In the Simple act of baking, pleasure given is pleasure gained.

It is just before 6am on Monday morning as I write this and I am pondering over the cake for this weekend.....weekend has been with no cake made. On purpose of course, as it is my sister inlaws birthday tomorrow and for her present I am giving her a copy of one of the best recipe books I own. She is a very busy lady and does not always have time to cook for themselves, so a recipe book may just sit on her coffee table looking attractive. But, I really do think she will use this one and to get the ball rolling, I am making a cake from the book for her.

Sister in law is very healthy conscience so I am aware of this when choosing what to make. Chocolate cranberry slice......main ingredient is chocolate and condensed milk....mmm no.

Espresso Hazelnut Ripple......main ingredient white and dark chocolate and nuts....mmmm no.

Vanilla Plum Cake.....300grams of Butter...I dont think so!

I think I should possibly make a cake in the book that she probably wouldn't make herself so settled on The Ultimate Chocolate Cake, that way she can share this with everyone at the office and take some home for hubby!

During the week I made the Blueberry Crumble Cake from the same said book, page 272 Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook (this will be my summer 'bible') and it is very delicious. It would have been even more delicious had I not omitted the 3/4 cup of yoghurt from the mixture! Never mind, it went down a treat with the female guests we had for dinner that night.

So if you are passing Opzeeland transport on Tuesday, wish M a happy birthday and you may be treated to a slice of cake, if your quick.

Next week I will be off shore and away from my Kenwood. I will still be making a cake so watch this space.

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.

Going Dutch

Well this week John and I entertained 6 lovely friends with a taste of Dutch the way 'Oma used to make it.'

We decorated the house with little trinkets from the native land; a windmill here, set of clogs there, and vases of tulips, everywhere.

The food was fun to plan and prepare. Chicken noodle soup to start, with Omas secret ingredient making it authentically dutch. Beef croquettes, rookworst sausage, stumpot ( a silverbeet potato concoction), eel, (yes, eel!) gerkins, silver onions, mustard and apple sauce to accompany.

Then came the dessert.

I had to fight for supremacy in this department as John bought out all his sweet treats that he was brought up on; biscotti covered in muisjes and vlok, tai tai, spek (scrummy soft sugary marshmellow), and paperkoek, all very attractively displayed on a platter. But what about the real dessert, I exclaimed!

I decided to google dutch cakes during the week and came across a Charlotte finger cake. Kahlua coffee mousse with cream and lady fingers. I made it on Friday and it didn't come out looking very attractive at all so I was convinced I had lost my touch with these cakes after last weeks effort too!

So I headed off to the Riccarton Market on Saturday morning and went straight to the lovely dutch lady who sells all manner of dutch desserts/cakes and bought an emergency cake....apple tart.

Anyway, back to the dutch evening and the table full of guests ready to sample the Mother Maderia cake of the week. I must admit, the mousse blended in very well with all of Johns sweet delights, and the apple tart made an appearance too. Every sat with very full bellies, satiated.

The night came to a close around 2 am after demolishing a bottle of very delicious Advocaat, served with bacardi, cream and lemonade!

Tot ziens!

P.S Last weeks cake was actually made correctly the first time.....the pan it was cooked in was too big therefore the cake looked like a flop! ha ha

If at first you don't succeed......

try, then try again!

This week is the Cancer society's appeal week with Daffodil day next Friday.

The Cancer society has been selling tea towels with a daffodil cake recipe from Alison Holst on it.

So I thought that would be the cake for this week.

I made it first on Sunday morning and things didn't feel as though they were going right. Sure enough it came out of the oven looking flat and it stuck to the pan!

Then I made it again in the afternoon and things didn't feel any better and sure enough it came out flat again (ha ha) . At least it never stuck to the pan.

I have seen a photo of how this cake should look on the notice board at the Cancer society rooms in Christchurch. I'll ring them tomorrow and chat with the very capable lady that made it. I believe she is from Timaru.

So watch this space for what is was that I did wrong!