Invariably my teenage son and his friends arrive in my kitchen, just as I’m taking a cake or cupcakes out of the oven! They are of course ‘starving’ and simply have to cake…however sometimes I feel very mean, as one of my son’s friends is allergic to eggs – a dry biscuit is not quite […]
sponge
Kiwi Rachel’s Quick Chocolate Cake!
This cake truly deserves a much more glamorous name. I have been baking it since my mother taught me the recipe in the 1980s, an eager teenage cook desperate to emulate my mother’s glorious creations! It has a certain nostalgia in our family appearing at all birthdays and special events through the decades to this […]
Ideas for Flavouring Madeira Cake
When I first started cake decorating, Madeira cake was one of the very first cakes I baked. It is still a cake I bake as it’s so moist and yummy. I often, however, add flavourings to my Madeira to add interest to what is essentially a sponge cake. There is quite a selection of ingredients […]
Why does Lindy use Madeira cakes?
I’m often asked by beginner cake decorators “Why Madeira cakes, can I not use a carrot cake or a Victoria sponge?” The answer is you can use any cake you like, especially as you become more experienced. However, as a beginner, I suggest you use Madeira. The reasons for this are two-fold. Why Madeira cakes […]
Baking deep Madeira and Chocolate cakes
To get nice high sided cakes (you need 3 inches for carving Lindy’s wonky cakes) try wrapping the outside of the cake tin with newspaper (just like you would for a fruit cake). This slows down the cooking of the outside of the cake allowing time for the sides to reach the right height. You […]