Party baking...

We hosted a party for our two year old on Saturday. I made pom poms thanks to Martha Stewart of course.

I have never done anything Martha before and I am not sure she would approve of my rather wonky version but they looked pretty good hanging over the table and I was much much better at it by the fifth one!

I also made lamingtons - partially a nod to the mix of Australian and Kiwi guests but actually mostly because I love them.

I think Australia may have won the argument about who invented the lamington but we once found them in a tiny bakery while on a sailing holiday in Croatia. They were called Cocos and it sparked much lazy discussion on deck about how they'd got there.

They're dead easy to make and they taste fabulous and they look a little bit tricky so it makes you look like a hot home baker.

1. Make two sponge cakes (ie 2 x 20cm square tins) Don't be put off by baking sponge cakes - the bought ones are not great and it's just a lot of beating of eggs and sugar really.
Mine never rise as much as I have seen at country cake shows but as you can see it still gives you a good size lamington.  Let them cool. Cut into squares. Small is good as you get a better icing to cake ratio.

2. The icing - according to Donna Hay in her Simple Essentials series - the Chocolate one of course, given to me in my old life as a chocoholic.

450g icing sugar
90g cocoa powder
250ml boiling water
60ml milk
75g melted butter

Sift in flour and cocoa - add the rest and mix.  It is really runny which made me panic at first but of course it needs to be runny for dipping and dripping.

Dip each square in the icing mix and let the excess drip off - then roll it in a separate bowl of desiccated coconut.   Keep replacing the coconut as it gets lumpy with chocolate.

Put them on a tray lined with baking paper and pop them in the fridge.

That makes about as many as you can see in the photo plus a few more that didn't quite make it to the party!