I used to be good at baking, dammit!

I had grand plans.

I found my lost recipe after 3 years of searching (sporadically), I shopped for ingredients, I even got up reasonably early considering it's Easter (10am - very early for me on a day off). I have been talking all week about the awesome chocolate cake I was going to make for Easter....and this is what happened....

A good workman (or work woman) never blames his/her tools so I am not going to do that (although I'm wondering if the oven needs a service!) but I am blaming the ingredients...I swear self raising flour does not self raise here in NZ as well as it does back at the mother land.

I couldn't even get one half out of the tin - which is why I left it in there and decorated it (if it could be called that) where it was. And don't even get me started on the butter icing that leaked everywhere!

And the biggest travesty of all?....wait for it!....they do not sell writing icing in New Zealand....that is just so wrong on so many levels!

Despite the fact it's quite possibly the ugliest cake that ever lived - it's actually quite tasty so Graeme's not complaining and yes, I did give him permission to laugh. He has been warned though - I will be baking all month in search of some decent ingredients that make me an attractive looking cake!

Wherever you are this Easter, I wish you a safe and happy one with attractive baked goods!

HAPPY EASTER!

PS - I did it! 40 days without chocolate - woo hoo! And yes, I did eat half the bag of mini eggs this morning to celebrate!