Back to Baking

It was great to do some baking last week as I'd been feeling very out of practice!  I made the cakes for Marcy and Elizabeth's retirement party, which took place last Friday at Cedar Hill Golf Course.  I think everyone had a fun evening; the cakes definitely got a good reception.  The wacky cake is such an easy classic and the pound cake speaks for itself - it has never disappointed in all the times we've made it: MJ's birthday, Karan and Mario's wedding, our wedding, ML's birthday, ML and Fred's 40th anniversary...the list goes on!  Here's the recipe courtesy of Regan Daley's In the Sweet Kitchen:

1 1/2 cups blanched almonds, lightly toasted

3 cups + 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

4 ounces marzipan, room temperature

6 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp. almond extract

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup Amaretto

1/4 cup apricot or orange brandy

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup sour cream

2/3 cup dried apricots, chopped (unsulphured are best)

Preheat oven to 325.  Thoroughly grease and flour a 10" tube pan.  Process the almonds and 3T sugar in a food processor until finely ground.  Set aside.

Cream the butter with the remaining sugar until mixture is fluffy and pale.  Add the marzipan and cream until well blended.  Add eggs two at a time, beating after each addition.  Beat in the extracts, the Amaretto and the brandy.  Fold in the ground almonds.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed batter in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and ending with the dry ingredients.  Fold in the dried apricots and scrape batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until a wooden skewer comes clean and the cake is starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a thin-bladed knife or a palate knife around the edge of the cake and the center tube.  Invert the cake onto a wire rack.  Allow cake to cool completely before serving or storing.  It keeps well at room temperature for 4 days or can be wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months.

Serves 20-30

Pound cake

All three

Dairy-free chocolate

Camping With The Cormies

We had a lovely weekend with our faithful hiking partners!  Jean and I made it to Qualicum Beach early Saturday afternoon and, after consolidating our gear into one very full car, we headed up to Elk Falls Provincial Park with John and Rosemary.  We claimed our campsite and then hiked to the falls on a pretty, forested trail that wound through land owned by BC Hydro. The falls themselves were quite an amazing sight:

We were more than ready to relax when we got back so we had dinner and settled down for the night; at least we tried to...the bachelor party next door made it a little difficult!

Sunday morning we took the ferry over to Quadra Island and found a very nice privately owned campsite in Heriot Bay near Rebecca Spit.  We were looking to do a day hike and I had wanted to check out the Maud Island trail but after half a day of wandering logging roads in search of the trailhead, we gave up!  That was a little disappointing but we ended up walking around Morte Lake in the afternoon, which provided great scenery as well.  Jean even got her swim in while John and I did the hour loop around the lake.

A little lost...

In the evening, we took a walk to Rebecca Spit and enjoyed the views of the Mainland:

We didn't go too far as we wanted to save the Rebecca Spit trail for the next morning.  It was a great way to end our trip - an easy, leisurely walk partially through the woods and partially on the beach.  

There's still so much more to see and do on the Island but I think we all had a great time exploring some new places in some perfect summer weather.  I know Holly did!