double trouble

My beautiful boys turned eleven yesterday! We had other commitments last night and Mr F was away on the weekend, so we all took the day off yesterday to spend together. The morning was spent unwrapping presents (times two) and then we had sushi and gyozas for lunch. Then it was off to the movies to see Miss A on the big screen followed by a showing of The Lorax, then home for cake.

I love my boys so very much. I'm really so in awe of the beautiful, thoughtful, funny, wise people they are growing up to be. And though I would love to keep them little forever its also lovely to see them change and develop. It was great having some family time yesterday to just hang out together, especially as we seem to have been rushing around a lot lately.

Round here two birthday boys means two cakes (of course!) so this year we decided to make a full mudcake and then marbled cupcakes. Way back when they were about three D chose chocolate cake and J, who doesn't love chocolate, chose a marble cake, and we've been making that combination ever since.

I think I saw this smarties idea somewhere online, what a quick and effective decoration it makes, I love it! I'm definitely going to use this idea again. It would look great on cupcakes too. We iced the mud cake quite thickly with a plain buttercream and then set the smarties into it. The remaining icing was coloured blue, slathered on the marbled cupcakes and sprinkled with rainbow hundreds and thousands to match the smarties. Cake anyone?! I'm hoping the kids will make quick work of these and save me from myself!