TRIVIA CAKE

Sadly my husband was losing a colleague last week and as usual a pot luck was arranged for his final day. James and his family had become more than a work connection we had become to think of them as friends. We will miss James, Sallie and Maddox, but wish them every happiness in their new adventure together.

James in the past challenged my husband and myself to a game of Trivial Pursuit. Never ones to back away from a challenge we agreed although for Scots to play the US version is more of a challenge, and one we were not hopeful of winning. However, to cut a long story short we won. Sorry James but the world needs to know!

So what better farewell offering than a cake in the shape of pieces of Trivial Pursuit pieces. Good idea, execution poor. It seemed a fairly straightforward task, two nine" sponge cakes sandwiched together with butter frosting then cut into six pieces each one to be covered in different coloured frosting. Hey presto in no time I would have a cake to make James laugh, or cry, wasn't sure. However in the end it was me who was almost in tears.

I made the huge mistake of trying to decorate the cake while it was still too new. Soon I had a crumbling mess all over the kitchen. Added to that I had food colouring of every hue all over me. This was not as easy as I had first thought. But I was not to be beaten. I left it all for several hours before trying again. Time was running out and I had to save the cake somehow. I took a deep breath and once again set about my task.

Eventually late that night I had something vaguely resembling the plan I had in my head. Certainly this was not one of my better creations but it had to be taken along to the party. Thankfully, as I knew it would, it tasted good. People were so kind as not to mention how bad it really looked but instead complimented the taste. Bless them all.

It just goes to show 1: Don't leave things to the last minute, 2: Never try to decorate a fresh from the oven cake and 3: Don't assume any culinary task is simple, especially when it matters most.

So James, Sallie and Maddox I guess you had the last laugh. Good Luck and keep in tough. I will keep practising my cake decorating skills and you can practice your Trivial Pursuit skills.