I’ve forgotten to take my pills

It's been a few weeks since I have baked (and therefore blogged on prescriptionforcake) and I feel very guilty. See, baking (among other things) is what helps keep me sane. I let my passion wane like an out of date cake. 

Work has tipped my scales over, and it's time I got the balance right. I mean, if The Great British Bake Off can't kick me into the kitchen what will? 

So this weekend I picked myself up and followed my prescription. I tweaked a recipe for a dessert that I could not only enjoy eating after a scrummy Sunday dinner but also eat in the weeks ahead (thank you freezer).

And here it is: Frozen Blueberry & White Chocolate Cheesecake. Thanks to BBC Good Food's excellent recipe which I used for inspiration. 

Happy Sunday!

A confession

Before I knead deep into my recipes and share my latest culinary creations with you, I need to make a confession. 

I have a love for / addiction to / problem with (delete as appropriate) even numbers. I fear it will escalate as time goes on, so I want to share my plight early on. It started as a young teen where my thoughtful mother would bring me tea and biscuits in bed (I think this is why my friends loved sleeping over so much). I always had even numbers. I had the biscuit bug. To be more specific, I would enjoy my morning tea with four rich tea finger biscuits and four chocolate digestives. Too many times I had to rescue mushy remnants from the bottom of my cup with a spoon. 

Anyway, this ‘habit’ has trickled into my baking bowl. I want to make an even number of cupcakes and an even number of cookies. I would also (subtly) try my hardest to eat two cupcakes or cookies. I’m not sure why I can’t just eat one... or three. It’s not like I expect anything bad to happen. And what if this extends to large cakes? Can I afford to make two mudcakes? I think I’d have to start baking for groups of people in my spare time. 

Now there’s a thought...

I have taken on too much

"I have taken on too much" were the six little words that ran through my head last week. Sometimes I can't say "no" because all I want to do is please the people I care about.

Last week was dubbed Bakeathon Week. I volunteered to bake three different cakes in 24 hours - all around my work and social life of course! I spent hours slaving over the kitchen top on Thursday evening after spending hours researching what to bake (thank goodness for Google). It was mostly in the name of a Glastonbury-themed festival, which involved fancy dress, hula hoops and a face painter.

How could I not jump at the chance to bake a concoction of sweet stuff to complement?

I was actually fortunate enough to go to Glastonbury this year (or you could say unfortunate enough, depending on how you look at it). So I felt I had some first hand experience to be able to share what was on offer at Worthy Farm... although I withheld my urge to share my flashbacks of unkempt loos.

Instead I focused on the surprisingly fabulous food that was on offer at the cute stalls. In an effort to replicate the baked goods, I made a mud cake, coconut & cinnamon name cookies, and rainbow cakes. Thankfully, all turned out pretty good and were well received by the fellow campers. The comment of the night had to be about my cookies: "are they hash cakes?" Er no, they are not.

Here are my cakes in their full glory - all of which are variations of recipes from Delicious Magazine, BBC Good Food and goodtoknow.

Time for a check up

Food that is full of flavour and delight: where have you been all of my life? When it comes to the culinary world, I have lived a sheltered life. I don't know why but, up until the age of 26, my daily diet generally consisted of chicken, chips and peas. Not so long ago I would have baulked at the sight of any sauce or seasoning, and asked "can I have it plain please?"

One house share and a few fancy dinners later, my life changed. It was time for a check up and this appointment was necessary. How could I avoid eating a meal kindly cooked by my housemate? How could I say no to going out for some posh nosh with a group of friends. How could I refuse to help a mate bake (and eat) an elaborate cake courtesy of BBC Good Food? Replying with "yes that would be lovely!" was my only option.

Well, saying yes paid off and I am now a foodie. OK, I still can't bear the thought of eating cheese but my palette has been exposed to so many new and wonderful tastes, it has woken up from a culinary coma. I can't tell if a dish has been seasoned with this herb or that spice, but what I do know is that I have been given a prescription for cake. And lots of it! 

It's time for me to cook, bake, eat and, last but not least, share food. I want to spread my edible creations with the world. Here, you will find me blogging about my makings of the savoury and sweet stuff and how my food has (hopefully!) put a smile on someone's face. Fancy a slice?