Decided to bake a cake on Monday morning. I had wanted to do it on Sunday, but didn't have time. I like to make sure we have a good Sunday lunch, which usually leaves little time for much else. On Saturday while in town, we popped into the discount bookshop, where I spotted this. Had to have it!
but, towards the back of the book there were recipes, and lots of helpful tips for doing everything from dipping cakes in icing, to making tiny piping bags. And that was really what I wanted it for. 
For the first time ever, I was able to make a delicate piping bag from greaseproof paper. Something I've never been able to do before, so that alone made the book worth the money.
I'm still sticking to my pledge of trying one recipe from each cookbook, and tried out the victoria sponge recipe from the back of the cake book. (minus sugar syrup. I wasn't bothered about making it, I just wanted to try the basic recipe). Victoria sponge recipes are always more or less the same, this one was only different to the one I normally follow by the addition of an extra egg. 
Once baked and cooled, my Little Helper assisted in slapping on a ton of raspberry jam, and dusting the top with icing sugar. She loves to get involved, and I love her to help.I set the table, and Gorgeous Girl and I started our week off with a Monday Morning tea party.
Yum.The plates told the verdict!
In the afternoon I realised that it is St Patrick's Day on Thursday. As there are Irish roots in both sides of the family I usually mark it with some Irish food. This year I completely forgot, so haven't got anything particularly Irish in (not even a bottle of Guinness. Boo hoo!)So, back out came the eggs, flour, sugar and butter. I had an idea. To mark St Patrick's Day I'd bake some fairy cakes.
This time when the cake batter was mixing, I got my Little Helper to throw in a ton of green food colouring.
Looked nice!!!!!!
Once baked, they looked like normal little fairy cakes.Oooh, perhaps I should call them 'Leprechaun cakes' instead of fairy cakes?
When cooled, I used my little tiny piping bag to pipe a swirl of white icing around the top, then flooded with pale green icing and decorated.
It's ok. You have my permission to laugh! I am rubbish at cake decorating. They are meant to be lucky shamrocks, but well, they don't really look like them!At least there is no doubting what the Leprechaun Cakes are celebrating!
And when you break them open, you get the gorgeously freaky green sponge cake! 
It's a bit of fun anyway. And even though I've made them a bit early, I'm happy to have made something to celebrate St Patrick's Day.