It has been a ridiculous length of time since my last post and I apologise for that. Baking is hugely important to me, and so is my family. After a difficult time for everyone these past few months, I feel like now is the time to get back to all sorts of cakery. Here is your latest, very large dose of marzipan and sprinkles... Xx
In November our team said farewell to one of our work pals. I tasked myself with a retirement cake and didn't think plain and boring would suffice. As a bit of a magpie, I fancied a go at a rainbow cake.
Now it's a simple sponge cake recipe made in various colours and stacked together into a tower that would look rather fetching and not at all out of place on Willy Wonka's mantelpiece. But when you've been baking for a few hours and your Dad waltzes in with a comment like "what the hell is that?", your confidence starts to dwindle... Why didn't I write down the order in which I sandwiched the cakes together??... How will I ensure that the colours of the buttercream covering THE WHOLE THING will correspond with the layers..?? Sometimes, you just have to make a strong cup of tea, take a deep breath, crank up the show tunes and see what happens! And guess what, as I held my breath while the knife was sliced through, I only bloody did it! Ta da! Went down a treat! It's so easy, just have a go. Though don't eat the whole thing or you'll be a modern day Augustus Gloop.
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In early December I 'took off to Budapest' as my Grandma told her pals. My 2 amigos and I had a lovely city break and I was in my merry element with all the Christmas markets and festive frolics. I was keen to sample the local delicacies; I'm always on the recipe hunt. Here's a couple that I shan't be recreating...
I bought some beautiful little cookies from a market in Vorosmarty square. They had hundreds of hand iced spiced delights, a mixture between a light but firm trifle sponge and a ginger biscuit! It's the way I describe things isn't it... I found the creepy man selling them a touch less beautiful than the cookies, especially when he whapped out this huge wooden arm to take my pennies and give me my goods. Thankfully, Eleanor caught it on camera for your enjoyment. The cookies looked sweet on the Christmas table on the 25th.
A major hit with us all was the Kürtőskalács or chimney cake. Between a bread and a pastry, the sweet dough is wrapped around a solid wooden cylinder and cooked on coals to brown and caramelise.
I felt like a right clever clogs because I already knew what they were, and loved that there was zero risk when we were practically throwing our forint at the little Hungarian lady as she wrapped our cake for us. I don't think she understood 'don't bother with the paper lass, we're scoffing it now'. In the same way you're chuffed when you get a question right on 'The Chase', I was proud of my previous funnel cake knowledge. And in the same way I wasn't gonna admit I knew that giraffes can't cough because I saw it on Pinterest, neither was I going to admit my funnel cake facts were thanks to watching 6 back to back episodes of the Hairy Bikers while eating the 'Tobler' of a Toblerone when I was having a 'bad day'.
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| Nor was instantly 'team funnel' but Mim had never seen such optical illusions in North Wales x |
Then all of a sudden it was Christmas! And I had great fun with my little cousins making gingerbread houses and decorating cupcakes. Kate has a great creative eye and her little toadstool outside her house was beautiful. Will's method of 'one sweet on the house and 4 in my mouth' was a personal highlight. My Auntie told me there was a mini disaster when the cat made a run for the open back door and managed to grab a fondant plant pot from Will's festive palace. What greater compliment can you have than a non human wanting to taste your bakes!
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| My gingerbread bungalow |
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| Will's palace |
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| Kate's beautiful cottage! |
Our second session resulted in these lovely cupcakes!
My festive bakes have included Christmas cake, stollen with thick marzipan, gingerbread reindeer, the usual shortbread and mince pies and a festive Victoria sandwich for anyone who stood still in our house long enough.
