29th September - Save the Date
Macmillan Cancer Support runs an annual coffee morning in aid of cancer research. Supporters are invited to host their own coffee mornings in their houses for friends and family. All proceeds are sent to Macmillan.
For two years now I have participated in this event. Last year, my family and I hosted it in our house…
Which smelled of sugar for a month afterward.
In addition to being for a good cause, the coffee morning gave us all a chance to experiment.
We baked old favourites such as macarons and brownies, but we also tried new recipes… to interesting effect... the cinnamon roll dough decided to quadruple in size, effectively overflowing the bowl AND worktop. Its funny how ‘hilarious’ and ‘alarming’ overlapped so often during those times.
I also gave new cake recipes a try. Lavender and lemon cake was a surprising success. After putting too much lemon into the cake, I had to even it out with an absurd amount of fresh lavender. I was sure the cake would be too much but apparently my oven drains flavour… as a result, the cake went down a ‘treat.’
… (I will never apologize for excellent puns).
I was also able to experiment with frosting. I learned how to make roses and new techniques for piping. I discovered that adding lemon flavouring to frosting is ALWAYS a good idea.
Always.
So while stressful, the event was definitely fun, and for a good cause. I would recommend for any fan of baking, especially since all proceeds are sent to Macmillan Support. If I remember correctly, we raised over £400 from donations.
The ‘aftermath’ is the only way I can describe what our house was afterward. Our kitchen had sugar covering every surface, dough on the walls, colouring spilled on worktops, every free surface piled high with dirty dishes. And the rest of our house had crumbs and sugar everywhere for days after, no matter how much we hoovered and cleaned.
Be warned, people. Bake sales are a battlefield.