Becky Bakes…

This week we picked the first of our homegrown tomatoes. It’s always a treat to be given the first one, straight from the plant, still warm with a flavour that can never be matched by one bought in a shop. We’ve been having pea shoots for several weeks along with the mixed leaves that grow in a sort of netted cage – an attempt to keep the caterpillars and bugs away which is quite successful, thankfully. Isn’t this a lovely time of year? I could live on salads of any type. Insalata Caprese is another favourite – interleaved slices of tomato and mozzarella cheese, basil leaves too, then a drizzle of pesto. So colourful – a reminder of the Italian flag. And Greek salad too, feta, olives, cucumber, red onion and thyme. All these are so much more interesting than salads of my childhood which were only livened with a splash of beetroot for colour and celery for flavour. To this day my brother won’t touch celery… the taste, the smell and worst of all, the crunch!!

If you follow my exploits on Facebook you’ll know that last week we had a very relaxing holiday on a narrow boat, slowly making our way from March to Ely. By car that journey would be completed in minutes, but by boat it’s more than a days’ sailing. Setting off on the river Nene, we crossed two tidal sluice gates, then chugged down the well-named Great Ouse seeing very few other boats on the way. I couldn’t get the “Slow boat to China” song out of my head and sat at the front singing at the top of my voice when nobody was around. We had a firm intention that we’d make a new video during our trip (think Rick Stein on a barge in France 😉 ) so took all the necessary kit, including my favourite pan and sharp knife as well as some specific ingredients. The boat was so well equipped with everything we could have needed, although not the Denby crockery that was on the boat which set off before us, we had Churchill utilitarian plates and dishes, but I wasn’t jealous… well, not much 😉 Anyway, our filming plans were thwarted by heat exhaustion on the first evening, by rain on the second, cows at the window on the third, tourists on the 4th and 5th and vehicle noise on the last evening. So no video last week but I’m determined we’ll do it this week, albeit from the usual place. Keep a look out – we haven’t stopped and will have a good one for you as soon as we can! x

It was interesting to parcel up boxes of cake to send around the country and as I expected, some arrived sooner than others. Because of the time they sat waiting in sorting offices, those with high sugar contents fared the best – chocolate brownie is the most reliable cake to send. Any box which went very nearby or very far away arrived the next day because it either didn’t have to go through London or it went by plane rather than train or road. The middle distance gifts took anything up to four days to arrive. Thankfully those were either shortbread or lemon drizzle as well as brownie. So my friends, there we have it. If you are sending cake be prepared for it to take a while depending on the destination – not a scientific survey by any means, but just useful to know!

For many years I’ve sent cake to friends all over Britain when I felt they needed it. It’s a bit like a hug in a box if they are having a tough time, maybe because of illness, or just because….. Now, I am very interested in the time it takes to arrive at it’s destination – sometimes very quickly and other times at a snails pace, irrespective of how far it has to go.That affects the type of cake I post, so usually it’s one with a high fat content, like Brownie, or Lemon drizzle… not scones of course 😉 I wondered if you might like to help my research by sending someone a box of cake? The sort of container needs to be one that you won’t miss, so a take-away box is good, or a margarine carton. Add a note to the recipient, then wrap in brown paper with lots of tape. You will be questioned about the contents -that usually starts a conversation and ends with a smile! Assuming we will all use a different post office and send to different places it would be interesting to know if the cake arrives the next day or takes 3 days to get there. Let me know how you get on and I’ll report back in two weeks time, have fun!

The unpredictable nature of our weather means that, having enjoyed several lovely days of warmth and sunshine, we awake to a blustery morning which feels decidedly cooler. On our travels yesterday we came across several street parties – how lucky those people have been. Anyone planning outdoor celebrations today and tomorrow will need umbrellas. In fact the official picnic in our little seaside town has been moved indoors. We plan to eat outside whenever possible during the summer months, enjoying the peace and colours of the garden, but so often find ourselves dashing inside as the showers take us by surprise! I hope you are enjoying this extended holiday weekend with friends and family and some home made treats. Have fun!

If you’re still pondering what to make and in a quandary about the sort of cake to take to the picnic, I’ve got an idea to share… How about making the basic Victoria Sandwich mixture and cooking it in a rectangular tin, suitably greased and lined of course……? When it’s cooked and cold, transfer it to a chopping board, spread on a layer of buttercream – Betty Crocker’s is fine for this – and then use sliced strawberries or raspberries to create lines down the centre and across the middle, then from the middle out to the corners. Blueberries next to the red fruits will fill the gaps to create the semblance of a Union Jack. The extra buttercream can be piped into the spaces and “Voila”! you have a very colourful, light cake to share with others, cutting the slices as large or small as you choose. The fruits could also be used to add colour to little cakes, or sprinkled into your Swiss Roll filling. What do you think?

…..rumbles on. The winner of the jubilee pudding competition was a trifle which completely fulfilled the brief and requirements of the judges. Yet there are still comments being bandied around on social media about the winning dish. Those of us of a certain age will remember trifle being made regularly, whether on Sundays or for special occasions. Certainly an iconic pudding. My mother-in-law made a delicious version with sherry soaking into the home made Madeira cake, fruit next, no jelly, then blancmange and cream. My mother always used a commercial jelly, half of the liquid to dissolve it was boiling water and the rest was made up by the juice from the tin of fruit. She then made thick custard before the cream and topped it with chocolate flake. So the winning trifle had lemon posset* on top of the lemon Swiss roll. It’s a favourite of the Queen, served at her wedding reception and apparently often made by Prince Philip – a nod to her past. The gelatin sheets were softened and added to the mandarin juice, while the fruit was pureed to create a coulis. Custard and then amaretti biscuits were next – I’d leave those out to be honest, and then cream on top with chocolate shards. If it was good enough for Mary Berry and the other judges, I’ll go along with that. Eminently copiable, with a few tweaks, to make at home. (*Lemon posset is warmed cream with caster sugar dissolved into it; cooled, then lemon juice and zest added. I’ve done something similar by stirring lemon curd into whipped cream 😉 )

As the Jubilee weekend draws nearer I’m sure some of us are already planning what to make, especially if we’ve been invited to join with others to celebrate. There are a great many cakes – and puddings too – which can be made in advance. Time is precious and we can spread the load by planning ahead and choosing wisely. The best recipes for cakes made a day or two before they are needed are those which have a high fat content, which keeps them moist, also anything with honey or golden syrup. So obviously flapjack is on the list, also brownies and ginger cake which develops its’ flavour if made 2-3 days before needed. The only contribution which really must be made on the day is scones. They have a very low fat content and don’t keep well – I know some people have strategies for “freshening them up” but try this….. measure all the ingredients the day before, rub in the margarine then cover everything. The next day add the flavourings and milk, mix, flatten, cut and bake. All done in no time at all and they will be perfect. How often have you been offered tired, dry, tough scones? Too often sadly 😉 No amount of clotted cream, butter or jam can redeem them !

…..preparations are beginning to take shape in our little seaside town. Stands of red, white and blue merchandise are beginning to appear proudly in shop doorways with flags, bunting and paper napkins aplenty. The cookshop will be displaying their wares soon and I’ve had a sneak preview – little dogs of a particular breed will be prominent in that shop. Even the antique shop has afternoon tea happening in the window. The finalists for the great Jubilee pudding competition have been announced with the inevitable trifle looking like a strong contender. I liked the sound of the lemon swiss roll too, whilst all of them had chosen their ingredients well . We’ll have to wait and see if the winner will figure in our plans. Having hoped for a street party we’ve been thwarted by the fact our road is not a cul-de-sac and can’t be closed, so we may finish up in the biggest front garden, or opening our gate to accomodate all the tables and chairs. Hmm, not sure how we’ll do it, but it will be fun… as long as rain holds off!

If you are a follower of Becky Bakes on Facebook you will have noticed Cake Friday appearing almost every week. Let me explain. About a year ago I had a conversation with a local shop keeper about food. Whilst he was content to eat “ping-dinners” (microwaveable ready meals) he really missed homemade cake. He felt too old and ill-equipped to learn how to bake at his age. Our conversation moved on to other things, but it made me think he might appreciate the occasional cake. When I delivered the first one he was thrilled to bits! It was a lemon drizzle cake, freshly made that day and he was effusive in his thanks. So it began. Each week we have a chat about what he might like next, but it’s almost predictable and often the same – scones, or lemon drizzle. Easter biscuits went down well, as did ginger cake, fork biscuits were good too, but I know what really floats his boat! En route to his shop we pass some of our lovely independent shops and stop off to share some with Sarah and Will, don’t tell him!