In the kitchen again.

These are the makings of a yummy lemon tea cake. Isn't baking an amazing alchemical art? You take these simple ingredients, mix them together in the correct proportions, apply the catalyst of fire for a specific length of time, and bam! you have cake!
Here it is all iced up. I wish I'd had something to decorate it with but I used all the zest in the mixture and there are no flowers on my little lemon tree at the moment. Shame, but didn't affect the taste at all - nice and lemony and not too sweet. Yummmmm!!


This one is the diabetic Date & walnut loaf. It's made with wholemeal flour and only half a cup of sugar (I have used Splenda in it but I prefer the sugar). It always turns out well, but it's never been as good as the time I accidentally cooked it on grill!

I case you are wondering: I don't eat a lot of the baking, less than a third I'd say. The goal is to make nice things for my brother/boarder to take for lunch and afternoon tea. He has quite a physical job, hefting fruit and vegies around in a supermarket, so he needs topping up with relatively healthy snacks, rather than not so healthy treats from their bakery. I think I'm succeeding - I bake 1 loaf or cake and that lasts all week. I'm on the lookout for new recipes so that I can widen my repertoire, but the old classics have a lovely nostalgic thrill about them and I really like to make them: Date & walnut loaf, Banana cake, Madeira cake, Seed cake (which I haven't actually made for years and years). I used to make and take Afghans for work teas and they always went down well. Actually some of my best baking went to my work colleagues - that way I didn't have to eat it all myself! Gosh, I think I actually miss those days. Just a bit.