Plumsource

I have an issue with my oven. It’s cack. I know this because it turns out rubbish cakes. Roasts and biscuits and home-made pizza it likes but it has a problem with cakes. This is a shame because anyone that knows me knows that cake is a major part of my life and my midriff.

I did make the lemon cupcakes …

but they came out with hard biscuity tops. They taste good and they look good though so all ok at this stage. Next in my recipe it says pour the rose water icing over. Now I can’t blame this next bit on my oven. The picture in the book looks sophisticated: subtle pink icing delicately drizzled on with crystalized rose petals floating daintily on top. Well, ahem. I did put a photo of mine here but they looked so much like a bunch of toddlers had an accident that I have deemed the picture too offensive and taken it down. Let’s just hope I can pretend that R made them.

Cakemare also happened with R’s birthday carrot cake last week. Nearly burnt to a crisp on top in the oven but - help - still wobbling crazily underneath. Managed to get it cooked through by covering the top with greaseproof to stop it browning (thanks mum in law for the tip!) but then my cream cheese icing went all runny and had to replace it with butter icing which dragged all the cake crumbs along with it threatening a pebble dash appearance. Managed to bring it back from the brink again by carefully sculpting the icing with my hands. I quite enjoyed that – they would have called it “messy play” at R’s nursery. A few sliced strawberries hid the nightmare at the bottom and hey presto, got away with it by the skin of my teeth:

Don’t think you need to watch your back yet Nigella