Saturday 31 May 2014

Baking like Berry

There wasn't much time for my Bake it like Berry challenge this week.

 

That's because the boys' school were holding a Spring Fair on Friday afternoon and I was organising the afternoon teas. We sent a request out to all the parents for donations of traybakes and cakes, but two of the other mums and myself volunteered to bake all the scones.

 

I did more than just scones though because you never really know how many donations you will get!

 

On Wednesday afternoon, while Fraser napped or the other boys entertained him, I made (from left to right below): 2 dozen free from cupcakes (these were actually more to keep at home than take with us), a rocky road Traybake, a mint aero Traybake, 2 dozen butterfly cakes (seen here before being turned into butterflies) and 2 dozen mini cupcakes.


 

On Thursday I made 2 dozen scones and a dozen treacle scones.

 

 

 
And finally, this cake for the Bake Off competition at the fair.
 
It was based on the Lemon cake I made last week from Mary's Baking Bible. Only this time I made it in round sandwich tins rather than the square tin. I sliced the two halves of cake in half again to make four layers and then layered them together with a lemon mascarpone icing. I left the assembly of it until I got to the school as I didn't think it would survive the journey in buy train and bus! I had planned to make up some glacé icing with lemon juice to put on top of the cake, but I was so busy setting up the tables, putting all the donated cakes out, getting the teas ready etc that I had about 1 minute to see to my cake! So I just slapped the mascarpone icing and some lemon curd between the layers very quickly, sprinkled some icing sugar on top and finished it off with some lemon peel I had brought along.
 

 

The afternoon teas were busy, busy, busy! There were only two of us - and Fraser in the baby sling - serving, and we literally didn't stop serving tea, coffee, juice and cakes for nearly three hours! I kept thinking that surely the queue would go down soon and it never did! Still, it made a lot of money for the school funds!
 
Most of the action was taking place in the school playground and the other boys had a lovely afternoon wandering round the various stalls with their friends.
 
The school holds a Christmas Fair every year as a fundraiser but this is the first time they have run a Spring Fair, and it seemed to be a big success.
 
In the midst of the busyness, one of my friends came in and said to come with her for a minute. She took me running into the playground, where there was an auction taking place. The reason wasn't because of the auction though, but because my cake had won the competition!
 
I got this lovely hamper of goodies as my prize.
 
 
 

 

Then it was back to the teas, where we sliced up the bake off cakes to serve as well. I joked that we should charge extra for the winning cake!

 

 

And that's how this week I really was, in a way, baking like Berry!

2 comments:

  1. I loved reading about your day and seeing all that you baked. It was as if I got to come along. Congratulations on your cake, and I'm not surprised that you won; it looked beautiful and delicious… I wanted a slice of it myself. Your house must have smelled wonderful with all those goodies being baked. Love the picture of you with a prize in each arm.
    Blessings,
    Pam

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  2. Wow! You are amazing! Such lovely baking! I wish I could've enjoyed the aroma in your home! The desserts all look delicious!
    Congratulations on your cake! It looked beautiful!
    AND Thank You! and your wonderful family for hosting two strange young men from my neck of the woods! They had a great time!

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