Cooking

Now that I am back in my own home, from which I do not intend to move till they carry me out, I am getting the kitchen organised again.  It is tiny in comparison to my old kitchen and there isn't a lot of storage space.  This means I have to be super organised.  My Kitchen Aid mixer is still with my daughter but I intend to rescue it and bring it home, in the mean time I have a small hand held beater that is getting a work out.

old kitchen

 

I do not like the glass cook top because it is constant work to keep clean so will eventually replace it with a gas version,  but the oven is wonderful.  The best oven I have ever had.  My biggest struggle I have with the kitchen is keeping my husband out of the space.  He leaves his stuff all over the place.  He likes to cook his own breakfast and as he likes his toast burnt, the smoke alarm is always going off!

New kitchen

 

With all the upheaval over the past few years I lost my love of cooking but now it has returned, when there isn't a lot of people to cook for.  I have a couple of neighbours who are on their own so they are being given meals because I cook too much.   They are very happy about that.  I am trying to make smaller quantities though, but with cakes there isn't a lot of smaller cake tins.  A cake that takes 1 cup of flour is best when there are only 2 of you or you live on your own.  Then I remembered the ice-cream tray my mother used back in the 1960's and I think she probably got it in the 1950's.  I finally found one in an Opp shop.  Just right.

This little Sultana butter cake does us for about 3 days morning tea.

Ingredients

• 60 g butter
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• vanilla
• 1 cup Self Raising Flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sultanas
  

Method

• Cream butter and sugar (with beater)
• add egg and vanilla and mix well
• Using a metal spoon add 1l2 the flour and milk
• fold in
• Add the remaining flour and milk
• fold in the sultanas.
• Cook in a moderate over (180 c) for 30 mins.

Variations

Instead of sultanas you could use the juice of an orange or a lemon or lime plus some of the rind.  Make a like flavoured icing to top.  Or you could use 2 table spoons of cocoa and make a chocolate butter icing. Or you could experiment with what you add.

There is a problem with tin trays rusting, everything rusts on an island.  When I was teaching catering we always put our dried tins in the oven after we had turned it off and it was still warm.  No rust.  (That other tin I used for an apple cake.  I will share that recipe later.)

Comments

[RachelandDesign]

I'm glad to hear that the love of cooking returns - mine has got AWOL over the last few years!

[Carolyn Foley]

You never know it might return.

[Queeniepatch.blogspot.com]

Your sultana cake bread looks delicious and I want to try the recipe. Please tell me how many ml goes into an Australian cup. (In Japan a cup is 200ml)