Imagine this blog post with smell

The weather is getting ridiculous. It's just stupidly cold. On the plus side, it seems to be fairly quiet in the courts this week so I have been largely staying at home with Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book, getting into some Easter baking & using my new-ish electronic scales for something other than weighing wool & samples (working out nos of balls for grading - being me I have got a spreadsheet for this & everything). I have been knitting a nice summery cotton sample for Knit Now, but frankly its entire unsuitability for wear in the current Arctic conditions has been making me feel chillier if anything.

So I have made Hot Cross Buns for the first time ever:

 

 

Two missing due to us eating them before I took the picture - rather good I have to say. I have been telling myself that kneading and mixing is a sufficient exercise substitute for actually going out and doing anything.

 

Also Simnel cake:

 



It doesn't look like Simnel cake in the book, as Waitrose had obviously had a run on golden marzipan and I had to get the white. (They had also had a run on almond essence, which is my excuse for not making my own instead). So it then didn't seem worth doing an egg glaze - it would look a bit strange, white marzipan with yellow eggwash. I suspect it will not taste much different though! I also quite like the fact I have a slightly misshapen apostle/marzipan ball. I've used marrow and ginger jam instead of apricot as I need to use it up (it tastes quite nice, but I don't think any of my prospective preserve eaters think it will, so although I didn't make very much, there is quite a bit left, and no sign of any takers).

While I'm here I'll say a public thank you to the good people at Owen Barry Bags. I managed to loose the toggle on my rather lovely brown suede bag and they sent me one for free.