All that is mine is my mother and father's line

[sovay]

Photo-post. For my mother's birthday, we took her to Singin' in the Rain (1952) at the Somerville Theatre and then dinner at Za in Arlington, where my brother and his wife met us with their three-month-old. We went back to Lexington afterward for cake. I took pictures.



My mother's favorite color is orange. She loves autumn and nasturtiums and tiger lilies and birds of paradise. This year she asked for an orange cake, so my father made her one. Two layers of orange sponge with orange curd for filling and a buttercream frosting flavored with orange zest and oil, decorated on top with slices of Valencia orange and mint leaves for variety. It was served with plain whipped cream on the side.



derspatchel helped light it.



My mother really liked it.



So did everyone else.

I am off to read Ben Aaronovitch's Broken Homes (2013) and sleep.

Comments

[sovay]

That is a magnificent cake, and also - I surmise from available evidence - a magnificent mother.

I like her very much.

Is she/are you familiar with the St Clement's Cake? It's soaked in a syrup of both oranges and lemons (hence the name), and is really quite splendidly good.

I wasn't! It sounds great. Do you have a preferred recipe?

[desperance.livejournal.com]

I do! It might take a little ferreting out, because I have no idea where I found it. Either my US agent or my then-editor begged it from me and made a US-friendly version with cups and things, but that was long ago...

Meantime, try this: I'd use almond flour rather than semolina, but it looks more or less authentic.

[sovay]

Meantime, try this: I'd use almond flour rather than semolina, but it looks more or less authentic.

Cool! That looks straightforward and delicious. Thank you. (And I shall wait for yours, as well.)