Clandestine Cake Club…

A couple of months ago Jean set up a branch of the Clandestine Cake Club in the Loire Valley. We had our second meeting last week, and as Jean wasn’t able to be present she asked us to host. Hosting isn’t complicated, all we needed to do was tidy the house and lay on some drinks. We went for Pimms, Belvoir elderflower cordial and tea.It isn’t a cake competition, just an opportunity to bake a cake, share it with others.

Following the theme ‘let’s get fruity’, members produced some magnificent looking, delicious cakes, many of which were works of art. Needless to say our efforts weren’t wonderful to look at, but tasted fine.

Both Tim and I decided to produce gluten-free cakes. Mine was a cherry and coconut almond cake. It was also going to have white chocolate and become another CCC cake, but at the last minute when I checked the provenance of the chocolate I found that it was produced in a factory where gluten is used.

 Tim - sunken, drunken fruit cake   Gaynor -  cherry and coconut almond cake

Tim produced a sunken, drunken fruit cake. Sunken because with the Dove’s farm gluten free flour the fruit sinks, and drunken because the fruit was soaked in Amaretto and Cointreau, which might also have contributed to it sinking!

In total we had 12 cakes and 18 people, with an age range of over eighty years!

   Ann - peach and almond cake.   Elizabeth – strawberry surprise swiss roll

 Pauline – banana, date and walnut cake        Edna – raspberry rondelle

Sally – scones with jam and fresh cream       Liz – Dorset apple cake

Victoria – pear and white chocolate cake    Pauline C – spiced fruit cake

   Gail – citrus poppy seed cake                Chris – mille fueille cake

Johnny, our oldest guest won the raffle and was delighted to receive a Delia Smith baking book. So the next time he comes we’ll be expecting something wonderful!

Before, during and after the tastings. Not our best look!