When I’m not digging, I love baking. Just love it. I don’t think there is a more lovely way of showing a visitor how pleased you are to see them than by baking a nice big cake. And when special visitors come, I bake them a nice big Kitsch Cake.
The most important thing about the Kitsch Cake (apart from the yummy cakey bit) is the flower on top. I picked a rose while the cake was in the oven, pulled the petals off and, once the cake was iced, stuck them into the icing, using a garden raspberry for the centre. Pink or white rose petals have the best, sweetest flavour out of all roses. In fact, if I wanted to be really kitsch, then I would use Rosa mundi petals, as they are renowned for their sugary taste and also look spectacular.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, here’s the recipe:
225g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour
4 large eggs
Grated zest of one orange
Dash of vanilla
1. Mix the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy, then add the eggs individually.
2. Stir in the flour, vanilla and orange zest and whisk until the mixture is fluffy and happy.
3. Spoon the mixture into two circular baking tins (I use those unnerving silicone ‘tins’), and place in the oven at 180°C for twenty minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack before icing and filling the centre with jam, raspberries and cream. Yum.
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