Baking for Hanover Day

I love baking, and I don't get nearly enough time to indulge this passion. So when I found myself scheduled to help with the local party stall at this year's Hanover Day last Sunday, I knew there was only one way to spend Saturday night...*

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As Hanover Day didn't happen last year owing to funding problems, I felt it was only appropriate to salute the return of this much-loved community event (and to sustain my Hanover & Elm Grove colleagues and the revelling crowds) with something beyond my usual scope of Delia's victoria sponge buns. I decided to make (*drumroll*) chocolate and vanilla marble cupcakes.

Inspired by this recipe from bakebakebake, and this recipe from bakingbites, I prepared one batch of chocolate mixture, and one of vanilla (tinged with a verdant hue for fun).

Two things occurred to me as I regarded my bowlfuls of beaten batter: one, how runny it was (American baking recipes tend to use a lot of liquid compared to UK ones), and two, just how much of the ruddy stuff there was.

Undeterred, I prepared my cake cases and poured out my first batch, trying hard to create visible swirls between the two mixtures which would translate into beautiful patterns once baked:

Well, as you can see from the above pix, the intention didn't quite work: the mixture was too liquidy, so the colours merged somewhat, becoming indistinct and, erm, not very marble-like.

So I decided to scrap Plan A and plough on with making batches of single-flavour cakes. These looked a lot better both before they went in and once they were out of the oven:

Sixty (yes, sixty) of the little fellas later, I put them to cool in a safe place away from curious eyes and noses (ie Mr K & the pussycats), ready to be iced the following morning:

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Hanover Day was excellent as always (the weather was fab, the people were jolly, and as well as the Morris Men, I managed to see those Masters of Rock the Brown Stripes twice, which is a feat in itself), and I'm pleased to say that my cakes went down a treat on the stall.

Although in retrospect, I should have realised the pitfalls of scaling Muesli Mountain proffering cakes iced in an eye-poppingly vivid shade of green; hence the following exchange:

Child: Daddy, can I have a cake? Look, they're free!

Daddy: Free cakes, darling? Oh how lovely.

[Daddy looks at cakes. Then looks at me.]

Daddy: The icing's very, erm, green. What's in it?

[I look at cakes. I realise I cannot tell Daddy a lie.]

Me [sotto voce]: It's green food colouring.

Daddy: Sorry, what?

Me: It's green food colouring. But [positive voice] all the other ingredients are organic! I made them myself.

[Daddy looks at me, then back at cakes.]

Child: Daddeeee... can I have one?

[Daddy weighs up the evils of E Numbers ~vs~ the goodness of organic home-baking.]

Child: Daddeeee... pleeeeeease... they're freeeeee!

Daddy [giving up]: Oh, go on then. But don't tell Mummy.

Me: Here you go sweetheart! [hands child cake]

Me [optimistic voice]: Would you like a manifesto to go with the cake sir?

[Daddy backs away with cake-guzzling child, shaking head slowly and smiling...]

Me: Happy Hanover Day!

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Later on, as I related this tale, a friend said "Couldn't you have said it was spinach or seaweed extract or something?" Sadly no - nothing in nature is that green, apart from, erm, radioactive waste. Memo to self: do not try to have "fun" with jazzy-coloured baking next year ;)

But fun it was. Well done to the Hanover Community Association and all the publicans, traders, businesses, musicians and artists who made it happen once more this year. Here's a pic of Cllr Vicky Wakefield-Jarrett and me (plus cakes) on the Brighton & Hove Green Party stall, in the sunshine:


* Yes, I know, rock 'n' roll or what? (or "bake 'n' roll", if you will). C'mon guys, give me a break - I'm 36 fgs.