Reactions to home baked cakes

Queenie

Lucie wrote:

Queenie :rotfl: I don't think I ever got to make the legendary IFT, they were reserved for her "best" pupils to make when parents/govenors had to be impressed at post-speech day tea & other such pompous occasions that my school were oh-so-fond of. !

:eek:

Well no flipping wonder Home Ec went out of fashion!!! Who wants to improve their skills only to have to put in extra time/effort while the not so interested get to skip off and have a laugh!!

I was asked once, in my first job to do up a tray for some important visitors, pot of tea, cakebuns etc (hey, this was not related to my work at ALL) But, I did the best I could, even picked a flower from the garden to tart up the tray. Inside I wasn't best pleased because I couldn't get on with my *real* work ....
... Old George, the handyman came in, realised what I was doing and that I wasn't best impressed ... his advice? "Never mind, gal ... burn the buns! They'll never ask you again! " :think: sage advice

Loadsabob

VickyA wrote:

My mum is amazed at the "cooking from scratch" that I do as she thought that all we eat is processed stuff. I make more stuff from scratch than she does - and she's 54 and had been to catering college years ago, whereas I'm 26 and just visit this site most days!

Vicky A, this made me smile. I'm the same. I'm 28 and my Mum's 53, and though she taught me a lot of my cooking and used to cook really well when I was a child, she soon stopped that when I discovered the kitchen, aged about 11! I was the first veggie in the house, so got used to fending for myself a bit, and loved cooking. Over the years, she's cooked less and less, now buys loads of convenience foods and readymeals, and claims she's "addicted" to crisps! I TRY and TRY to talk sense to her, and to be fair, she does make an effort. She always raves over anything I cook her when she comes over, and sayd "I wish I was like you". But time in the kitchen is time away from the TV...so my brother and I gave her a TV for the kitchen for her birthday last year...it's not encouraged her much so far...but over the last couple of weeks she has called me, telling me about things she's cooked from scratch...perhaps there's hope?!

I wonder in how many families it's the younger members who are more "old style" than their parents? I take after my Gran... There's a lovely cross section of ages here though.

Rage_in_Eden

Queenie wrote:

:rotfl: Just *what* is he telling you!! LOL

Well, whatever he's saying it doesn't matter. I shall pay as much attention to that statement as he does when I say about him not putting the wet towels on the bed........

I have left two cakes fully intact in the cake tin - I wonder what I'll have left when I get home as OH works from home............ and this from a man who says "please don't bake any more we need to lose weight" and then comes in from the kitchen with "I can't find any cakes"........ I am married to homer simpson................ :eek:

Loadsabob

Lyndsay_21 wrote:

yes i must be the only baking dunce, even muffins go wrong. yes i am 22 in fact i'm 23 in 22 days woohoo. I have given up even trying to make HM cakes and if i want to make cakes with DD i (hides in shame) buy a cake mix, i am equally dreadful at mashed potato

Lyndsay, Delia says it's all in the tins...good tins give good results. From experience I've found that good tins HAVE made a difference to the quality of my cakes!

However, I really recommend "Mary Berry's ultimate cake book". I have made a number of her traybakes (lemon, treacle), and they have turned out absolutely PERFECT, and I have never been a cake whizz! They're all-in-one recipes, no creaming. Really ideal for making with children, I'd say. (I'd be happy to post the lemon one in the recipe index thread if you like)

And the right sized tin is vital. Or at very least the right volume. For example, I found that my tin was a few cm's long one way, but a few too short the other, but the length x width gave me the same volume...

You can do it!!!!!!! When I was young my Mum always made packet mix cakes with me, but I realise now that with an all-in-one cake, it's the same; everything in a bowl, whisk, put in the tin and away you go!

Mado

Rage_in_Eden wrote:

Well, whatever he's saying it doesn't matter. I shall pay as much attention to that statement as he does when I say about him not putting the wet towels on the bed........

I have left two cakes fully intact in the cake tin - I wonder what I'll have left when I get home as OH works from home............ and this from a man who says "please don't bake any more we need to lose weight" and then comes in from the kitchen with "I can't find any cakes"........ I am married to homer simpson................ :eek:

Ahh the wet towels on the bed... only when we visit my mum though, he is good at home...

Cakes and diet.... Let me have a search ( a bit later) in my books... I have the best low fat banana loaf, perfect for the bananas that have been left behind in the fruit bowl or the bag or supercheap nanas at the shops...

(be back soon... but OH is home today and I have to watch my nerding time)

Galtizz

Mado wrote:

Cakes and diet.... Let me have a search ( a bit later) in my books... I have the best low fat banana loaf, perfect for the bananas that have been left behind in the fruit bowl or the bag or supercheap nanas at the shops...

Oooh, yes please. Can you post it to the Recipe Thread. (so it gets indexed)

I've got 2 manky bananas lurking around the fruit bowl that OH bought last week to take to work because he wanted to be healthy (it lasted 2 days :rolleyes: ) but he won't eat cake any more because he says it's too fattening :rolleyes: this will be perfect.

catznine

Don't forget that you can freeze bananas in their skins! Just take out of freezer an hour or so before you bake, cut off top and squeeze into cake mixture and mix in.

ocemeer

Bananas freeze quite well mashed up too, then you can use them as instant 'ice' cubes in smoothies for picnics /packed lunches, by lunch time they have melted /kept the drink cold and still get the banana taste.
have posted a low fat recipe that uses eating apples, so if you have any of those left.....

rchddap1

I made some scones last night...a double batch. I only have 4 left at the moment. As soon as I took them out of the oven OH was standing there with that "but I'm starving" look in his eye.

honey

catznine wrote:

Don't forget that you can freeze bananas in their skins! Just take out of freezer an hour or so before you bake, cut off top and squeeze into cake mixture and mix in.

Thanks for this - I've always heard you can't freeze bananas!!!

Ohh the bananas I've thrown away ...... sob:o