Baking howlers

Actually for a novice even a simple recipe would be a tall order! "The person who works also brings on a few breakages and losses"?this is what I got to hear from my uncle when I was in my teens. This fact has helped me to be brave when disaster strikes and it is not carelessness that brings on any or many of them disaster.

One incident is particularly interesting. I had baked a huge chocolate cake for my birthday when I was quite young. In my excitement that it rose and baked beautifully, I let it out of the tin too soon. It was too hot to handle and in the blink of an eye the creation was on the floor, a steaming brown heap right near my toes! Well, boys don?t cry. But my heart sank, as low as the cake near my feet. Then it was rescue time because I had called over my friends for a party that evening. I got help and scraped it up gingerly from the ground. We kept it as it was, in shambles, till it cooled completely. Then got a cake board and arranged the pieces, and covered it with icing, decorated with a few sprigs of fresh button roses, and voila! I had an absolutely gorgeous looking cake that resembled a rock garden!

Disaster strikes first. Then creativity. And that is where the end result lies. Take a tip or two from the following:

If a chocolate cake turns out rather too moist : call it a pudding and serve it hot with a fluffy sauce.

If a sponge cake turns out a thin, flat, biscuity layer : cut into fancy shapes with a biscuit cutter and sandwich together with jam and cream.

If a cake sinks in the middle : cut out the centre and decorate with fruit, cream or butter cream.

If a microwaved cake gets overcooked and hard : pierce with a skewer and sprinkle with concentrated juice. Wrap up the cake in food wrapping and keep for a day or two.

If a souffle collapses : return it to the oven immediately. Usually it will puff up again in a few minutes and you can try removing it again.

If a cake sticks to the tin : wring a cloth out of hot water and place it under the tin until the cake loosens.

Now how about some really yummy sweet things from the oven!