It's incredibly frustrating not to remember the email address to this blog, and of course, the password. Hence the incredibly long hiatus. Welcome to 2012! Ho hum. The above is my nephew's SECOND birthday cake. It's the Ninky Nonk from In The Night Garden. Kind of sans a few details, namely because I discovered that despite a good range of browns, golds and apricot - I somehow did not have any RED food colouring. Primary colour and I don't have it. The red in the above came from those multi-pack of coloured sugar pastes. Also the purple food colouring turned the icing grey-black so I couldn't use it and I ran out of icing sugar! Therefore for me there was a distinct kind of let down. Sigh. The harsh and critical eye of the cake maker. The sponge (just the green ones - the rest are propped up biscuits) was vanilla, filled with some calafate jam. I went to Argentina and we bought some jam - guaranteed to get you back to Patagonia... or so the legend has it. Tastes like blueberry. I managed to get the shape by using two metal bowls to bake the cakes in and then wrapping it in ready roll fondant tinted green. The biscuits are just plain with some royal icing piped on.
I also made a chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse cake for my sister's birthday. A nice simple cake for once. Not worth typing up the recipe it was fairly basic cream and white chocolate for the mousse but it was tasty.
Other cake related things this Summer, Bompas and Parr created a cake themed mini-golf course on the roof of Selfridges which I managed to get to for my birthday. It was a touch badly organised. The lift didn't open dead on opening time, the ticket seller forgot to hand people balls until a few of us went back, not everyone it seems was told that the Gherkin (which swallows up the golfballs) was the last course, and space wise, it was a little cramped for the arrangement. Funny moments had to include watching the Selfridges staff siphon off the water feature around Tower Bridge as evidently it was about to flood. Not bad entertainment for £6 and we felt very fortunate to get walk-in spots as the booked tickets had sold out.
I also finished my birthday with a William Curley tea at the Halkin Hotel. It was 25% off as it was National Afternoon Tea Week during August which meant that it was slightly under £30 each. The sandwiches were unlimited which was good, the tea could be iced (excellent given the weather) and the staff were absolutely lovely and attentive if not up to the standard of a grand name.
The cakes:
- Sea Salt Caramel & Raspberry Tart - Crisp hazelnut tart layered with sea salt caramel, raspberry dacquoise and topped with a dark chocolate ganache
- Chocolate Financier with Passion Fruit Curd - Rich chocolate sponge topped with mango compote & passion fruit curd
- Cherry Paris Brest - Choux pastry ring filled with crème pâtissière, cherry compote & crème Chantilly
- Strawberry Frasier - Fresh strawberries with a vanilla Bavaroise, berry compote and Genoise sponge
- Apricot and Ginger Macaroon Crown - Apricot & ginger mousseline with an apricot & ginger compote
The niggly points:
- For three people you got seven cakes. There are five types of cakes in the menu overall. For the kind of money you pay, you kind of expect to try one of everything.
- The scones were cold and not refillable. The most minute amount of cream and jam was supplied. You'd normally get that portion per person not per table.
- It's tea bags in pot, not leaves through a strainer. Not an issue for me, but it matters to some. Part of the experience no?
Verdicts?
The scones were nice, the sandwiches better than normal (salmon and roe, cornfed chicken - better than your usual fare), the cakes - well if you're a fan of Mr Curley as we are, you'll know his stuff very well. The salted caramel chocolate with raspberry is always a winner. I'd say the apricot and ginger macaroon and the cherry brest was excellent too. The strawberry and cream thing was just that... strawberry and creme, and the financier and mango was "alright". End of the day, if you're paying that much for the name, you expect delivery on every single one. Having been to the Curley establishment in Sloane Square a little too frequently, I'd say you're probably better off just going with a single slice of cake there or having a look at the dessert bar. They also sell the full sized cakes at the Halkin so it's worth noting if you're not in the mood to make the trip, but most of us are not in the neighbourhood of the Halkin either. All in all, a glorious birthday. Let's hope I keep remembering my password before the next one!
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