Hey, long time no blog. 2017 has been utterly rubbish so far, hasn't it? I was so determined to start the year positively, despite a gut feeling of impending doom, but it's just been one crap thing after another. My gut was correct. I'm fed up with the year and basically want to hide in a dark hole. It's difficult to write when you have zero enthusiasm and the longer you leave it the less inclined you feel to return.
I'm not sure what to do with this space. It has been offline for the past week as I contemplated shutting down. I'm undecided as I do like having a creative journal and have always enjoyed all the like-minded blogger interaction, however I really struggle with putting myself "out there". I continued documenting my bakes earlier in the year, indicating that I did intend to catch up, I'm still sewing and knitting, and I still love reading blogs although I haven't been able to bring myself to comment or interact. So... yeah, that's where I am at the moment.
Anyway, today I'm sharing a white chocolate and passionfruit cake I baked for my Mum's birthday back in February. You're here for the cake, right?
Anyway, today I'm sharing a white chocolate and passionfruit cake I baked for my Mum's birthday back in February. You're here for the cake, right?
The cake is a Peggy Porschen recipe from her "Cake Parlour" book I've had bookmarked for a few years, although I baked it as an 8" two layer cake instead of a 6" three layer. I also filled it with homemade passionfruit curd instead of jam and topped it with white chocolate dipped strawberries. Whenever a family birthday approaches my Mum inevitably says, "remember that cake you made with the chocolate dipped strawberries?" (this one!) so I felt it was about time I made something similar for her birthday.
My sponges didn't rise particularly well - I don't know whether this was down to my mixing of the batter, changing cake tin sizes or just the effect of adding melted chocolate to a sponge batter - but the flavour made up for the denser than expected texture. The sponges very much tasted of white chocolate and the white chocolate icing was gloriously silky and moussy. Then the freshness of the passionfruit curd and strawberries cut through the chocolatey sweetness. All in all, pretty tasty.
It's not the most immaculately decorated cake, certainly a far cry from the beautiful examples in Peggy Porschen's book, but it has its own charm. This is when I'm reminded that I'd make a terrible professional baker. I really don't have the patience for all the careful levelling, crumb coating and chilling.
Perhaps now that I've written this post it'll get the ball rolling for others.
How has everyone else's year been? Please say somebody has been having a good year?!
How has everyone else's year been? Please say somebody has been having a good year?!
gosh that looks scrumptious. Nice to see you back in blog land. Hope the year picks up.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Louise! I really hope so too :)
DeleteYour cakes are just the slice of loveliness the world needs right now! As far as good years and bad years go......I can only impart the only thing that may help......"this too shall pass".
ReplyDeleteTalking and sharing really does help, be it here or in another place. However and whenever you get back to this place, it's ok. Hang in there honey bunch, things will change.
Awww, thanks Susan. You always leave such thoughtful comments. A big part of me has missed being here so I don't think I'm done with blogging. I need to get in a better mind set, for blogging and life in general!
DeleteLovely to see a post from you again Jo - and the cake looks delicious as always!
ReplyDeleteI think there are a lot of people feeling the same way as you do - and I've definitely had that sense of impending doom about the general state of the world. I've decided to use sewing/knitting/making of anything (and, by extension, blogging) as an escape from all that so there's still some happy, however frivolous, to look forward to. Hope you work out what you want to do, and take care of yourself!
Thanks, Ruth! There does indeed seem to be a general sense of unease and I'm glad there are still people, like yourself, who have continued to post lovely things for the rest of us to look forward to. I've always used my blog as a positive form of escapism when anxiety or life in general felt on top of me, but this year I felt completely overwhelmed. I'm pretty sure I've decided I want to come back although I may want to change some things around here, so we'll see!
DeleteWow, this cake sounds amazing - so many of my favourite flavours in one title!
ReplyDeleteI completely empathise with the blogging struggle, especially your point about the longer you leave it the harder it being to start up again. It's lovely to have you back blogging for now, whatever you decide to do with the space!
Thanks, Lucy. It's lovely to see you blogging again as well :)
DeleteWell, I was excited to see you'd blogged again. I was thinking about you at the weekend as I tried out my new Kenwood K-Mix for the first time and thought to myself " this could well be the start of sharing more cake pictures over here, Jo style". And then I gave the cakes away and promptly realised I'd forgotten to take a photo. Thsi looks amazing and I love the idea of chocolate strawberries.
ReplyDeleteAwww, thanks Char :) A new Kenwood K-Mix sounds exciting! I hope it does indeed spark more cakey pictures. I've just realised I completely forgot to add the recipe at the end of the post. Obviously more out of practise with blogging than I thought!
DeleteI highly recommend chocolate dipped strawberries. They're really tasty. So easy to do and so pretty on top of a cake.
Just the act of baking such a lovely cake for a special makes it perfect in itself:-D
ReplyDeleteGreat to have you back, though I've been feeling a bit like you. I started the year off aiming to do regular posts, but this fell by the wayside and I've done about one per month. Sometimes I wonder of people want to read about the same old thing, but then realised that I started my blog for me and that it was important that I enjoyed blogging and it didn't become a chore - which it was starting to be. So I backed off for a bit and am slowly aiming to get back into things.
Hope you do continue with the blogging Jo, as your blog is and always has been both a joy to read and to look at.
P.S. Thanks for your comment too xx
Thanks VK. I think we all put too much pressure on ourselves especially when, for the vast majority of us, our blogs are meant to be fun and something to enjoy in free time. It shouldn't be a chore if it isn't attached to earning income.
DeleteHope you get back into your blogging groove too as your blog has always been one of my favourites. It's always great to find others with a genuine passion for vintage/second hand rather than just going through a fad or trend.
Love.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteJust popping in (late - my Feedly hovers around 400 unread :s) to say I'm glad you're still here :)
ReplyDeleteMost bloggers go through quiet phases, glad you're still here though. It's hard to keep up the momentum sometimes and you're right, there is a lot of doom and gloom around which doesn't help. Personally I decided a while ago that I can't save the whole world by myself so there's not much point in getting upset about most of it. I just do what I can in my immediate family and circle of friends.
ReplyDeleteThe cake looks amazing.