Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?

So on Sunday the Gothic Valley WI (www.gothicvalleywi.org.uk) helped with a stand at the Party in the Park for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  We made cakes and sold them to the public.  I provided a pistachio cake with chai frosting, a sumatran chocolate cake and a spiced chocolate cake with cinnamon frosting.  The cakes sold out by 3pm (we were due to run to 7).  Go us!

There's always time for breakfast...

Fast and easy American-styly pancakes:
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp oil
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the wet ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients and beat until the batter is smooth.  It should make a very thick 'ribbon'.  Heat a frying pan to medium-high heat and add 1/3 cup to the pan.  Cook until golden brown and then flip.  Best with butter and maple syrup (and strawberries and bacon).

Long overdue is no joke!  Lots of life happening, which means slightly less baking.  But I've mostly been remembering to take photos, so here are a few things of late.
Hot Cross buns, just in time for Easter:

Rivet Cake

It was Johann's birthday on Friday, and this year's challenge was to make rivet cake, in honour of our friends' industrial club night.  This called for the fantastic edible silver spray paint which Fran and I found in Camden Sainsbury's.  Yay!

So, I made a Russian Coffecake (painted silver), a plain vegan chocolate cake (painted silver) and the actual Rivet Cake - a vegan chocolate-frosted cake, decorated like a pop rivet and painted silver. 

Mexican orange choc cake

Inspired by our Mexican food dinner, I made a wacky (chocolate) cake with orange zest and chili.

Quite good, if I do say so myself. A bit like posh Terry's chocolate orange.

Normal service to resume soon....

It's been ages since my last post, mostly because the move to London took over my life. But we're now settling in, and I've done a couple of epic breakfasts, including a triple batch of blueberry pancakes this morning.
Plans are for stollen in the run up to Christmas, and, if needed, some vegan mince pies.

Last one....

Apricot upside down tart.