I love baking. When the mood strikes, I can spend all afternoon in the kitchen, searching for the perfect recipe, measuring, mixing and pouring to my heart’s content. I get a huge amount of satisfaction from a cake well baked, especially if it’s a gift or taken to a gathering.
That doesn’t mean that I’m a fabulous chef. I have a small kitchen. I have a limited range of equipment. I don’t always have the ingredients on hand that the recipe calls for, and I often have to wing it with substitutions or omissions.
Baking is a science — certain ingredients react with others in very specific ways, and it’s important to have an idea of how they work together. But more than that, baking is intuitive. After years of standing at my mother’s elbow as she baked for church functions or just for ourselves at home, I learned short cuts and techniques that make baking faster and don’t noticeably change the taste or texture of the cake. In fact, as I’ve come to find out over the years of baking on my own without my mom around to help, these short cuts can actually improve the original recipe many times over.
30 Cakes in 30 Days is my ambitious attempt to document my baking attempts on a daily basis. The entries will be on a time lag, probably by about a week, to give me a chance to upload pictures, get feedback from other people trying the cakes, and review things like how quickly it goes stale or how well it freezes.
This blog isn’t about being a “domestic goddess” or a perfect cake baker. It is about taking real recipes of varying difficulty, figuring out short cuts and how to make delicious cakes with real kitchen equipment. I don’t even have an electric mixer! I don’t buy real butter, and I don’t use rare or expensive ingredients, and my cakes sometimes fall flat.
The aim is to have fun in the kitchen, and learn as you go on. Try the recipes and don’t be afraid to alter them and make them your own!
If you have any recipe requests, email me! 30cakesin30days [at] live.com
2 responses so far ↓
Kelly // June 7, 2008 at 4:34 am |
So glad I found you on Cookie Madness. Cookies and cake, two of my favorite things! I enjoy reading about the challenges you encounter in a different country.
Washiela // February 5, 2009 at 8:11 am |
I have just read through your 30-cakes-in-30-days, and you make it sound so easy. I am a chef, rather than a baker, but I am inspired to try your recipes – so thanks for taking the time to write up and post your hard work for the likes of me who are terrified to use the oven except to try the latest cullinary delights from Tuscany or French farmhouse cooking . By the way, I am currently living in Japan, and cant wait to try your recipes on the locals.