The Sewing Dilettante

After my earlier post about my disappointing white cake experiment, it's only fitting that I share the next, much more successful experiment, as well as a photo or two of the end result (which, I'm proud to say, went down a real treat - excuse the pun - at the aforementioned birthday party). Feeling a little bit blue about the dry, distinctly lacklustre cake I had produced in my first attempt, I consulted fellow ex-pat and baker extraordinaire, Meg, who sometimes blogs at Emmeline and Annabelle . She obligingly sent me the recipe she always uses, and it was perfect: moist but not too dense, buttery but not overly rich, and with just the right hint of vanilla. Not only that, but it couldn't have been easier to make. Love, love, love tasty, simple recipes!! (The recipe follows after the break.) To complete the cake in all of its lovely buttery, vanilla-y goodness, I used the  Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting  from the amazing  Smitten Kitchen  blog. This is...

A friend of mine asked me recently if I would make a cake for her daughter's first birthday, and, of course, I obliged. The party-throwing mum opted for a white cake as the one that might appeal most widely to children and adults alike. So, for the past couple of weekends, I've been trying out recipes to find the perfect one for what will surely be the birthday party of the year for the under-5s at least. The problem is that, here in Northern Ireland, 'white cake' seems to be synonymous with Victoria Sponge: an egg-based cake served layered with fruit or jam and cream, and sprinkled with icing sugar (see the photo below from Wikimedia Commons ). When it's done well, it can be very tasty indeed, but frequently it's a bit too dry for my taste. And, to be very honest, having grown up with buttercream frosting, a cake just isn't complete, in my mind, without lashings of the stuff. Anyway, I started my experimentation with the white cake recipe in Peggy...