Because Laura (our son Gordon’s girlfriend) has her birthday on June the 10th and mine is on the 19th, we decided to combine our birthday meals out. The only evening which we could all manage was on Wednesday.

So we went to the Annapurna restaurant and had lovely Nepalese food. We had been there before but it was the first time for the rest of the family and luckily they enjoyed it.

I did make a chocolate birthday cake for us both but it turned out to be the driest one which I have baked yet. So the search for the perfect chocolate cake recipe continues.

I did quite like the icing though. Very different because instead of using butter, you use jam and although it probably isn’t any healthier for you somehow the fact that you aren’t eating loads of chocolate flavoured butter is a plus.

So this is the recipe for it.

75g dark chocolate
75g jam of your choice
150g icing sugar

Put the chocolate in a bowl which has been placed above a pan of hot water. When the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the heat and mix the jam into the melted chocolate. Add the sifted icing sugar and beat with enough water to make the mixture easier to spread.

I used strawberry jam but you are supposed to use blackcurrant or raspberry. I think any red fruit jam would work though.