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).


Sunday, 7 May 2017

94. Crunchy Top Lemon Cake

Husband chose this one for this week's project, without much hesitation, as he loves lemon cakes and desserts. It was super easy, and only required the extra ingredient of a lemon, which I sent husband to the market for. It was basically an all-in-one Victoria sponge mixture, with lemon zest grated in. The 'crunchy top' was a mixture of granulated sugar and the juice of one lemon (I opted for granulated rather than caster sugar to maximise crunchiness), poured over while the cake was still hot and in the tin. Most of it dribbled down the sides, but I figured that if it was then left to cool in the tin (as per the recipe), it would still get absorbed into the cake. I was pleased that it held its shape and didn't sink in the middle; it was generally a really nice cake.
Baker's verdict: easy and tasty. Not quite a lemon drizzle, and the sponge didn't taste especially lemony, but it was tasty all the same.
Husband rating: 8/10 - very nice lemon sponge; nicest in the first day when it was still crunchy on top, but if you want a nice lemon cake, then you might as well have a lemon drizzle cake.
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