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Chocolate Chip Cake

Baking • Sweet

Not everyone is a chocolate person. I’m not really a chocolate person (don’t worry I can hear your sharp in-take of breath). I just prefer other sweet things. However now and then I will get a super huge craving for it, and this frosting is the only thing that will satisfy me! It’s like chocolate mousse on cake. So this is my light chocolate birthday cake recipe… (believe it or not there is a much more chocotastic one). I really love this cake recipe. Minus the chocolate chips, it is a fail safe sponge. I promise! As long as you beat the butter and sugar till it looks like whipped cream, you will end up with a super cake. It’s a great batter for taking other ingredients too, here chocolate chips, but nuts and fruit work great too. It is also my fail safe cupcake batter (for cupcakes be sure to cook it for much less time).

1

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 160 C (140 for a fan)
Beat butter and sugar together till light, fluffy and a very pale colour. This can take sometime, I just leave the mixer on and have a cup of tea, but be sure to wipe the sides down to make sure every bit has been mixed equally. When you do this you will be able to see the butter changing colours. A great indication your on track.
Add eggs one at a time. Beat in between. Don’t worry too much if it separates.
Add vanilla, flour and baking powder and mix again.
Pour into a lined cake tin (I use a 20cm one normally).
Bake for 25-30 mins or until golden and springy.
After a few minutes remove from tin to cool (this prevents over cooking and a dry result).

2

Make the Frosting

Break the chocolate into pieces, and place in a microwave proof bowl. microwave on medium for 30 sec sessions stirring in between until totally liquid. Make sure to under not over melt. It can burn and that will make it unusable. Set it to the side to cool a bit while you prepare the other ingredients.
Beat the butter, milk, vanilla and icing sugar till smooth.
Add the melted chocolate and beat. The mix will look very wet as the chocolate will still be warm. Just keep beating till you get the texture you are looking for. As it cools and continues to be beaten, the mousse like texture in the pictures will form.
Then spread or pipe on to the cool cake (never frost a warm cake with buttercream it will melt off!)

Fashion

Lace Shorts

London • Outfits

Sometimes I will look at a girl walking down the street and she will be simply dressed and yet so chic it makes me want to dash home quickly and change into a matching outfit.

I think there is always the temptation to add more and more outfit wise. In the hope that the additions will make the outfit more exciting. Often this just looks messy. There are women who make it look easy and wonderful (like Susie, Leandra and Patricia Field) but for most of us a classic clean look is better. This outfit is shockingly simple really, but I like that about it.

Shoes Roger Vivier

Shorts Rebecca Minkoff

Shirt Zara

Sunglasses Tom Ford

Bag Hermes.

Photos by Frances Davison

Fashion

Blue Peonies

Fashion Week • LFW

Photos by Vanessa Jackman

Shoes Manolo Blahnik, Jeans Jbrand, Belt Hermes, Shirt Topshop, Watch Michael Kors and Head Scarf Hermes.

A few seasons ago I wore this to LFW and Vanessa took my picture.

I love white jeans in the summer and in London sometimes white jeans are as close as we get to wearing shorts.

I have an absolute obsession with finding white jeans that are thick enough that you can’t see the pockets. I think Jbrand, MiH and Zara are the best.