Birthday Cake
24 July 2012
28 comments
The last 12 months have been some of the most fulfilling and stressful of my life. I am still amazed at the amount of pure joy I feel as I press that little blue publish button.
As I covered some of the fun things I have done and learnt in the last year in my birthday post, I won’t reiterate myself. What I would like to share is some advice given to me by my wonderful boyfriend (I was shocked too) on the subject of blog envy.
I’d come home from work in a bit of a childish sulk because I had spent the day reading about everyone else’s achievements, and I had a particularly low visitor rate and I just didn’t feel like my blog was going anywhere. He turned round and told me to ‘go be proud of your friends’.
{my first cake post}
I’d like to say that just like that, he magically slayed my green eyed monster and we lived happily ever after. Life’s not like that. But I didn’t start this blog to become rich and famous, I started it as a way of sharing what I love: food and photography.
So I am trying to stop seeing everything as a competition and instead fully enjoy being part of such an amazing community filled with so many lovely, talented individuals. I’m not sure what the next year will hold, but if it’s anywhere near as good as the last year I know it will be incredible.
Because my life is filled with lovely people, I managed to convince a couple of them that my blog turning one was an event really worth celebrating. So we toasted a year of cake disasters and expanding waistbands with the best burgers in town and a silent screening of one of my favourite movies.
{Dan and I/best burgers around/Heather and Rich/cool decor and My Fair Lady}
So how did I bake a cake to celebrate a year of baking cakes? I decided to go for a traditional English birthday cake, vanilla sponge layered with buttercream and jam, covered in royal icing.
{from Rockstar Diaries photo by Amelia Johnson}
I have been obsessing over Rockstar Diaries sister’s wedding cake since it was posted a few months ago. I thought the use of real flowers made it look so charming and quaint. What I failed to notice was the flowers are tapered off to one side rather than poking under the cake. Which I did and then had to prop the other side of the cake up with kitchen roll to make it look even!
Mini Vanilla Sponge Cake
makes one mini cake plus leftover sponge for cake pops
1 egg
65g self raising flour
65g caster sugar
65g butter
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tbsp milk
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a standard cake tin.
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
Pour into a tin and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Leave to cool on a rack.
When cooled use a cookie cutter or a glass to cut out three circles.
Chill in a fridge until you’re ready to decorate.
Why didn’t I think of a blog birthday party? What a genius idea! And I just love the pictures in this post, they’re so dreamy.
Blog envy is a difficult thing isn’t it? I know that it’s something that I struggle with. In a way, it’s good because it pushes me to make my blog even better when I see the success that other people have but it can also take away some of the joy. For me, it’s been really important to sort of find myself a niche – it gives me a sense of purpose without getting too competitive about how many visitors/twitter followers/mentions etc I’m getting.
I love visiting you blog & your pictures and recipes are always so wonderful.
Thank you! I wish blog envy didn’t exist, but you’re right it is really useful for making you work harder. Maybe finding my niche should be my aim for the next year!
The photographs are so pretty!
Thanks you, I had a lot of fun with this shoot!
I understand, sometimes I get dragged down feeling that my blog (and other aspirations, generally) isn’t going anywhere. I try to learn to be more content with my lot, and my boyfriend is inspiration for that (yay for them down-to-earth ones, hey?).
Your cake is really, really gorgeous. You can be proud of that!
Thank you! somedays it’s harder than others to turn envy into support, but it’s a lovely feeling when it does
This cake looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you!
wow how fun! and SO cute!
thanks!
Happy Birthday to your lovely blog and you…..and I LOVE your cake, as well as that enormous burger and chips! I always love popping by to see what you have baked…..and this post is honest and yet charming! Karen
thank you so much Karen! I am completely addicted to those burgers! I can’t get close to finishing one though!
You should be very proud
I think everyone gets a little blog envy every now and then. Just shows you that you can always better yourself 
Thank you! it’s nice to have something that you want so bad to be better at!
Happy annivesary or birthday? 2 things – 1)You are not alone. I confess I have blog envy too. Still trying to get over it. 2) you should be so proud! You’ve made it onto Tastespotting? That’s a major accomplishment. There are several highly acclaimed blogs that can’t get on Tastespotting. It’s one of my goals this next year : )
Thank you so much! You’ve really cheered me up, it’s really easy to skip over your accomplishments in favour of your failures
Ahh Jenny, congrats and I’m so glad you celebrated your blog’s first birthday! You should be very proud. Your blog is so inspiring and you write from the heart – it is a joy to read anything you have written as much as it is to sample any of your yummy cooking. Your photography is also an art so you’re just triply talented, a force to be reckoned with. It is only human to be envious and I wholeheartedly know where you’re coming from on that front but you have so much to be proud of- never forget that. Lauren xx
Thank you Lauren! That is so amazingly sweet of you to say, you’re so lovely!
I think your blog looks amazing!
Thank you so much!
Happy blog birthday, Jenny! Your wonderful boyfriend is right…I feel the same way, be proud of your friends and cheer them on, they will do the same for you if they are true friends.
I hate that green-eyed monster but I have always been happy for others and if I want the same thing they got or achieved, it makes me work hard and set the goals and makes me work that much harder. xo
you have far better articulated that idea than I did! It’s so easy to sit around wishing for stuff to happen but you have to go out and get it yourself with a little elbow grease!
Happy blog birthday, Jenny! I am so glad I’m not the only one who has baked my blog a birthday cake
You are not alone with blog envy, but I think something good that can come out of that is commenting & connecting with those whose blogs you love and admire. By the way, I am so glad you commented on mine a while back which helped me discover your beautiful photos & treats. You always do such a lovely job–and this cake is no exception! I love the real flowers as decoration… I may borrow that sometime, it looks so beautiful! Congrats on another year of blogging 
Thank you so much! It’s really lovely of you to say! I love your blog too xx
Jenny,
I need your help! I would love to bake this cake- although a regular sized version – for my friend who is a British expat living here in the States. Can you suggest a recipe for the entire cake, including buttercream, and royal icing that we could use? Your pics are fabulous and this cake is just gorgeous. If we could even come close, Victoria would love it and it’s her 65th birthday next Thursday. Any help you could provide would be greaty appreciated!
thank you for your lovely comment, I’ve emailed you the details of the cake
I would like to make the full size cake as well for an English friend of mine. Can you send me the details for the cake, buttercream and royal icing.
Thank you. Glad I found your blog. Love the photos.
Thanks! I’ll email it over to you shortly!
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