Spring has sprung!

Although I am still resolutely vegan for the remainder of lent, I interrupt the vegan-ness of my blog in recent times to present the following cake that Mr P and I just made for my mother-in-law's birthday:

 

It's adapted from the perfect Madeira recipe - adaptations being that I used no lemon zest in the mixture, instead relying on a teaspoon of vanilla extract and half a teaspoon of rosewater in the sponge. It is filled with a white chocolate buttercream, and covered in sugarpaste leaves and flowers - roses, carnations and daffodills.

There's not much more to say on that account, and they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a bit of a photographic essay for you...

Happily for my husband and colleagues, not only did the cake rise epically (meaning I was left with a fair amount of sponge that I'd sliced off the top) but I was also left with quite a bit of white chocolate buttercream. Enter the food processor. Some blitzing, mixing, rolling and chocolate-covering later, and the result was these cute little cake pops. Although my resolution decrees that I can't try them myself, the reaction around the office has been pretty darn positive. Plus, they look very cute, don't they?!

... and covered in chocolate...

Blitzed, mixed, rolled and chilled...

...and ready to serve!