Cakes....

"Let them have cakes if they can't have bread".....& thus started the French Revolution, guillotine & what not...
Even I cant have bread, but I can only have cakes.From simply prepared ones to those decorated with dozens of icings, ganaches, marzipans [In short, I love desserts!!] I learnt making cakes from my mother & then later improvised the recipe & learnt how to like them--from myself only!! The basic ratio I always followed  was 2 eggs per 100 gm of flour, 100 gm of Sugar & 50 gm of butter, in room temperature. Baking powder--well I am always skeptical about using chemicals, but it is my mother who insists me to put it...so I.
Most of the time, I used to make it at home, I would make it at mom's absence, else she would start shouting at me, cause she doesn't want me to waste my money after food [a compulsion, which I cant help!!]
Baking cakes for family, friends, relatives--has been fun. Sometimes, when I hear relatives coming in a couple of hours, & I have nothing much, except some eggs, some flour, butter & sugar always & some cocoa or may be some coffee......n then doing all the *shortcuts* for making the cake & surprising my guests with my creation....& earning some obvious *appreciation*.

What about cakes when hot??Today morning, I was hungry[I am every hungry & sometimes never hungry too] went to the pastry & asked an associate to give me a muffin[I prefer blueberry or else chocolate than any other ones...]. He told me to pick up one...& I put it in the oven so that I can warm it up. I love muffins[a quickbread] when served warm..with a cup of hot chocolate or tea [I find coffee weird...so its *not my cup of coffee*]..voila!!! Hotcakes sell fast...an old saying...

Garnishing cakes has been a little difficult for me, as I hardly practised pastry arts in college, except baking breads. I can be a good baker, but I wish I could be a virtuoso in pastry works...I tried so many times..little success I got at home. Once I tried Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte [Blackforest Gateaux], thought it was kinda successful..

Everyyear Christmas has always been special, especially the preparation for the Christmas cake used to commence a month before. I would buy all kind of dried fruits, candied peels & soak them generously in Rum [Old Monk XXX] for about a month & then finally fold them in my cake batter & give them a long, slow baking....so the result is heavenly. Truly, I make this cake only once in a year...
Well, I didn't bake any cake for long..may be its been more than a year...I should really buy some moulds for my cake & bake some..as long as my oven works & I dont forget any.... :)