#121 Festive Chocolate Fridge Cake
Hey friends,
OK, I want to kick off with a huge Thank you – I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve such a kind and compassionate community on here, it feels like such a safe space for me to share stuff - hopefully a chance for you to share stuff too - and I’m incredibly grateful to you all for being here. Thank you for riding the waves with me and for your endless support and warmth, not only towards me, but also for each other, it really means the world.
Talking of waves, I tell you what, the sea has been choppy around me this week. I’m still simmering with the anxiety of last week, but I’ve also acquired some modest rage to spice things up. There’s never a dull moment around here, is there?
On Monday I woke up and wanted to punch a wall or, less aggressively, maybe a pillow (also less painful) - screaming and door slamming were alternatives I would have considered – anyone else get like this sometimes? To make matters worse, there was no obvious reason for this latest mood shift (seriously, is Mercury in retrograde? Can I blame the moon?), which made me even more angry because I couldn’t justify it.
Fortuitously, I managed to warn people (aka Mum and the decorator – yay! the decorator – so exciting – more on that below), of said mood and was largely avoided until the smouldering had fizzled out. Matters were not helped, however, when Tuna juice (from a can) dribbled down my arm whilst preparing my lunch, and I didn’t realise the extent of the deluge until I arrived at the gym and REEKED of Tuna juice – glamour – more anger, more frothy rage.
I suppose the mood may, in part, have been due to the latest disruption to the status quo. I’d just settled back into kitchen life, pottering around the space, making/baking things (joy) and generally having a more peaceful, lovely time, and then the decorator (superb, wonderful, delightful Tommy), announced (fairly last minute) that he would be joining us for the week to work some paint magic.
This ejection from the kitchen felt considerably worse than the first time around. It was a bit out of the blue, back to requiring 4 rooms just to make a cup of tea, super chaotic, and prone to wet paint calamities (cat with painted paws, dog with painted muzzle, and me with painted arms/feet/hair/face… I didn’t pick up a paint brush and still looked like I’d been rolling around in the stuff - seriously, I’m a magnet to paint!).
I also suffered a serious case of ‘brioche induced insomnia’, that is: sleeplessness caused by trying to understand the complexities of perfectly made brioche. For context, this followed my average attempt at making some panettone-ish-brioche buns on Sunday that left me frustrated and subsequently asking myself (and Google and books and encyclopaedias and other humans) a raft of questions that were seemingly unanswerable. I really hate myself when I get into these spirals of obsessive thinking… it’s like I’m possessed by whatever the worry is and can’t unthink the thoughts until my brain self-combusts. It’s tiring, annoying and I’m very selfish during these moments… BUT with the help of my pastry-wizard friends, I’ve (hopefully) resolved some of the issues and will try again soon.
In short, I’ve not been a version of myself that I’m proud of this week… and I’d like to make a formal apology to the Universe for my spikiness.
The good news is that I reckon I’m emerging from my own shouty, angry storm and am hopeful that joy will now prevail (has anyone seen Inside out 1 & 2? – this is LITERALLY me!!)
Plus… guys, YOU HAVE TO SEE THE KITCHEN…
SO… we were delighted with it once Paul had finished his handy-work but ahhhmaagaaad, I DID NOT realise what a difference paint on the walls would make – I reckon this room is now worthy of a feature in Ideal Home magazine? So modest of me! It’s so clean, so fresh, so perfectly stylish. We’re over-the-moon, head-over-heels, so delighted!
To fill you in, we finally (literally on Saturday) decided to go with Little Greene ‘Rolling fog Pale’ on the walls (thank you AGAIN for your support with this), with white ceilings/skirtings etc. We were really unsure whether we’d made the right decision on the colour – it is just so hard to judge from tiny match pots and swatches, but I think it looks perfect now it’s all done – what do you reckon?
I can’t believe it’s all finally finished – I won’t lie, it’s been tough at times - it’s felt a bit like a marathon without a definitive finish line - but I’m so unbelievably grateful to the wonderful team who have made our vision a reality, and can’t wait to feel properly settled in the space… it’s got ‘Stephi’s Bakery’ written all over it, eek!
OH, and I won’t stop here with the updates - I’ll keep you abreast of any things I think you might find useful as we continue to put stuff back/ add bits/give it some sparkle, but for now, here it is…
A few fabulous things:
Good, lovely, cosy chats with friends - I find it slightly mind-blowing (and kinda magical) that through Instagram (and WhatsApp), I’ve managed to forge some truly wonderful friendships in recent years. Despite my crankiness, this week I’ve enjoyed some delightful chats with a few people, one in Scotland, another in San Francisco and one in Newcastle and it’s just been thoroughly wholesome. Yes, I often wish I lived closer to these people, and I hope that one day we will meet IRL but until we do, we’re kind-of like modern-age pen/phone pals and I love it!
The Day of The Jackal - ok, full disclosure, I’ve been a bit irritated with this one as it’s progressed… but I had to see what the outcome was… and OMG the final episode is GRIPPING - I defo think it’s worth watching the whole series, just don’t do what I did and pick holes in it!
The final race on the Formula one calendar for 2024 last weekend - cracking race, great result, and as a Lewis Hamilton/Mercedes fan, FULL of emotion - I required tissues. Already longing for the start of next season!
This tree - art is everywhere…
Magical
OK, enough of my chat… you want to hear about the ‘fridge cake’, don’t you? I hope you bagged the ingredients I listed last week, because you are in for a TREAT today! It’s such a simple recipe, low stress, maximal reward, AND you will have all the fun making it – there’s a heap of finger-licking goodness (which I always rate) - it’s therapy in a bowl.
My top tip is to freeze any leftovers in little chunks; they’re the perfect antidote to the afternoon depression zone (that is, about 3 / 4 o’clock when the NEED for chocolate PEAKS!). And don’t give too much away to friends/family… I did this and I’m living with the regret as I’ve just run out of my freezer stash - sadness - must make more - Anyway, I hope you love it as much as I do.
Ok, that’s all for another week. Thanks again for being superheroes, and I hope you’re having a relaxing weekend!
Love, love, and big hugs,
Steph X X X
Very Boujee chocolate fridge cake
There’s very little to say about this other than MAKE IT and have fun whilst you're at it!
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