Why baking is more important than just... CAKE. Starring: a plum, almond & lime drizzle cake recipe to get you salivating
SLICE OF CAKE #1 The plum bounty has landed, so a (joyous) recipe had to be created. Confession: I've made it 3 times already. PLUS Hot food news, a dash of music and a v good subscription offer
Thank you for subscribing – and HELLO to a bevy (love that word) of new subscribers since the wonderfully generous mentioned my newsletter in her post on Sunday. Thanks to India – and welcome to everyone who’s dipping into KB’s Joyous Things for the first time. A bit about me: I was editor of delicious. magazine for 14 years (where did that time go?!) and, before that, head of the Good Housekeeping Institute where I oversaw the lifestyle pages (that’s food, gadget testing, gardening, interiors, beauty and fashion). Such a rewarding job… But food was and is my primary passion – hence the hard-to-leave delicious. chapter – and, in this joyous space, I’m busy seeking out food and travel-related things worth knowing about. It’s not all new because sometimes established gems get forgotten about/need supporting, so I’m here for those as well. I’d love to know what you enjoy and what you’re not so keen on… It’s an ever-evolving mix, shaped by YOU. Did I say welcome? WELCOME!
If you’d like to listen to this week’s intro, rather than read, here it is – it’s a little clunky at the end, but I hope you’ll forgive this newcomer to audio (or, rather, audio editing) for that…
…And if you’d rather read, here’s the words version, followed by that all-important recipe, food news, music I’m loving and a special subscription offer to a special magazine.
If I had to pick a fruit to give an Oscar to I’d be choosing between three: apricots, raspberries and PLUMS. They each have that holy-grail sweet-sharp character that lends itself so well to jams, crumbles and cakes. And cake it is today. The three KB Joyous Glamour Fruit happen to marry brilliantly with almonds, so this recipe would work with any of them. The cake is tender and the fruit makes it (whisper the word) moist so this is as good served warm as a pudding as it is at room temperature, any time. The lime icing adds a layer of sweet-sharp gorgeousness. My tip: drizzle it over while the cake is still warm from the oven so the icing sinks in a little but still gives a surface gilding. SO GOOD.
But first a word about why baking is more than just cake
It’s seen me through many a grey day; therapeutic is the word. When I’m feeling a sense of the hollow fed-upness that strikes us all sometimes, a session in the kitchen – whisking, folding, the aroma of sugary-buttery-spiciness baking in the oven – is good for the soul. Beyond that, the act of baking a cake for someone else, of giving, sprinkles sparkle dust that can’t be sprinkled by slumping in front of Netflix.
When I was at delicious. magazine we invented and registered (who knows where – I can’t find it now) a ‘Share the Love Day’, the idea being for people to bake two cakes: one to keep, one (or both) to give away to a friend, to a neighbour… anyone in need of good cheer. It was the idea of a colleague called Rebecca Almond – she was just ‘Almond’ to me and her team-mates. Perfect name for someone working on a food magazine. Anyway, it was a great idea and one I’d like to revive, not annually but weekly.
Still on the subject of baking, last night I went to Edd Kimber’s book launch (his shiny new book, Small Batch Cookies, comes out tomorrow). There were several GBBO alumni in the room including the joyous David Atherton, winner of series 10, who I’d never met before. As we wrapped up a couple of Edd’s freshly baked, huge and fragrant cookies to take away, I asked David why he thinks baking is good for the soul. Here’s what he said…
“I love the tactile nature of baking – especially with bread-making; the kneading and shaping of the dough. And the fact that, for not much time investment, you can make something to give away, something that opens up a conversation with neighbours or shows friends you care.”
And here, as I’m about to hit the ‘publish’ button, is a quote just in from Giuseppe Dell’Anno, who in 2021 was crowned the first Italian champion of Bake Off and, more importantly, one of life’s VGPs (Very Good People):
“The best part of baking is what comes after: nothing creates and strengthens connections more than serving food to family and friends. Most importantly, recipes need not be complicated: even the simplest dishes, especially those with a story behind them, have the power, when shared with selfless generosity, to unlock engaging conversations.”
A big YES to those wise words from David and Giuseppe.
Oh – and my pal Sarah wrapped it up in one succinct sentence: “You don’t have to be an expert, it’s quick (if you pick the right recipe) and it tastes good. That does it for me.”
As I said at the top: baking is about more than just cake.
Without further ado, below is my recipe of the moment. I’m afraid it’s for paid subscribers – so sorry if that’s disappointing, but subscriptions are what makes it possible for me to carve out time for creating this newsletter. I absolutely understand not everyone can afford to subscribe, but if you feel you’d like to (or are able to), I’d be so grateful. Click on the button below to see the options – clicking doesn’t commit you to anything, I promise! And remember: you can’t subscribe via the Substack app, only via the newsletter in your email inbox (a few people have mentioned they’ve found the subscription part confusing, so I hope this makes sense).
Thanks, you gorgeous lot.