This first story comes from my friend Paul Bagget whom is known as a hazard to himself, those around him and cheesecakes apparently!
I was around 8 years old and my nan had asked me to take dessert through to the dining room, a lavish strawberry decorated cheesecake affair. Well being a boy I raced around one corner ran down the hallway, skidded and ran into the dining room turning quickly to proudly show off the cake to my Grandpa.
"what ya showing me an empty plate for boy...wheres the cheesecake"
I peered over the plate to my horror there was no longer a cheesecake..I mumbled something unintelligible whilst my Grandpa stormed back to kitchen
"wheres dessert women"
"Paul's got it"
"no he hasn't"
"well I gave it to him"
"no you gave him an empty plate"
"and why would I do that stop playing silly buggers and go and slice the cake I'll bring through the tea"
"how can I slice a cake that's not there"
At which point I glanced to my left and saw the tip of a strawberry poking over the radiator; in my haste at turning the corner I had gone one way and the cheesecake had flown in the opposite direction and slid down the back of the radiator....it took another half hour of shouting before I finally confessed.
I remember a good friend of mine got himself into a baking phase a couple of years back it was fantastic, everyday he'd bake scones, cookies oh how my hips suffered. I came round for dinner one night and whilst nursing an over ripe belly on the couch he jumps up
"cake...we need cake I'll make a Victoria sponge"
Oven goes on pots and pans clash about and a happy whistle wafts up from the kitchen, a half hour later we are all crowded around the oven desperately awaiting dessert a lavish soft and bouncy sponge cake; what we got was as flat as a piece of paper, slightly crispy curled edge disappointment. Apparently our friend hadn't realised their was a HUGE difference between plain and self raising flour. How we will never know but the cake did taste amazing in the end (one of the best I've ever eaten).
We got our new display table at Eatalys this week people were taking the cakes off the display and eating them as quickly as I was setting them up!
Have a great weekend everybody get yourselves to Holborn and have a coffee and a cakes with us at Eatalys!
