Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing & a Giveaway!

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing
Sometimes all you need is a good old-fashioned tea cake with a thick layer of icing on top. This buttermilk cake was made for an afternoon tea, chock-full of chocolate chips and topped with an orange-flavoured butter icing. It was simple but satisfying. The buttermilk cake in this recipe has become one of my go-to recipes for when I want to whip up a cake that's fairly easy. It's an incredibly forgiving recipe, since the buttermilk ensure that the cake stays rich and moist even if you forget about it and leave it in the oven too long like I did.
Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing-4
Interestingly (in a bad way) my icing curdled when I added orange juice to it, and I figure it was because I am super lazy and was whipping my butter when it was still really cold (thanks to my powerful kitchenaid), so I melted another 2 tbsp of butter and whipped it into the mixture, which seemed to fix it up. I'm always a fan of any tips that can stop me from having to throw away wasted ingredients!
Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing-2
On to something very exciting; for the longest time I've been a HUGE fan of the wonderful blog Call Me Cupcake! by Linda Lomelino. She bakes the most beautiful creations and takes stunning photographs, it's the kind of work that I aspire to create. Her pink rainbow cake was one of the first ombré cakes I ever saw, and inspired me to create my favourite cake. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard that an English version of her first book, Lomelino's Cakes : 27 Pretty Cakes to Make Any Day Special was finally being published AND I had the opportunity to share a copy of the book with you. That's right, my very first cookbook giveaway! It's an absolutely gorgeous book, full of the prettiest looking cakes I've seen in a while and plenty of handy tips for making beautiful cakes. P.S. For those of you interested, the book will be on sale in bookstores from November 11th (that's today!).
lomelino's cakes
From Lomelino’s Cakes by Linda Lomelino, © 2014 by Linda Lomelino. Reprinted by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications Inc., Boston, MA. www.roostbooks.com
To enter for a chance to win 1 copy of Lomelino's Cakes : 27 Pretty Cakes to Make Any Day Special by Linda Lomelino: Leave a comment below and tell me, what is your dream birthday cake? This giveaway is currently open to Australian residents only, and closes Monday 17 November 2014. I will select one entry and announce the winner on Tuesday 18 November. Make sure to include your email address in the comment form (you can enter it in the Name/URL box) when you enter so I can contact you if you're the lucky winner! Thanks to Kate from Roost Books for organising this.
This giveaway is now closed! Thanks everyone who entered, come back tomorrow to check if you're a winner!
Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing-3
Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing
(adapted from this Gourmet Traveller recipe)
For the cake:
165g (about 1.5 sticks) butter (I used salted, if using unsalted add a pinch of salt to your flour mixture), softened
220g (1 cup) sugar (I used caster/superfine)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
200g (about 1.5 cups) plain/all-purpose flour
100g (about 3/4 cups) self-raising flour
1/4 tsp bicarb (baking) soda
220ml (about 1 cup minus 2 tbsp) buttermilk (or milk mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice)
1 cup milk or dark chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F) and grease and line a 21cm or 23cm round cake tin (7 inch or 8 inch, baking time will vary) /or a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. 
  2. Mix flours and baking soda in a bowl together and set aside
  3. Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. 
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating to combine. 
  5. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
  6. With the mixer on low speed add half the flour mixture, follow by half the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk. Mix until just combined.
  7. Fold in chocolate chips and pour mixture into prepared tin. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (I used a 21cm round tin and it took about 70 mins)
  8. Cool in tin for 10 minutes then carefully remove from tin, cover with a tea towel and cool on wire rack before serving.
For the icing:
150g (1 & 1/3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups (250g) icing/confectioner's sugar, sifted
About 1/4 cup orange juice, adjust to taste and texture
  1. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until fluffy. 
  2. Gradually add icing sugar and continue to beat until combined and smooth.
  3. Adding orange juice and beat, adjust to taste and texture (if the mixture becomes too runny, add more icing sugar).
  4. Spread a thick layer of icing over the top of the cake using a spatula. Serve immediately or can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days.
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91 comments:

  1. Definitely anything chocolate & raspberry for my dream birthday cake! abeywni@hotmail.com

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  2. Your choc chip looks yummy!! My dream birthday cake would be the eight textured chocolate cake from Quay ! So much oozy melty chocolate 😈

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  3. Your chocolate chip buttermilk cake looks so yummy

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  4. This looks amazing!

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  5. I'd love a caramel macadamia cake - my mouth is watering just thinking about it.... yum!

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  6. Ever since your strawberry champagne cake I have loved the idea of bubbles in a celebration cake! I would go for a champagne and pear or apple cake for lovely sweet but fresh flavours!

    Cannot wait to try this tea cake!! My mum is visiting next week while my dad has heart surgery so she will be in need of some lovely comfort food I'm sure!

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  7. i love cake of allsorts! my dream birthday cake would be a tall ombre chiffon with a generous piping of rosewater flavoured buttercream rosettes!

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  8. My dream birthday cake would be a layered spong oozing with fresh whipped cream and home made berry jam. Presented on a beautiful cake stand and topped with fresh roses and jasmine trailing down.

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  10. I am obsessed with coconut so a layered coconut cake with fresh raspberries is my dream cake for my next birthday. I can taste it already! reiha.amy@abc.net.au

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  11. Oh my that cookbook sounds incredible! Have no idea what my ideal cake would be...there are just too many things to consider :P

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  12. Oh, I missed the part about being an Australian resident. Heh. Don't mind me :)

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  13. A soft, moist chocolate cake with a malt chocolate filling (like the Tim Tam filling). Served with a raspberry sauce to drizzle over the top. My mouth is watering! spence.j@bigpond.net.au

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  14. Your cakes always look amazing. My dream cake is pretty much one I didn't make myself:) However as long as it involves chocolate and strawberries I'm happy.

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  15. I love Linda Lomelino! My dream (heck, anytime really) birthday cake would have to be your brown butter cake with vanilla bean cream and salted caramel. If there ever was a dream in a cake it's that one!

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  16. My dream birthday (coming up very soon) cake would involve chocolate and raspberries and cream of course. Thanks for the competition ;)

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  17. Hmm tough choice- but a giant Hummingbird cake with thick buttercream icing and coconut sprinkled on the outside would be perfect! anniedziad@live.com.au

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  18. That book looks divine! My dream cake would be a cheesecake using your pretzel base, a layer of cheesecake and a layer of chocolate cheesecake, covered in fresh raspberries and chocolate flakes. That would be the dream!

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  19. A raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake, made by me, since I use any excuse to bake a cake, haha.

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  20. My ideal birthday cake would be a half-and-half cake to share with my twin sister so we could both have our favourite birthday cake (without having to compromise on just one flavour)! My half would be a white chocolate mud cake with salted caramel frosting and the other half a dark chocolate mud cake with raspberries and ganache (my sister's favourite). Yum!
    10emoody@gmail.com

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  21. wow this is truly a wonderful cake slice pass me some

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  22. My dream cake would be any that my children make me. They are 3 and 4 years old and they love to eat and love it even more when they get to help me cook and bake. If it tasted like the Cheesecake Factory cheesecake that would be a bonus =) Thanks! jackieyip215@gmail.com

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  23. Oh how wonderful! I am a huge fan of Lindas. My favourite birthday cake would be an ice cream cake. Childish I know, but if you can't be a kid on your birthday...! :)

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  24. my fav bday cake would be a three tier brown sugar pavlova, filled with a yogurt cream type frosting and topped with raspberries and more cream. cheers .p.s your blog is great and i love your recipes, made many a cake from them.

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  25. My dream cake would be your Rolo Chocolate Brownie Cake with polka dot icing on the outside. yuuuummmm (and pretty). opal_eyes03(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  26. Being born under the sign of Libra, I simply cannot give you an answer as it would be a toss up between a simple sponge with icing and a sprinkling of jelly crystals which my Mum used to make me or chocolate with a dash of chilli now I am grown up

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  27. Ooh this is a hard one!! Im thinking a mars bar or snickers cheesecake with lots of gooey caramel inside and out with a nice choc chip biscuit base :)

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  28. Ooh, my favourite birthday cake is always a New York style baked cheesecake. Plain and simple, but always a winner!

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  29. My dream birthday cake, not really a dream since I made it for myself already but.. a vanilla cake with caramel buttercream studded with honeycomb throughout with a caramel drizzle between each layer, finished with chocolate ganache and more honeycomb! It was inspired by N2's Brokeback moment :o
    anakin_luke_skywalker@hotmail.com

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  30. Red velvet mixed with white chocolate chips, cream cheese frosting and topped off with sweet strawberries is my current dream cake.

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  31. My current dream cake would be red velvet mixed with white chocolate chips cream cheese frosting and sweet strawberries to top it off

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  32. Yummy looking cake!

    My dream birthday cake is my sister's birthday cake from nearly 20 years ago now. My mum worked so hard early in the morning before we woke up to make a castle cake with four towers and a Kit-Kat drawbridge. I can still remember how delicious it was. Even now, when I look at photos of that cake I feel happy.

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  33. My dream birthday cake would be chocolate with peanut butter frosting and a salted caramel drizzle. I love the sweet and salty combo!
    oz0nebaby@hotmail.com

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  34. My dream cake would be a delicious caramel cheesecake!

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  35. My favourite cake is your recipe for banana cake with salted caramel icing, I finally mastered it and it never gets old!
    laurabren@hotmail.com

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  36. I'm so excited about this giveaway! I love Linda Lomelino!

    My dream birthday cake would be a combination of silly/novelty and pure deliciousness. My mum doesn't like baking so our birthday cakes growing up were always store-bought or ice cream cakes, and while they were always delicious, I was pretty envious of my friends who had birthday cakes in the shapes of butterflies or trains or dinosaurs or whatever. So I think my dream birthday cake would be something like your mint chocolate chip cake in the shape of a T-Rex, slathered in that gorgeous green minty icing, and maybe accompanied by macarons in the shape of dinosaur eggs!

    arliddian(at)yahoo[dot]com[dot]au

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  37. My dream birthday cake is one of those cakes with the Cupi Doll in the middle. I've always wanted one, but there were no spare Cupi Dolls at my house growing up :(

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  38. My dream birthday cake would be a four-layer mud cake. There'd be one strawberry mud cake layer (does that even exist?! I hope so!), a vanilla/white chocolate mud cake, a caramel mud cake, and a chocolate mud cake. I don't know if it would even work with the weight of the cakes, but it would be awesome if it did!

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  39. Your blog and Linda's inspire me so very much! I think your Caramel mud cake with salted caramel and pear would be pretty darn ideal! Or maybe a vanilla and cherry type of situation but then again your vanilla cake with rhubarb and strawberry that I made for my Mr 6's birthday was pretty darn sensational!

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  40. My dream birthday cake would be your banana cake with salted caramel icing!! Yum!!! I'll have to make it a reality next year : )
    kisha_power@hotmail.com

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  41. Thanks for such an inspiring blog; you are extremely talented!
    My dream birthday cake would be an Eiffel tower made of stacked macaroons (dont know if thats even possible!), as I love Paris and everything French ;-)

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  42. These cake seems too delicious. I am a great fan of Linda Lomelino´s too, so I bought the book in english as soon as I knew the new.
    Your follower from Spain

    loschatoschefs.blogspot.com

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  43. I had a peach coconut cake once and I am still dreaming about it!

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  44. My dream birthday cake is a classic yellow cake with an whipped cream and toasted almond filling (four thin layers!) and a dark chocolate icing. this cake I just make for myself!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    margueritecore [at] gmail [dot] com

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  45. My birthday is is summer so anything with lots of fresh fragrant strawberries will keep me happy.

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  46. My dream birthday cake is a vanilla and tonic cake infused with gin and lime syrup, topped with lemon glaze and fresh strawberries.

    annie.elizabeth.91@live,com

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  47. After much deliberation, my dream birthday cake would be a three layer vanilla sponge cake, sandwiched with raspberry and white chocolate whipped filling, iced with almond white chocolate icing, and decorated with white chocolate shards around the edge and fresh raspberries and sugared almond flakes on top. I love Call Me Cupcake and have been so excited for this book! Now I'm craving this cake :/ may have to fix that tomorrow :) meagan.and.horses@hotmail.com

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  48. My dream birhtday cake is one that I don't have to make myself.... but seriously I love a good old fashioned Black Forest Cake

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  49. My dream birthday cake would be any cake not made by me. With 3 little ones the only cakes I see are Dora, Peppa Pig and Fireman Sam cakes. What I'd really love is a decadent red velvet on the inside and dark chocolate on the outside cake.

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  50. Such a great frosting tip! I love learning new things too! This looks awesome.

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  51. A 7 layered pink ombre cake! crystalccmien@gmail.com

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  52. I would love a rich chocolate cheesecake with a pretzel crust drizzled with salted caramel and served with whipped vanilla bean cream. My current go to birthday cake is the Lindt Cafe chocolate cheescake, but i haven't found a good chocolate one from any bloggers to try yet! (hint hint)
    cheesefred@hotmail.com

    PS: I love you recipes, I made that Honeycomb Crunch icing of yours for my boyfriend's 30th cake, went down a treat! :D

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  53. My dream birthday cake would be the one I always wanted as a kid but never got - the lolly stand from the Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book. I'd go for a lemon coconut cake with a citrus cream cheese icing and my lolly favourites would be bounty, cherry ripe and some maltesers for good measure!
    e.danieletto@gmail.com

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  54. My dream birthday cake would be one baked for me by someone I love. I have a reputation as a good baker so people hardly ever bake for me.

    If I could pick what they would bake for me, - it would be seasonally inspired (my birthday is coming up in late November) it would be a multi-layed bake with alternating layers of soft orange flecked sponge and crunchy meringue interlaced with vanilla whipped cream and lashings of fresh raspberries.

    Ideally it would be presented with a bunch of peonies, my favourite flowers which are only in season for a brief window around my birthday.

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  55. An icecream cake with different layers of flavours throughout

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  56. I would love to win this prize!

    I think my dream birthday cake would involve all my favourite elements - salted caramel popcorn, maybe some Pocky, definitely some Cherry Ripe, and some simple vanilla sponge.

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  57. I would love anything with multiple layers, so much extra love! I think sponge cake. Add fresh raspberries on top and I'm a happy girl!

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  58. My dream birthday cake would be a giant shortbread cream. I am totally addicted! I love your arnotts cakes - the iced vovo was so much fun to make.
    Kathryn.bishop88@gmail.com

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  59. my dream birthday cake would be half chocolate mud cake, half lemon meringue pie! lara.miscellaneous@gmail.com

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  60. I'm always impressed by your cakes, and wish that I could make mine as pretty. They taste great, but aren't as artistic.

    As for the question, My dream birthday cake is pretty straightforward: Yellow sponge filled with Strawberries and Whipped Cream with White Chocolate butter cream and Shaved Chocolate decorations. YUM.

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  61. I love a deep dark chocolate cake with vanilla bean buttercream which must be made from REAL butter. It's too dreamy for words.

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  62. oh so hard to pick just ONE ! hmmm... anything w/ too much chocolate icing, rich, and moist w/ fresh raspberries on top ! served w/ fresh whipped cream on the side and a cup of tea please ! ...okay can't wait for a birthday now !*drools* yum ! assieass@hotmail.com

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  63. Hmm that tricky. I'm thinking chocolate with some sort of nutella element. It has to be covered in lots more chocolate as well. Fererro Roche maybe??
    georgina.clarke00@gmail.com

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  64. My dream birthday cake is one made by Buddy Valastro! This one, it is simple yet full of personality:

    https://twitter.com/CakeBossBuddy/status/509074121654018048

    abiggvision@gmail.com

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  65. A grapefruit cake with zesty cream cheese frosting! Grapefruit is my favourite fruit so incorporating that in a light, moist cake would be amazing.
    lilyxpup@hotmail.com

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  66. I think my dream birthday cake would be the ridiculous looking Celebration Cake that Jamie Oliver made on Comfort Food recently, but with some kind of raspberry element involved. My niece keeps asking me if we can make the Celebration Cake together, but I have a feeling the whole thing would collapse in a heap the second I tried to cut it!
    melbourneonmymind[at]gmail[dot]com

    PS. Made the choc chip buttermilk cake yesterday, and it's pretty amazing in gluten free form too! :)

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  67. My dream birthday cake would be pie (lemon meringue), but the rest of my family are CAKE people! All kinds, but they do love a good coffee cake with extra crumb.

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  68. My dream birthday cake would be a meter high rainbow cake!
    It would be a rainbow stacked cake and have like 15 colours. The icing in the middle would vary between the layers with some having crushed up fruit tingles in it, coconut and strawberry and raspberry swirl.
    There would be a white icing as the base for the royal rainbow icing that is dripping down the sides of the cake. It would look awesome!

    ghelise144@gmail.com

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  69. My Mum once made me the most awesome birthday cake ever - it was a layer cake with hazelnut meringue on the bottom, vanilla ice-cream in the middle into which she mixed homemade toffee, with another layer of hazelnut meringue and topped with raspberries and this awesome chocolate sauce. It was soo awesome and it looked amazing as well!! This is forever my dream birthday cake!!

    jcgrant16@student.monte.nsw.edu.au

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  70. The one that comes to mind is the Devil's Food Cake. Mostly because it's the one that my Mum would only make once a year for my Dad. I haven't had it in many, many years. :)

    withanee@hotmail.com

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  71. I made my dream cake for my 21st birthday 3 years ago now. It was a simple white chocolate mud cake, covered in white fondant and i made coral, pink and white floral decorations and had them falling off the cake. It looked like i had bought it, i was so proud of myself, and keeping aiming for more each time i back!
    amandaxoxjayne@hotmail.com

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  72. I absolutely love lamingtons and my dream birthday cake would be a lamington cake filled with jam and fresh cream :)

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  73. My dream cake has always been Black Forest Cake :)

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  74. I think my favourite birthday cake would be one somebody else made! ;) It would be a layers of fluffy sponge cake, lemon curd and cream topped with candy swirled meringues. Yum!

    jessicarichardson@hotmail.com.au

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    1. oops, didn't mean to comment twice, sorry!

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  75. My dream birthday cake would be a peanut butter BANANA & jelly layer cake with ginger cookies crumbs & chocolate fudge ganache thrown in for good measure (which I may just make for my birthday this week!!) - jess (jessphillips90@gmail.com)

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  76. If I could have a morsel of what my heart most desired on my birthday it would be some concoction including peanut butter, chocolate and banana. Perhaps a layered banana cake with alternating layers of rich chocolate buttercream and peanut butter buttercream and then topped with peaks of whipped cream, chocolate shavings, banana slices and a few salted peanuts.

    oh my oh my I'm hungry.

    x x H
    spoonmelikeporridge@gmail.com

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  77. My dream birthday cake would be one that someone else had made! ;) It would be layers of fluffy sponge cake, cream and lemon curd topped with swirled creamsicle meringues. Yum!

    jessicarichardson@hotmail.com.au

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  78. Easy! My dream birthday cake would be my nanna's lemon sponge with lemon icing. It was so simple, fragrant and delicious but sadly no-one got the recipe before she passed away (a long time ago might I add). Yummy memories!!

    Slapntickle@mac.com

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  79. I really want to try baking the ombré cake for myself (or my 3yo daughter). I love the deep purple to white effect. I think I might take the plunge in January :-) jgehlhaar@hotmail.com

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  80. My Orange-Poppyseed Cake! I have devised my own recipe using orange zest, juice and yoghurt (in addition to the regular cakey ingredients) and it's sooo lovely and moist and even halfway healthy!

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  81. My dream cakes have always involved ice cream. So for my 30th i had the amazing dr evil mushroom from messina.. now that i have had that. All i want to do is create my owncolorful, buttery cakes with the tastiest icing around....
    maggiedingwall@hotmail.com

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  82. Avocado and dark chocolate ice-cream cake! Sounds wacky but I had it once and it was divine. Have been trying to hunt down someone who can make one for my 21st!!!! emily.kozera@hotmail.com

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  83. My dream cake would be a french thousand layer matcha mille crepe cake, filed with the aroma of green tea and irresitably soft and velvety filling!
    pink930926@hotmail.com

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  84. Love Call Me Cupcake, photography goals for sure. Love how a baking blog can be so dark and gothic. My ideal birthday cake is one I have been trying to turn from concept into practice for a while now, a cake based on Summer Rolls, the nougat/chocolate/coconut bars that my mum and father-in-law love. Has to be in cylinder form, and have nougat pieces incorporated in there somewhere :) henml006@mymail.unisa.edu.au

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  85. My dream cake...hmm...layers of icecream of flavours strawberry cheesecake and blueberry cobbler!!
    lynnetteqq@yahoo.com.sg

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  86. My dream cake would be a brown sugar coconut cake with chocolate buttercream icing :)

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  87. My dream birthday cake would be the lightest, whitest and fluffiest vanilla bean cake that's not to sweet but is a little naughty at the same time.
    joanna.shuen@hotmail.com

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  88. A crazy cat lady cake, in the shape of a huge cat. It would be purrfect! rhubarb@live.com.au

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  89. Looks so delicious! You have so many great recipes!

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