A few months ago, gripped by baking fever, I purchased Mary Berry's Baking Bible. I quickly decided to embark upon a mission to bake everything in the book, and turn myself from an occasional baker into a bit of an expert. My Grandad Ern was a Master Baker by trade; the man responsible for introducing Danish Pastries to England in fact, and I wish it had occurred to me to spend more time learning from him, rather than simply enjoying the fruits of his effortless labours. This project is almost a way of making amends for that; I'd like to follow in his footsteps (if not in my career, at least as a hobby) and continue the proud heritage of baking in my family.
I credit my friend Rachel with the idea to write a blog about my baking exploits, hoping that there will be more successes than failures as I attempt all 213 of the Queen of Baking's recipes.
So as not to bore the husband with a monotonous diet of sponges, followed by weeks of biscuits, I've decided to tackle the recipes by selecting the first bake from each chapter, followed by the second recipe and so on. I'm not going to pick and choose; I'm determined to face my baking demons and learn how to do everything baking-related, even if the consequences are disastrous!
Everything will be photographed, with comment about how I found baking it, and a husband rating (to be taken with a pinch of salt as he has a very selective cake-tooth).


Tuesday, 7 January 2014

51. Lemon Drizzle Traybake

My goodness. I am soooo behind on my blog! I baked this ages ago and had even forgotten that I had until I checked my folders of baking photos. Sadly this particular folder is empty at the moment: I made this for my A Level students one evening and then forgot to take any photos in my rush to pack it up and then take it into school the next day. I'll have to bake it again (which I would, willingly) in order to properly illustrate my blog.
Not much to say about this bake other than it was very easy to make and very pleasant to eat. The sugary/lemony topping was a bit of a disappointment, but only aesthetically. I felt a bit embarrassed to be offering my students a cake which looked really plain (the topping is translucent)! However, it was beautifully moist and very lemony, so in this case, it didn't really matter what it looked like.
Baker's verdict: something I will definitely bake again. Love a good lemon drizzle and these traybakes are very practical. Easy to portion and plenty to be had!
Husband rating: 9/10 - really lemony, a bit crunchy on top with the sugar. Really moist, a nice strong lemon flavour.

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