another time!)