Sunday, April 12: Easter Sunday turns out to be a day of little treats. The first is a gold foil-wrapped bunny that’s hopped across the fence from Guy and Anna’s to decorate my courtyard table; I spot it immediately I open the door in the morning. My favourite Lindt dark chocolate, I’ll enjoy every velvety mouthful.
The second treat is the self-indulgent chilli scramble I cook for brunch, continuing to replicate the dish I love on regular Sundays at Grey Street Kitchen. This week, I’m maybe a bit light on the chilli but the yoghurt mixed into the eggs adds nicely to the creaminess.
Moving on, the third treat is the surprise Easter package – comestibles and a most welcome book – left in my letterbox by Aimie. And close on the heels of this is a letterbox drop of rhubarb and kaffir limes from Rosemary and Neville’s garden.
There are also flowers: I walk up Ruakura Rd to where my ex-neighbour Diana lives at Hilda Ross Retirement Village. Conveniently, Diana’s unit is adjacent to the footpath and I phone ahead to say I’ll swing by and holler at her over the fencce. We have a stand-up meeting and she sends me home with a bunch of peachy pink Alstroemerias from her garden.
I walk down Te Aroha St with the flowers, trying not to feel like an escapee from a wedding party. A man on a bike calls out, “Aren’t you the lucky one?” Yup, sure am.
Baking: Everyone’s using their stockpiled flour on homemade hot cross buns this weekend. I never have much luck with them so I make the fruity Two-Cup Wonder, repurposed for Easter with whatever dried fruit I can muster from the pantry. The last gasp of sultanas, currants, dates, apricots and raisins. It’s a big cake but it’s a keeper and it will go for weeks. The recipe did the rounds of friends (and the internet) some years ago but in case you missed it …
EASTER CAKE
(Incredibly easy fruit cake, aka Two-Cup Wonder)
1 kg mixed fruit (any kind)
2 cups orange juice
2 cups self-raising flour
Optional: 1 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice; slosh of brandy or rum (or port, sherry, dregs of old bottles etc)
Soak the mixed fruit in orange juice and brandy/rum overnight or for a couple of hours (it doesn’t seem to make too much difference). Stir in flour and spices. Add a little more liquid if the mixture is too stiff. Turn into a tin lined with baking paper (I use a 20cm round tin for a higher cake but it works with 23cm, or a medium square tin) and bake at 160degC (fan, 170 non-fan) for about an hour, or a little longer. It’s ready when a skewer comes out clean and the cake is pulling away from the sides.
Note: I don’t have orange juice at present so use Barkers Blood Orange Cordial and water. And my hand may have slipped with the “slosh” of port!
2 replies on “Day 23”
I’ve ordered fruit in my next supermarket “Click and collect” so I can do the cake again. Hopefully it will come out better than last time when I undercooked it. It was definitely spoon texture but Neville was equal to the task and ate it all for deserts with yoghurt. A great recipe despite operator error.
i also made the two cup wonder. I was sure I had two cups of orange juice, but needed to make up the desired quantity with cranberry juice. There is no brandy in the house, nor port, but I found a bottle of chocolate brandy liqueur made by Cadbury’s. (!) Then the next morning I thought the mixture looked a tad dry so I sloshed in some ancient Tia Maria. The cake is delicious. Thank you Denise for reminding me about this recipe, and for sharing your wonderful writing. X