Cake club and old safe hands

It was the second ever Putney Cake Club (theme: Spring has sprung) last Saturday as I think I mentioned. I also fessed up to not being one of natures joiners when we had the first one and I'm happy to confirm that the splendid time we had back in January wasn't a fluke. The February meeting was held again at Tried & True, a spanking little coffee place on the Upper Richmond Road that also does amazing food and is no slouch in the old cake department either.

Mind you, I think I heard a slight gasp or two from the staff, as well as onlooking customers, when we did the big reveal. Brace youself for a pictorial run down cake pickers (and hum the Pick of the Pops theme tune if you're vintage):

This is a grasshopper cake by Mel (@dinnertherapy) which had a heavenly chocolate sponge with a mint icing and special chocolate fingers round the outside. Like a cake version of a mint Aero. Tasted fab and looked as pretty as a picture.

Next up, technically not a cake, but you'd be a miserable pedant to chuck Julie (@CityCaphe) out on that basis. These were matcha and yuzu daffodil cakes. Matcha is a green tea apparently, and yuzu some magical japanese fruit. The two flavours were so delicate but blended beautifully together. And Julie made the yuzu daffodils herself  which made you feel guilty for biting into them. But we did.

Judy bought a St Clements cake which she was dead worried about (slight baking disaster apparently and she'd had to trim off the top and turn it upside down - we've all been there). Didn't matter a jot. It was incredibly light and moist and the lemon and orange came through well.

Emma (@emmadaltonwine) bought a bit of drama to the occasion. She unveiled her rainwater madeira cake (rainwater is a type of booze so we all perked up for this one) and spread over the citrus icing. The madeira cake was perfect and the secret popping candy in the orangey topping was a great surprise.

Shirley bought along a chocolate and pear cake which she thought was over-baked but I didn't. Dark chocolate and soft pear - having it. Plus the one I tried to bake a while back looked like baking roadkill so just the look, nevermind the taste, had me won over.

Now our Steph (@riversidebaking), my fellow organiser, made a beautiful rose and pastichio bundt cake. Both the colours (pale green and pink inside) and the flavours were delicate without one bossing the other, a tricky one to pull off. 

Milli (@MillisKitchen) bought along a blueberry and sour cream cake which was a total dream. We've had a request or two for the recipe for this one, and Milli has put it on her massively impressive blog. Honestly, give a go.

Lastly, my offering was an amalfi lemon curd, mascarpone and fresh berry cake. Please note, the fresh berries were mainly used to disguise my cack-handed icing skills.

And there we have it. Until next month (23rd March if you're interested)...

Just a quick note about this weeks cake. The sister flagged up some new Delia recipes. I love Delia. I know some people think she's a bit staid and homely but she's old safe hands to me. She did go a bit daft with that tinned minced lamb and frozen mash jive but bless her, she supports Norwich so give her a break. Anyway, one of the recipes pointed out by the sister was a sticky toffee cake with a fudge icing. Not only does it sound delish, it uses treacle and if that tin of mine is ever going to meet its sticky end, I'll stoop to anything, Actually, as ever, she didn't let me down. It's like baking with an integral cuddle. Detailed instructions and, despite my oven being all over the shop temperature-wise, the cake behaved impeccably, just like Delia would.

This week though, the office will get the cake and I'll let you know what they think and for once, what I think too.

I will report back the general consensus and a pic of said cake...