A week full of Birthdays

In this month of September we are treated to blossom trees blooming, lambs, daphne bushes in full bud, the odd freakish storm (and an aftershock or three thrown in the mix), nor westerly winds and many birthdays. And with every birthday there is cake.
This time of year our letterboxes also fill up with some interesting 'junk mail'. I recieved the quarterly leaflet from our local real estate team, Karen and Sue. In it was a wonderful recipe for a Chardonnay cake and some pearls of wisdom from Jo Seagar. I particularly liked this.....
'I am a big believer in the value of getting around the table as a family or with good friends and taking time to enjoy each others company. It is about being thankful and happy together and counting your blessings. And it might be as simple as a cup of tea with some nice cake. Slow down, simplify, be generous.'
So with this in mind, I have made four cakes so far this week. One for my lovely friend Mary who turned another year older on Tuesday, another for a casual relaxing impromptu dinner at Julies, another for my dear friend Carole who celebrates tomorrow and todays creation is for Lucy who is having us all around because she turns 19.
But this blog is all about the Chardonnay cake.
I am not sure who invented this cake. It is lovely and light with baking soda and baking powder and two eggs giving it the texture. Grated lemon and orange zest give it wonderful flavour and the 250ml of chardonnay.....to be honest, I never tasted it! ha ha
When the cake is half cooked, the recipe tells us to brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of sugar!!!! Gives a very nice subtle crunch as well as adding a layer onto ones thighs!
I served this cake with whipped cream and fresh seedless grapes and a glass of chardonnay in hand.
So as we start another week in September, remember the day's blessings, forget the day's troubles, enjoy the Spring.

Page 178

Life is starting to feel a little normal as the aftershocks become less frequent and the clean up progresses around the city. Last weeks cake has been received very well by many. In fact, it has been requested by my No 1 cake taster as her cake of choice for her birthday this coming week.

September is a busy birthday month but not this weekend, so I was at a loss as to what to make. I asked my friend Kerry to choose a number between 10 and 232 (the number of recipe pages in the Treasury of Baking book) She chose 178 so here we are making a Plum and Cardamom Shortcake.

I have never made a shortcake before so it was fun to do. I never had plums and chose to use cherries instead. Cardamom scents the pastry and the flavour combines wonderfully with the cherries, served in small slices with a cup of tea!

It will go down a treat I am sure, this evening after roast chicken and roast vegetables.

Calming influence....cake!

Well what a week it has been for us Cantabrians. Literally quite shocking, and I am very relieved the week is behind us. We are still experiencing the odd aftershock and I really hope and pray the worst is over. So as Canterbury repairs itself, mentally and physically, I am moving on with positive thoughts, to this weeks cake.

Enter, one of my favourite recipe books, A Treasury of New Zealand Baking, page 132, Lemon Lime and Poppyseed Syrup Cake. Did you know that this book is a fundraising project for The NZ Breast Cancer Foundation? The recipe is by Catherine Bell, co-publisher and editorial director of DISH magazine. She is a Julia Child Honorarium recipient and Catherine chairs the Garden to Table Trust, which helps children grow, prepare and share food.

A lovely simple recipe which has a little yoghurt or buttermilk in it to ensure a light, fluffy texture.

When the cake is still hot, you dribble the lemon and lime syrup over the top....mmmm very delicious. Catherine recommends this be served warm with a little plain unsweetened yoghurt on the side.

This cake serves 8....so be in quick.

Chocolate Rubble Cake

We were all thrown from our beds early Saturday morning as the earth moved ferociously. Some hung on to the bed for support, some dived under door ways and others under tables.

Our swimming pool emptied 7,000 litres, some pools collapsed, chimneys fell, roads cracked, silt covered many gardens. Buildings in town hit the deck, churches crumpled, supermarket floors were littered with wine, vinegar, pickles, flour, and the like. Storage warehouses have collapsed racking systems leaving a huge clean up ahead when the major aftershocks subside.

We all wandered around shell shocked ourselves the next day taking in the enormity of it all. So we stoked up the bbq for breakfast, took water to those who have none, checked the neighbours and friends were all good and braced ourselves for the aftershocks.

Thank God no one was fatally injured during this ordeal. Top marks go to our Mayor Bob and the Crisis team for the way this has been handled and to the media for keeping everyone alerted and aware.

So what does one do when faced with this horrific, spooky, natural disaster?

One makes a cake!

I found a bowl, threw in flour, butter, cocoa, baking soda, yoghurt, coffee, eggs and gave it a good stir and shake. Cooked it for an hour in the oven and voila! Chocolate Rubble cake.

We had an earthquake post-mortem while watching the extensive television coverage with a wine in hand and Rubble cake for dessert.