When in doubt, bake a cake.

I wanted to do something that would keep my hands occupied, so i chose a recipe which needed old fashioned creaming; butter and sugar beaten to a gentle cream colour, then garlands of lemon rind, 3 eggs and a mix of flours added, slowly. Finally, vaguely following Nigella's suggestion, i added an extra lemon's worth of juice and some chopped dried bing cherries.




























A maderia cake; i cut it while still warm, feeding children after school, and the soft crumb fell into big chunks. It is the perfect texture; light but with enough moisture to keep the bite succulent in your mouth. Not too sweet, a good hit of lemon and those huge dark fruits buried like rubies in sand.

I would serve a slice with a glass of Tokay that i brought back from a Margaret River winery, if you were here.