Tag: marzipan

Bakewell Tart

Posted in Desserts, TartsTagged , , , , , 1 Comment
Bakewell Tart 5

 

Happy birthday to me! And I should add to my boyfriend Ben, well actually his was yesterday, but I reluctantly shared this birthday tart with him anyway.

Bakewell Tart 2

Bakewell tart, for the uninitiated, is a British classic. Flakey pastry, a thin layer of raspberry jam (always, always raspberry) and almond sponge, topped with toasty, flaked almonds (or sometimes icing, but for me its all about the almonds.) It has to be one of my all time favourites, hence its selection as this year’s birthday dessert.

Bakewell Tart 1

Despite its seeming simplicity, the flavours are just perfect and it can definitely compete with last year’s birthday special, even though that one was a bit of a showstopper. (continue reading…)

Battenberg Cake

Posted in CakesTagged , , , , , , 4 Comments

Battenberg Cake 1

Back in the olden days, whenever I paid a visit to my Nan and Gramp in Cheltenham, there were certain foodstuffs I was guaranteed to enjoy. Items that were surefire crowd pleasers in the under 10 category, namely Dairylea triangles, tiny boxes of Kellogg’s cereals (aka the variety pack) and, best of all, battenberg cake.

Battenberg Cake 2

I developed highly prescriptive methods to be utilised when eating each of these treats. Dairylea triangles must always be consumed in pairs, one thinly spread in a sandwich, cut into neat quarters and one meticulously removed from its tinfoil wrapper and nibbled delicately. The cereal should be consumed dry, straight from the box and by the handful, usually whilst watching cartoons on a Saturday morning.

The Battenberg Ritual

But my favourite ritual involved the battenberg. A single, chunky slice would carefully be peeled, preferably in one perfect sliver of marzipan. Only then could the squares be separated and eaten one at a time, in alternating colours of pink and yellow. People who bite straight into a slice of battenburg frankly freak me out, how can they not know how wrong that is? Admittedly, I may missing out on the combination of flavours that biting off a corner would provide, but I do love a routine. (continue reading…)