That would be planned not spontaneous.

Plan for the spontaneous!

Anyway I was talking to Rocketdog not you.

Out of curiosity, what cakes do you make, Molgrips?

All sorts. I made a battenburg once, it was awesome. Almond slices a favourite too.

Do you know how incredibly easy it is to make cakes?

Yes I do.

I also know I can’t reproduce the quality of a cake made by a professional with many thousands of hours of experience.

Sadly, those sort of cakes a few and far between. But when I find them it’s an ugly, almost violent scene that follows.

And this is seriously easy?

I’m an eccles cake kind of guy… I’d do my own, but the idea of making pastry is terrifying.

La Mallorquina, Puerta del Sol, Madrid:

Not ideal for riding, though. Besides, Nigella has turned me into a Domestic Goddess, and I bake all my own cakes. It’s not really that difficult.

but the idea of making pastry is terrifying.

Doing it, however, is really pretty easy.

Plan for the spontaneous!

Ermmm!

Doing it, however, is really pretty easy.

Seriously? Proper eccles pastry? Easy? Tell me more, if you please. 🙂

You said cake, not pastry. Plain cake is very easy, it doesn’t require thousands of hours of experience. Getting a perfect mille feuille or whatever, that does, but not cake.

It’s called an eccles cake though? Blurred boundaries right there.

Jaffa? Biscuit or cake?

Seriously? Proper eccles pastry? Easy? Tell me more, if you please

Never made Eccles cakes, but puff or flaky pastry isn’t that hard, there are loads of recipes out there. The BBC website is usually pretty reliable, although the Nigella Domestic Goddess book is excellent and the one I turn to.

One thing I should mention: while satisfying, making pastry is a faff compared to just buying the stuff ready made. It’s not difficult, just a bit messy and time consuming. Bit like indexing your own gears rather than just dumping the bike off at the LBS.

Short crust pastry is easy (but as above, buying it is even easier). Puff pastry though, thjat’s more difficult.

I once tried to make a Cornish pasty. It tasted perfect, but I had to eat it with a spoon!

You said cake, not pastry. Plain cake is very easy, it doesn’t require thousands of hours of experience. Getting a perfect mille feuille or whatever, that does, but not cake.

Mille feuille is just puff pastry, and that’s not that difficult to make. And learning to make pastry is the key to the Wonderful World of Pies.

Yeah.. just reading about pasty pastry. Looks like strong flour helps, extra gluten, and kneading the dough well to get it doing its job.

Tempted to try again now 🙂

I once made a pie – the pastry was ok but the filling was way off. May try again.

The white hot chocolate and Tiramisu are amazing in a Mc Cafe.

The best cake shops are “Oberlaa” in Vienna. It’s impossible to walk past one.

Jaffa? Biscuit or cake?

Legally (for VAT reasons), cake.

@mogrim : those pics have made me so dam hungry….for a holiday to madrid 😀

Hit The north Land

I see your slatterys – marvellous

and add http://www.macaroonbyalisonseagrave.co.uk/

you took a picture of the crap cookie section of Gregs at the end of the day by the look of it. Right next to that there should have been a stand of cream cakes, custard slices and other goodies.

It isn’t Greggs.

Do you offer a delivery service?
Do you know how incredibly easy it is to make cakes?

Hmm let me think, I make them or get them delivered by a lady into riding bikes who likes cake….no, can’t see your point

Local farmers market

Peanut & snickers muffin? Yuk

Hmm… look a lot nicer than most farmers I meet *ahem*

Anyway

Peanut & snickers muffin? Yuk

Bought, no. Homemade, yes. Very easy to make as well.

the idea of making pastry is terrifying.

MTFU…………………..and get baking.

i’m a member of our local wi. cake baking is easy however pastry just takes time as it has to rest in the fridge.
nowadays the shop bought ready made pastry is of a decent quality so you could always cheat.

@mogrim : those pics have made me so dam hungry….for a holiday to madrid

The shop is conveniently located in the very centre of Madrid, too 🙂

nowadays the shop bought ready made pastry is of a decent quality so you could always cheat.

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