In the 1980s, my brother Godfrey used to make sponges using this recipe, which came from the local public health nurse, Ailsa Gathergood. Godfrey, then a sheep farmer, busy entrepreneur and father of five, reckoned the secret was to ‘beat the s--t out of it’. Use electric beaters, even if you have forearms honed by wrangling sheep and small kids.
When it comes to plums, my all-time favourite is the Black Doris, followed by the heart-shaped Omega. Coming in hot in third place is the mighty Humdinger, a giant of a plum with sour, rosy flesh.
A delicious Mexican Fresh Fig cake for the perfect dessert.
I promise you can’t actually see, taste or smell the zucchini in this cake. Instead, the vegetable adds moisture and helps create a beautiful, classic chocolate cake that makes a perfect celebration centrepiece when loaded up with berries and slathered in the best icing ever.
Everyone holds their breath as I wield the hot iron. Trepidation gives way to smiles, as the sweet clouds of burnt sugar, singed ripe cherries, and vanilla notes of the ice cream meet. Few things are certain in this life – the impact of this dessert is one of them.
