One of the great joys of living in England is having Victoria Sponge cake on tap. It's the BEST of all cakes... in my humble opinion. Whenever I had come back from a winter working overseas, it would be one of the first things, if not THE first thing to have on home soil and my Mum would be sure to bake me one to welcome me home, served with tea in her gran's prettiest tea-set.
My lovely next-door neighbour just happens to be a brilliant baker and she periodically arrives at the door with a box full of cake, she makes an amazing carrot cake with a cream cheese topping which would make anyone go weak at the knees. Yesterday was one such day with a knock at the door and a box full of cakes (pink ones too!) and it made me ponder how often I put cakes into my illustrations...
There's nothing more English than a splash of red and a Victoria sponge
When I was little, I was totally obsessed with the cake in the Brambly Hedge illustration which absolutely inspired me to believe that all cakes should be pink and multi-tiered! ...I had to adjust my expectations somewhat for my own baking skills though!
I loved time baking in the kitchen and I decided when I was about ten that I'd be a chef when I grew up. But my dream was short-lived when it occurred to me that I actually only enjoyed arranging stuff on the plate to look nice and decorating the cakes...The cooking didn't interest me in the least! So I parked that idea which was a good decision. I still love any opportunity to decorate a cake though and that job is always saved for me at Christmas time. This birthday cake I made for my Mum's 60th was one of my favourites to work on.
I've always thought where there is cake, there is joy...birthdays, cafes, almost all celebrations call for a cake. I think that's why I love to pop them into my illustrations. Plus it's a lot less stressful to draw them than it is to bake them I find!
My illustrated cakes nearly always feature a pink stripe, for raspberry jam is the best filling of all, and, well, it's pink! I also love the smell of matches being lit - that alone smells like birthday cakes and candles being blown out, wishes being made. That smell will always make me smile.
I thought I'd share with you some of my cake-filled illustrations (my apologies if these make you hungry!). I'm going to pop off to make a cup of tea to go with one my of pink cakes which were delivered today. I hope you have some lovely treats to enjoy this weekend, and I wish you lots of fun baking if you make them yourself. Lorna x
