The Chocolate Cake and Review on the "Baking"-book

On the 17th of August, CJ turned 17.  

Last year Heidi-Mari did a course on baking from “Baking” by James Peterson.  This book covers Cakes; Pies, Tarts and Pastries; Cookies; Breads, Quick Breads and Bread-Based Desserts; and Custards, Soufflés, Fruit Curds and Mousses.  We learned so much from this book, which is filled with 350 recipes and techniques on baking, illustrated with 1500 photographs.  Since I’m a Visual learner, the photographs makes me understand his techniques like I’m standing next to him in his own kitchen.

Through out last year we learned about the different basic cakes. 

Did you know while there are hundreds of different kinds of cakes, there are really only six basic kinds? 

Did you know virtually all cakes and pastries are made up of four basic ingredients, but the amazing variety is the result of manipulating the four basic ingredients in different ways?

Heidi-Mari and I had a ball playing around with the different kinds of cakes.

We learned basic techniques which we now apply to any recipe in any other recipe book, though we prefer to bake from the ‘Baking’ book.

Next were various frosting, fillings and glazes. This opened a whole new world of decorating a cake.  

We were in the habit of using only one filling for our cakes, but a cake can be made so much more dramatic by using two or more in the same cake.

The part on assembling cakes put our baking in a totally new league.  

The kind of cakes you see in coffee shops, were now possible for us to create too!  

So when CJ asked if he could invite friends over for coffee on his birthday, Heidi-Mari handed him the book. He could choose a cake with any kind of filling, frosting or glaze in any combination he fancied.  And he did just THAT!  

He chose his favourite cake, a chocolate sponge cake (made with 85% Lindt chocolate), a hazel nut meringue, buttercream flavoured with a nut butter, chocolate mouse and chocolate glaze.    Next Heidi-Mari and I brainstormed on how to incorporate all these into a cake.  

We enjoyed it so much, working on this cake - it took us two days - but the end product was amazing and mouth watering delicious!

I thought I’d share it with you.

You will need: 

1 Chocolate Sponge Cake (at least 9 inches in diameter)

5 cups Pecanut flavoured buttercream

1 ½  cups coffee liqueur flavoured simple syrup

2 dacquoise disks

2 cups rum flavoured chocolate mousse

1 cup dark chocolate glaze (prepare just before assembling the cake)

left over cake crumbs

A springform pan

Recipes:

Chocolate Sponge Cake

(makes 2 round layer cakes - 9 x 1 ½ inches)

Butter and flour for the cake pans

225g (8 ounces) bittersweet chocolate (I used 85% Lindt chocolate)

1 cup cold water

8 eggs, slightly warmed

1 cup sugar

1 ½  cups cake flour

- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Butter and flour two 9 by 1 ½ inch round cake pans.

• Combine the chocolate and water in a small saucepan and heat the mixture over low heat while stirring with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to the consistency of smooth pudding. Remove from the heat. 
• Combine the eggs and sugar and beat on high speed with a stand mixer for about 12 minutes or with a handheld mixer for about 20 minutes, or until quadrupled in volume and the ribbon stage: when the beater is lifted, the mixture falls in a wide band onto the surface, forming a figure eight that stays for 5 seconds before dissolving.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate mixture with the eggs while sifting the flour over the mixture. Alternate between adding flour - about one-fourth at a time - and folding until the flour is no longer visible.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Detach the cakes from the sides of the pans by running a metal spatula or small knife around the edges.  
• After the cakes have cooled for 10 minutes, turn them out onto a cake rack.

Simple Syrup

(makes 1 ½ cups)

¾  cup sugar

¾  cup hot water

4 tablespoons or more Chocolate liqueur or fruit brandy

• In a bowl, combine the sugar and water and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Let the syrup cool to just slightly warm, or chill it over a bowl of ice water, and add the chocolate liqueur.

Professional-Style Buttercream

(Makes 5 cups)

2 cups sugar

⅔  cups water plus more as needed

8 egg yolks, slightly warmed

1 ½  cups cold butter, cut into cubes

Pecanut butter for flavoring

• Put the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• While the syrup is cooking, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the yolks on high speed for about 8 minutes, or until they have quadrupled in volume and are very pale.
• While the egg yolks are beating, check the syrup for the softball stage, with a thermometer it should measure 114 degrees C. If the syrup is ready before the egg yolks, add 1 tablespoon of water to the syrup and keep simmering.
• When the syrup and yolks are ready, turn the mixer to high speed and pour the syrup into the yolks between the whisk and the sides of the bowl.  It is important to keep the syrup from touching the whisk or the bowl because it will harden into little globules, which will break off into the buttercream.  (Don’t worry, a few are unavoidable.)   Continue beating the egg yolk-sugar mixture until it is just slightly warmer than room temperature (hold your hand on the bottom of the mixer bowl; ideally, it should feel neither hot nor cold).
• Turn down the mixer speed to medium and add the butter cubes, a small handful at a time.  Wait until each batch is absorbed before adding more.  Beat for about 10 minutes, or until smooth and fluffy.  
• Beat in a 1/4 cup nut paste per 1 cup buttercream until fully incorporated.

Hazelnut Meringue (Dacquoise)

(makes 3 round meringue disks 9 by ¼ -inch)

1 ½  cups hazelnuts or blanched almonds

1 ¼  cups sugar

3 tablespoons cake flour

Butter for the tart rings

8 egg whites

Pinch of cream of tartar, unless using a copper bowl

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
• Place the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them for about 15 minutes, or until you can smell their aroma. Remove and set aside to cool.  Turn down the oven to 135 degrees C.
• In a food processor, grind the nuts with ½ cup of the sugar and the flour for about 1 minute, or until the nuts turn into a fine powder.  Take care not to process them until they become oily.
• Butter three 9 inch tart rings and set them on parchment paper-lined sheet pans.  If you don’t have 9 inch tart rings, draw circles on the parchment paper and turn it over on the sheet pan.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar (if using) on high speed for about 4 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.  Then beat in the remaining sugar.  Continue beating for about 1 minute more, or until the egg whites are stiff and shiny.
• Transfer the egg white mixture to a large bowl and fold in the nut mixture with a rubber spatula.
• Fit a pastry bag with a ⅓  inch plain tip and fill it with the meringue.  Starting at the center of each tart ring or circle, pipe the meringue, gradually working out in a spiral pattern, until you have filled the ring or circle. 
• Smooth the tops of the disks with an offset spatula.
• Bake for about 90 minutes, or until the disks are hard, crisp, and pale brown and the center is firm to the touch.  If at any point the dacquoise starts to look too brown, turn down the oven to 100 degrees C. Let cool.
• If you’ve used tart rings, slide a knife around the inside of the rings and pull the rings off.  Peel away the parchment paper.

Classic Chocolate Mousse

(Makes 3 cups)

170g bittersweet chocolate, chopped

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, cubed or sliced

4 egg yolks

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract of rum extract

1 cup heavy cream for whipping or more as needed to thin the chocolate mixture

• Combine the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl.
• Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir with a wooden spoon or whisk until melted and smooth.
• Take the bowl off the heat, leaving the saucepan of simmer water on the stove.
• Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set it over the saucepan of barely simmering water.
• Whisk for about 5 minutes or until pale and slightly stiff.  
• Remove from the heat. 
• Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks. add the vanilla, and stir until well mixed.  If at this point the mixture becomes stiff or grainy, whisk in heavy cream or water, ¼ cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth.  Stir for a few minutes to cool.  Let cool to room temperature.
• Whip the cream to soft peaks.  
• Stir about one-fourth of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and then fold in the rest with a rubber spatula.
• If you are using the mousse as a layer in a cake, you can use it right away provided you are making your cake in a springform pan or cake ring, which will hold the mousse in place; otherwise, chill the mousse for at least 1 hour before you use it.  (I did both)

Dark Chocolate Glaze

(makes 1 ⅓ cups)

225g bittersweet or milk chocolate, chopped

½ cup butter, cubed or sliced

• Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
• Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth.

Assembling the Cake

• Have ready a 9 ½-inch springform pan (to allow room to apply frosting to the sides).
• Line the springform pan with plastic wrap.
• Cut the layer cake in half crosswise, using a serrated knife.  Reserve the bottom layer for the top layer of the cake.  
• Start by placing the top layer of the cake on the cardboard or springform pan bottom.
• Brush the layer of cake with half of the simple syrup.
• Fit a pastry bag with a ⅓ inch plain tip and fill with 2 cups of the buttercream.  Pipe on a layer of the buttercream in a spiral.  

• Spread it with an offset or regular metal spatula.

• Press a dacquoise disk on top of the buttercream.

• Spoon all the chocolate mousse onto the dacquoise disk.

• Spread it with an offset or regular metal spatula.
• Press a second dacquoise disk on the chocolate mousse.

• Pipe on another layer of buttercream in a spiral. 
• Spread it with an offset or regular metal spatula. (Use another 2 cups of the buttercream)

• Use the reserved bottom layer of the layer cake, turned it over, as the top layer and place on top of the buttercream.

• Brush it with the simple syrup.
• Chill for at least 2 hours.

• Ease open the springform pan and lift off the cake. 

• Remove the plastic wrap.
• Slide the ring back over the cake but don’t push it all the way down - let a small part of the ring surround the top of the cake to hold in the chocolate glaze. Fasten the springform pan.

• Pour the glaze over the center of the cake. Rotate the cake so the glaze covers the top evenly. 

• Chill for 30 minutes to set the glaze.
• Ease open the springform pan and lift off the cake.

• Mask the sides of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream using a regular metal spatula.

• Hold the cake with one hand and use the other hand to gently press cake crumbs against the sides of the cake.

• Decorate with buttercream rosettes.  Place a cherry or raspberry in the centre of each rosette.

The Baking book by James Peterson also taught us so much on pies, tarts and pastries, 

Custards, soufflés and fruit curds, 

Mousses too.

Basic techniques I’ve known all my life (and was taught at university) proved NOT the best method for the desired product.  

Since we started using James Peterson’s baking methods and techniques no recipe flops anymore!

We also bought two more books from James Peterson - Meat and Cooking.  More on that another time!

This posting is linked to:

With Love

Linnie

Are We Still Designed To Give Birth Naturally?

We fell pregnant with our first born, while I was still a dietitian, working at an infertility clinic and Christo a biomedical engineer. We were comfortable with the medical world and even knew the hospital personnel on first name terms due to Christo’s business.

My pregnancy went smooth and without any problems.  My gynecologist was an older gentleman, and earned my trust through the way he had compassion with me during my first miscarriage the previous year and advised me not to use the contraceptive pill only months after we got married and experienced the terrible side-effects there of. He trusted very much in all the medical gadgets available to measure and monitor pregnancies, and since he was my doctor, I trusted him in every decision he made.  

Photo courtesy Philips Research

He did a sonar with every 6 weeks visit, but did respect my decision for no blood tests. We never questioned the frequency of doing sonar’s or internal examinations. We also didn’t discuss a birth plan, natural birth or caesarians. I never really weighed up the pros and cons of natural births versus caesarians, I just assumed I will give natural birth.  What I knew about a caesarian was what we learned at the prenatal classes and the nurse who presented the classes was VERY pro natural birth and present it as a very positive experience.

Two days before my due date, I had a show in the middle of the night.  An hour later my water started leaking. We called the gynecologist at 7h00, and he instructed us to meet him in the maternity ward as soon as possible.  I wasn’t rushed at all, I experienced NO contractions what so ever, and went for a shower and blow dried my hair before we got in the car - two hours later.  By now my water was streaming down my legs and Christo had to line the seat of his brand new Volkswagen Jetta with black bags!  At the hospital the nurses were so relieved to see me, since my gynecologist was constantly checking on my arrival, since I already called him 7h00.  By now it was 9h30.  The ward personal was quite busy and without any fuss,  I was pushed into the line of duties for the day!  Without even knowing me in any way they started to shave me and gave me an enema to clean my bowels.  Next, they informed me, would be the induction, since I wasn’t experiencing any contractions yet.  But before they could put in the intravenous line, I had to run for the toilet!  Oh, what a shock to my body and mind!  Nobody prepared me on the effect of the enema.  Within seconds painful contractions was ripping through my body due to the irritation of the enema!  

After about an hour, (at 10h30) I found some balance again, the personnel made me comfortable in a bed and it seemed like I was stuck to the bed for the rest of labour! The intravenous drip with Oxytocin was slowly finding its way into my body. The gynecologist arrived and attached electrodes from a cardiotocograph to my unborn baby’s scalp to keep a constant monitor on his heart rate.  I also had a belt around my tummy monitoring the intensity of the contractions. 

No way of escape for me - I was “plugged in….” I couldn’t even go to the toilet anymore and had to use a bedpan.  Talk about uncomfortable! The whole time Christo was by my side in the spacious, bright white room, with lots of noises finding it’s way through the door and personal coming and going. I wasn’t at all prepared for the intensity of the pain and had to fight off contractions that flooded my body every 3 minutes lying still on my back, leaving me breathless at times.  So, I asked for an epidural by 11h00! Within minutes the anesthetist was next to my bed and 10 minutes later the pain was gone!  Wow, what bliss!  For the rest of the day, Christo and I was chatting and waiting, while listening to our baby’s heartbeat and watching in amazement how the contractions come and gone and increased in intensity, according to the monitor!  Every now and then a nurse marched into the room to check on baby and me.  

By 16h30 my Gynecologist visited me and checked my dilation.  He warned Christo that it wouldn’t be long now and if he wanted to have supper at the cafeteria, he needed to hurry!  At 17h00 the nurse checked me again and found me fully dilated.  Next a rush of events happened.  The nurse informed the gynecologist and called Christo. Nurses started running in and out of the room, arranging equipment around the bed and worse of all, strapping my legs in stirrups in the air!  It was a terrible feeling, the lifelessness in my legs!  The worst of all was knowing that my baby wanted to be born, I had to give birth to a baby, but I had no idea what to do. I wasn’t in control of my body anymore...due to the epidural. 

By 17h20 everyone was around the bed and the gynecologist urged me to push.  What?!  Where must I push, I cannot feel anything!  It isn’t possible to push!  The whole day they command me to stay in bed and relax, dripping liters of body foreign chemicals  into my system, from different angles and now I must be all up and arms (with legs in the air) and ready to push my baby out? Was it only me that cannot do it?  For what felt like hours, but actually only 10 minutes, they kept  instructing me “How to push”, with no success.  Then the gynecologist asked for equipment to help me deliver. It scared me so much to hear that he wanted to do an “instrument delivery” but there was no other option! I couldn’t give birth to my baby by myself. Due to the epidural my lower body was paralyzed making it impossible to “push” !  

Praise the Lord, my Son was born only minutes later, with no head injuries!  

As I think back to my son’s birth it is a miracle that he wasn’t born by caesarian!  Almost every single procedure that preceded the birth of my son, are contrary to what is the ‘natural way’ for the body! Here I shared how Prolactin, Endorphin and Oxytocin are the main birth hormones and how it is the baby who determines when he/she is ready to be born, through hormones released into the bloodstream when the lungs are fully matured. As the end of pregnancy draws nearer the Mother’s body automatically increases the secretion of Oxytocin. As the baby releases ‘extra’ hormones due to the matured lungs, the Mother’s body releases even more Oxytocin and enter the latent phase of labour. Mother will start to experience contractions (the very strong Braxton Hicks), which results in dilation and the cervix will start to thin out and a small bloodstained discharge can appear (not always).  

When observing the latent phase of my Firstborn’s birth, everything went according to my body and baby’s readiness.  At home I was in the latent phase of labour.

In my observation (over the past 10 years, being involved with many women in labour), as well as my personal experience of birth (8 babies later), the way the latent and active phase of labour is handled, determines a successful natural birth!  

It would be interesting to know what would have happened if I wasn’t pushed into the line of duties and pin to the bed, in a spacious, bright delivery room, with all kind of noises and activities. I would most probably very slowly went into the active phase of labour and would not have needed any induction. I had 6 babies the natural way away from the hospital procedures and with each one I went into the active phase after about 12 hours. My second baby was also an induced baby, more in a next posting.

The biggest antidote to the release of Oxytocin, is adrenaline. During the latent and active phase of labour the mother needs to withdraw and be by herself.  

This sense to withdraw, will be more or less for different women, all depending on their personality. 

An introvert Mother will need a lot of privacy and an extrovert Mother will sometimes need close friends and family.  The bottom line is, she wants to feel save, secure, loved; all due to Oxytocin and the overwhelming emotions and sensations she is experiencing. When the mother at any stage during the latent or active phase of labour experience anxiety, exposure to disturbing emotions, the release of Oxytocin will slow down and the latent or active phase will slow down, or can even stop.  Anxiety due to, too much movement, bright lights and spacious rooms, observations and procedures ‘necessary’ to monitor labour. Even a natural rush of excitement  (who will not get exited by the idea of their baby being born today) and normal distractions like too many things a mother still has to get in place before she has her baby, can result in the release of adrenalin. When labour then slow down or even stop, the ‘old school’ would probably sent a mother home with a ‘false labour’ message.  But now days, I seldom hear of women sent home with ‘false labour’, they rather keep you in hospital and intervene.  Next will follow induction (as in the case of my firstborn) or even breaking you waters (the case with my second birth), and then in 2 out of 3 cases labour will end in a caesarian.  

The labour will end in a caesarian because the body just did not have enough Oxytocin to ‘push it over the edge’ for the active phase and birth of the baby.   During this, the mother’s blood pressure would most probably skyrocket, only because of all the adrenaline and excitement and then the caring gynecologist would suggest a caesarian, with accompanying scary words like high blood pressure and preeclampsia. 

During the past year I know of more women giving birth by caesarian than women who had a normal birth, and it breaks my heart!  The saddest part is that it is mostly first pregnancies that end in caesarians.  These new Mothers, trust their doctors with their whole heart, the husband and father to be, trust the doctor with the lives of his wife and unborn child!  They believe the medical profession act with their best interests at heart and when the doctor suggest tests, scans and a certain procedures during labour, they believe, it is for their best!  And may I be so bold to say, a labour ending in a caesarian is seldom for the Mother and Babies best interests!  Oh, I know their are emergency cases, my 4th birth was an emergency case and we were heading for a caesarian.  But emergency cases don’t count for 66% of labors ending in caesarians, which is the ridiculous statistics for caesarians in South Africa!  

So what is the root of the problem?

-Mothers aren’t allowed to listen to their body, act on impulses of their body and let their body do the job at it’s own pace;

-Mothers aren’t allowed to move around in their own space;

-Mothers are talked into procedures which is mostly for the gynecologist and hospital staff’s convenience and not for the Mother and Baby’s best interest;

-Due to the high subscription to Medical Aids in South Africa, it is financially highly beneficial for the gynecologist and hospital to perform a caesarian. Exactly the opposite is true in the UK where caesarians are only performed as a last option, due to the high cost of the procedures carried by the national health care.

What can Mothers and especially First Time Mothers (and Fathers) do, to avoid a Caesarian?

-Educate yourself on the body’s ability to give birth, as God intend it to be!   Contrary to the medical propaganda that babies grow too big and mothers are too ‘small‘ to give birth naturally, God designed women to give birth naturally and He hasn’t change the design (I do know history testifies of such rare cases, but not 66% of cases!);

-Negotiate with your doctor so you are able to provide your body with all the 
desirable impulses of safety to go into labour naturally;

-Provide your body with the correct supplements (Omega 3 - the building block of hormones is a good start) so it can react on the right impulses. Read more about supplementing during pregnancy here (tips for breastfeeding mothers);

-Have a birth plan.  Know what can go wrong due to intervention and plan to avoid it;  

-Talk to mothers who had emergency caesarians and mothers who had normal births.  Why do you need to make the same mistakes as other, learn from their mistakes;

-Find out from your gynecologist what percentage of his patients end in caesarians (if it’s more than 10%, chances are good that he will push you into a caesarian with the usual scare tactics).

-Be specially aware if your baby’s time of birth is near a holiday, (Christmas) or your gynecologists annual vacation; 

-Often gynecologists are “very pro-natural birth” in the early months, but then during the last few weeks starts talking you into a caesarian, due to possible ‘complications’.  In the last few weeks no mother of father have the energy to argue with a gynecologist, with whom they have build a relationship for 6 to 7 months, and whom they trust.  The gynecologist knows that at the end of your pregnancy you are tired, you are big, you are full of anticipation to hold your baby, you’re not in a situation to find a second opinion and you just want to get it all over and done!  It is during this stage that they will tell you your baby is to big too be born naturally and you need a caesarian. If you resist, they will use the scare tactics on the caring husband. After all, what young husband would want to put his wife’s life in danger by putting her through a ‘high risk‘ natural birth - let alone that of the baby!  

-As you approach the 40 week mark, your gynecologist will start to put pressure on you and give you ultimatums (more on this topic in a follow-up posting) of expected delivery.  This unnecessary pressure will inhibit your body to produce Oxytocin in high enough levels.  

So many times I hear, it is not important how you baby was born, what is important is that mother and baby is safe and in good health.  Yes, I totally agree, but that is only a half truth!  

An unnecessary caesarian does not end in a healthy baby, automatically!  We daily encounter mothers with caesarian babies with health issues, as a direct result of the caesarian.  Babies born by caesarian all have gut problems which manifests as colic and/or constipation. No fun experience for a First-Time-Mother or any mother in that case.

Then there is the sad truth that the medical world don’t allow more than 4 caesarians, without a major battle!  I currently have a dear friend who is awaiting her sixth caesarian, but not without battles and constant ridicule from the medical world, well meaning friends and family. Praise the Lord for her gynecologist who is a believer in this case and trust the Lord for his patient and not his own abilities - quite unlike most other so called Christian doctors. 

Can I be honest with you and say unnecessary caesarians is the enemy’s most successful way to stop you from bringing forth Godly seed into this world.  Unnecessary Caesarians rob the World from Godly men and women who could change the World for God’s glory!

And therefore I urge Mothers to seek truth in this very important part of life, seek God and be not afraid!

With love

Linnie

"But the midwives feared God, 

and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them...

...Therefore God dealt well with the midwives,

and the people multiplied and grew very mighty."

Ex. 1:17;20

Daniel’s Cars Birthday Party!

On Monday the 1st it was Daniel’s 3rd birthday!  

Daniel was my easiest and quickest home birth, and I cannot believe it is already 3 years since that blessed Friday morning!

Daniel didn’t have a real party for his 2nd birthday, only the grandparents and his siblings celebrated with him.  

This year I considered to skip a party again, since I was still recovering from Heidi-Mari’s Mother-and-Daughter Birthday tea.  

But Heidi-Mari stepped in and pleaded for a birthday party on Daniel’s behalf.  

So only 5 days before the Saturday, I started inviting a few friends to the party. While inviting my good friend Emma’s children, she mentioned it will be her youngest's first birthday.

Just there and then we decided to combine their parties.  What a blessing.

Daniel is my first child who had an absolute favorite toy or more specific, toys!  A bucket full of little cars.  This basket of cars goes everywhere he goes; from one room to another, to the dining room table, in the car when we drive, to bed - he even picks it up in his sleep, when he walk to us at night to crawl in with us!  

He knows exactly how many cars he has and don’t think his brothers can mislead him by swapping any cars. 

He will know immediately when one is missing. Since he so precisely takes care of his toy cars, his brothers are now also trying to look after theirs, but they just don’t get it done as diligent as Daniel!

Taking his love for cars as a hint, we decided to make the birthday cake cars as well.  When Christo and I went to purchased his birthday gift, earlier the week, we looked at the Lego Duplo section, since Lego is always worth it, and there we saw the Cars2 Lego Duplo range!  It was the perfect gift for Daniel. While driving home, from the shopping mall I got the idea to copy McQueen and Sally for his birthday cake and Daniel was thrilled with the idea!

He couldn’t wait for Saturday to arrive.  He didn’t remember his first birthday party, he didn’t have much of a second birthday party, but he sure knew what a birthday party entailed, due to all this siblings’ birthday parties, over the past year. 

Friday night I had my team next to me, to decorate the cake!  

Christo at assembling;

CJ on special effects; 

Heidi-Mari mixing 100’s of grams of icing sugar;

Josua and Danika for moral support! 

One after the other my team members drop into bed, until only Heidi-Mari was awake to appreciate with me the finished product! 

When Saturday came, it was the perfect day!  Clear blue sky, no sign of clouds or rain, and only a light breeze. 

Daniel, as well as his brothers couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the cake!

Thank you Lord, it was such a blessed day and Daniel enjoyed every second;

As well as the birthday guests; and

the Mothers too!

With love

Linnie