The urge to bake

Many people said they had the urge to do lots of baking early in the pandemic. Not me. I was determined to lose some weight and baking and weight loss do not go together!

Suddenly, this week, I had the urge to bake a carrot cake. This is the first cake I have baked in my "new" oven, installed last year. I used Nigel Slater's recipe, after looking at Delia, Jamie and Nigella, plus the BBC recipe site.

The mixture made two cakes that were to be sandwiched together. I decided that one would be good, so I've wrapped the other tightly in foil. Not sure it will freeze.

Nigel S says the cake keeps better if you wrap it tightly in cling film and keep it in the fridge, warming it to room temperature before serving. Won't all the icing stick to the cling film??? Advice please, fellow blippers.

We still have lots of chocolate cake for Mum's birthday tomorrow but it will be nice to have an alternative to offer.

Not that we are having a party this year.

Today, Ann P, a walking friend, came over from Catton. She and I walked to Haughton Mains Farm and back. It was lovely to be out in the fresh air. Christine and Henry called with presents and pudding. How delightful.

The pile of cards for the 99 girl is steadily increasing. (If we had had a party, I could have given everyone 99 icecreams..........now that would have been fun.)

I put the cake on an old plate made of one of the earliest plastics used in the 20th century. It was all the rage at the time. I have two plates that were Mum's. Behind that is a texture created from one of her abstract painting overlaid on the kitchen table.