Monday 15 November 2010

Bake Off

I seem to have got a little carried away this weekend and challenged Dad to a Christmas Cake bake-off.

Let me explain. Some readers may recognise British TV chef Delia Smith. She's very popular and has been around a good while; she has pretty much been responsible for teaching this nation that good quality cooking can be simple and fairly straightforward. Such is her influence that when Delia recommends an exotic sounding ingredient or some new kitchen gadget on her show or in one of her books, you can bet the shops will sell out.

This year in conjunction with a well known supermarket she has launched a version of her popular traditional festive cake- all the main ingredients weighed out and ready, all in one handy take home bag. At only £10 (about 15 USD) it's a bit too tempting. The currants, sultanas and other fruit are even pre-soaked in Brandy! All you then have to do is add some fresh items, follow the instruction sheet to mix and put in the oven for 4-ish hours on a low heat.



















So there I was yesterday afternoon part way through following the recipe when Dad called for a chat. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew I had challenged him to give it a go too.


My effort came out of the oven at around 8pm last night and can be seen in the image below. I'm not a hugh fan of icing and marzipan; I decorated with almonds instead, sort of like a Dundee cake I guess. I emailed a picture to Dad so if he dares to try himself and sends me the proof, I will post an image for comparison. Maybe we'll even get a sample each come Christmas. Only six weeks to go til the big day, dontchaknow.



The fruit hasn't all risen to the top, it's a trick of the light.















10 Nov
Reading 1 - 1 Cardiff

13 Nov
Reading 3 - 3 Norwich

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