Cakes can be works of art, finely crafted sculptural delights, tokens of love and gestures of friendship, consolation or congratulation. As children we always had homemade birthday cakes and I was reminded of this recently, having spent a lovely morning with my niece Rachel and her baby Felix. Many years ago, when Rachel was about six herself, she made us all laugh by carefully slicing up her chocolate birthday cake so she got double the size of everyone else in the family. Maybe she’d read the Duke of Norfolk’s letter to Thomas Cromwell, which is the oldest known use of the proverb “you can’t have your cake and eat it”. Because the solution is clearly just to ensure you have a big enough slab to keep some for later.
I find cake suits every occasion and season
Growing up I really didn’t appreciate that mum cooked everything from scratch, in fact my idea of heaven was going to the house of a friend whose mother worked, so all the food came from M&S. Having suffered with terrible teeth (a legacy of growing up during WWII) mum was very strict with our sugar intake, yet there was always a cake for tea on Saturday and, depending on its flavour, it could disappear in a day or linger for a week. It is more filling and robust than a biscuit and there is always that edge that isn’t quite straight and needs a little trim!
Unlike Mr Woodhouse in Jane Austin’s Emma, who found cake “unwholesome” and “unfit for anybody”, I find cake suits every occasion and season. There’s dense tea bread, slathered in butter, rich chocolate cake that feeds the soul, or light-as-air sponge cake, that seems to vanish almost before you start eating.
Now that spring is here, I look forward to longer dog walks and the sun warming my skin; this always warrant treats to nibble on, such as the obligatory egg sandwich and slab of cake. But you need nerves of steel not to give in and eat everything within ten minutes of setting off, especially if, like me, you have stuffed your snacks into a coat pocket where they gently bump your leg with every step. Though it’s not as bad as the annual camping trips when we would load the car up with all our wet gear and some freshly-baked Cornish pasties for the trip home. The smell was irresistible and we never got past Truro, let alone the Cornish/Devon border, before they were all devoured.
Back to cake, and at this time of year it needs substance; the great thing about fruit cake is it tends to fall apart on the move so you can reward yourself with small pieces along the way, without suffering the guilt of having eaten it before your sandwich! Lightly spiced simnel cake is perfect as it’s not too heavy and has a delicious layer of marzipan. Or try a meaty square of ginger cake studded with pieces of crystallised ginger – best eaten with a lump of cheddar or Wensleydale cheese.
Come summer something light and plain is needed, like lemon drizzle or a slice of sponge with a handful of just-picked berries. Then, with autumn’s shorter days and the smell of rain in the air, more robust fare is called for: perhaps a bakewell tart that will survive in your pocket, fragrant with almonds and a generous slick of homemade raspberry jam.
For winter’s wet and stormy walks when you’re head down against the wind or rain, it’s a labour of love to go out – even the dogs hesitate before they step outside. But I’m fine with a freshly-baked piece of chocolate brownie in my pocket, still warm enough to keep my fingers from freezing; I also know the most perfect sheltered spot in which to eat it.
When the starving crowds gathered at the gates of Versailles during a bread shortage, Marie Antoinette supposedly said “Let them eat cake!” If the going gets tough I do think cake hits the spot, and is easier to bake than bread. In these times of extortionate fuel bills, I put on another jumper and enjoy a delicious slice fresh from the oven – after all, it’s cheaper than heating the house.
Vanilla Pound Cake
This simple recipe dates back to the eighteenth century and is so called because it required exactly 1lb each of flour, eggs, butter and sugar.
For the cake
200g each softened butter, caster sugar and self-raising flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla paste
For the icing
125g icing sugar
1 tbsp vanilla paste
Place all the cake ingredients in a large bowl and beat together with an electric hand whisk or wooden spoon until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 900g loaf tin lined with baking paper. Bake at 180°C for 40-45 mins. Set aside to cool and make the icing. In a bowl combine the icing sugar and vanilla paste with 3 tbsp water to make a thick icing. Spread over the cooled cake and leave to set before slicing.
Lydia Brownlow is a former cookery editor at Good Housekeeping magazine and contributor to The Daily Beast. She currently inspires children to cook. More info at lydiabrownlow.com
