Happy Birthday, Ed!

Comes around just once each year,
Creates a stunning atmosphere.
A heated party, beginning till end,
The place to be is SHADOland.
A birthday is seldom, a serious occasion,
Try not to take it, like the d-day invasion.
Laughter and jokes are within sight,
Stock up on both, all through the night.

Straker’s birthday, they all wish to join,
Nina barbeques delicious sirloin.
Do not upset her, or she’ll burn the meat
and Henderson would surely freak.

Blue-eyed hard-ass, since birth we have known,
Temper rising at aliens, as statistics have shown.
Share your birthday with Headquarters, dear,
Through thoughtful actions you protect our blue sphere.

Happy Birthday, to you, Happy Birthday Dear Eddie…

Ed, your cake has been baked by special operative Lightcudder, here’s the recipe in case you like it so much you want to bake it yourself:

RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE

You need:

2 seven inch (18cm) round cake tins, lightly greased and lined with a circle of silicon paper.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mk 4, 180C (350F)

Ingredients

6 oz (175 gm) light soft brown sugar
6 oz ( 175 gm) butter (softened)
5 oz (150 gm)self-raising flour ( yes it IS 5 oz (150 gm) not 6 oz!)
3 oz ( 75 gm) drinking chocolate powder (not cocoa powder) I use Cadburys Drinking Chocolate
3 eggs
3 tablespoons of boiling water

Method 1

Cream the butter/ sugar together until light and fluffy. Sieve the flour and drinking chocolate powder together , and then beat the eggs into the butter/sugar, a little at a time, alternating with the flour/chocolate powder. Beat until smooth. Add the boiling water and stir in. Divide between the two cake tins and bake in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. When cooked, the centre of the cake should be springy to the touch.

METHOD 2

IF you have a food mixer, then you can use the ‘All-in-One’ method of simply putting all the ingredients together in the bowl and whisk them together until thoroughly combined.

When cooked, carefully loosen the edges by sliding a palette knife around, then turn them onto a wire cooling rack.

Sandwich together with half of the fudge icing, and spread the remainder on the top.

FUDGE ICING

2 oz (50 gm) plain chocolate (70% +)
2 oz ( 50 gm) butter
2 level tablespoons of golden syrup

Simply melt the butter and chocolate together in a pan over a low heat, then when melted remove and beat in the golden syrup. Leave to cool ( takes a couple of hours to thicken)

The cake mix can also be put into large muffin cases and chocolate chips added before baking!

Note: If you want an extra rich ‘Victorian’ taste to this cake, add a level tablespoon of black treacle (molasses) to the mix when you add the water.

 

And here the battlefield…*

* oh and a happy birthday also to Lightcudder!!!