Role Reversal

Last Saturday saw a major role reversal at home! Once Freddie and I returned from doing the weekly shop, Tors and Fenella disappeared to school to help with some much needed gardening. Whilst they were doing very passable Percy Thrower impressions, Freddie and I cooked and baked (replacements for the Two Fat Ladies in the making!) This may seem odd to many of you, however I have always loved cooking and Tors enjoys the garden. Anyway, we're happy in our own, reversed way!

You may think me strange, and you would be right in many ways, however I shall to explain my aversion to all green fingered activity. When I was eight, we moved to the most fantastic house with a huge garden. The previous owners had left the garden alone for 20 years As a result the trees were huge and half fallen over, the bushes had become overgrown and were deliciously menacing for budding explorers. The potential for games and mischief and frolicy fun was immense. However, the reality was vastly different. My memory has it thus: the first weekend in the house I was fitted out with waterproof jacket and trousers, the second saw me being bought my own mattock, the third I was given lawn mower driving lessons. It went on like this for ten years, unwrapping larger waterproofs at Christmas as I grew like the weeds I was decimating every weekend! I am sure the reality was vastly different, however I have been scarred for life and as a result have a phobia of gardening. I cower behind the sofa during the Chelsea Flower Show!! Having said this Freddie and I very successfully grew half a dozen six foot sunflowers last year, nurturing them from seed to eventual harvesting of seeds for this year. I like to think that it was all our own work, however have a feeling Tors may have given them a helping hand whilst Freddie and I were fast asleep.

As a result, I have made sure that both Fenella and Freddie are happy in the kitchen whilst Tors spends many a day, happily planting, weeding, digging and potting with them in the garden. The rudiments of both are being drip fed and, hopefully, they will turn into useful people. I am currently teaching them to change a duvet cover!!

Freddie has a fetching array of aprons and donned his Kath Kidson cowboy one for our kitchen marathon. He takes his cooking very seriously, he has even learnt about mis-en-place and loves getting everything ready. Breaking eggs is his forte and after many accidents and spillages he has mastered the art of elegant egg cracking! Keeping his new skill at the front of my mind, I decided to bake. Baking is something I am hopeless at, however since I was planning cupcakes and not a croquembouche, I felt reasonably confident. Anyway, I could always blame the help if it all went wrong!!

I picked up a recipe card for Lemon and Almond Cake a few months ago in Tesco. It sounded too good not to have it in the recipe file. We decided to try making cupcakes from the recipe. Somewhat surprisingly it actually worked. We halved the quantities and got 12 little bundles of joy! I will give you the full recipe, so enough for a cake or 24 cupcakes.


The Cake
225g unsalted butter, softened plus extra for greasing
225g caster sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon almond essence
1½ lemons, finely zested
75g plain four
150g ground almonds
1½ teaspoons baking powder

The Icing
200g marscapone, light or heavy on the fat content, your choice!
100ml whipping cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar
4 tablespoons of lemon curd
15g toasted flaked almonds

1. Heat the oven to 190°, 170° if you have a fan oven. If you are making the cake, line two 20cm cake tins and line the bottom with baking parchment.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Slowly add the egg, beating until it is all light and fluffy, like the underbelly of a baby yak! A useful tip, if it looks like it is about to split, add 1 teaspoon of flour.

3. Mix in the essence and zest. Sift the flour and baking powder and add the almonds. Give it all a great big mix. Divide the mix between your cupcake molds or tins. Pop in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Leave them to cool on a wire rack. If using the tins, leave them inside for 15 minutes before turning out.

4. To make the cream beat the marscapone, cream and sugar until smooth.

5. If you are making the cake spread half the lemon curd on the bottom cake, half the icing on the curd, put the second sponge on top, cover with the rest of the icing. Add a splash of water to the rest of the curd to loosen it and drizzle in an artistic way over the cake. Finish off with the almonds on top.

6. If you are making cupcakes, stir the lemon curd in to the marscapone mix and spread over all the cupcakes. Sprinkle with almonds and scoff.

We put a raspberry on each on. They work so well together.

Apparently double cream and a fragrant cup of Earl Grey would be the perfect complimentary partners for this. Personally, sod the tea and have another slice!! I have always agreed with Marie Antoinette and her "let them eat cake" sentiments!

I feel that a drop of vanilla would have really complimented the zestiness of the lemon!

An old friend whom I have recently got back in touch with after far too long has just started a foodie blog. I love other people's take on food. I can sometimes can get too carried away with flowery sentiments over politically incorrect foods and Lucy has a way with words that keeps it simple and highly entertaining. The only downside, due to her having been one since early teenage hood, I have to curb my rantings about vegetarians! However, despite that, she is a good egg and well worth following!!

I hope you all have a great rest of the week and enjoy the long weekend.