Betty’s Family Table

Another late one...but worth the wait!

In an eventful week for baking, I have not only produced a Minnie mouse, but also baked a successful sponge for Grandma Betty’s 80^th birthday with Mrs Betty; and although it involved no baking on my part, enjoyed the delightful tea cakes at high tea at Melbourne’s Windsor Hotel.

The venture started on Sunday evening with Master Chef meets the Women’s Weekly; Mrs Betty recently received Julie Goodwin’s Our Family Table cookbook for Mother’s Day (from a wonderful and caring daughter) and with Grandma Betty’s 80^th birthday the following day, mother and daughter set about the ultimate baking challenge of baking a successful sponge. (A feat that neither had yet accomplished.)

The challenge reminded me of the good old days as a little tacker, when my siblings and I would be lined up standing on chairs at the kitchen bench, helping Mrs Betty with the baking of the day, usually the chocolate cake (simple, even a child can make), anzac biscuits or a favourite (because it involved food dye) rainbow cake (which was really just Neapolitan).

Julie Goodwin’s grandma’s sponge recipe seemed the perfect recipe for Grandma Betty’s b’day cake. Working through the steps precisely, we were a little confused about leaving the egg yolks in (the recipe didn’t say to separate) and set the oven timer to ensure the mixture was beaten for at least 10 minutes. Looking pretty good as it went into the oven, we had the pleasure of watching it rise in Mrs Betty’s fancy new fan-forced oven (purchased when Mr Betty somehow caused the glass to fall out of the old oven door…but that’s a whole other story). Upon delicate removal precisely 25 minutes later, we were relieved to find that the sponge hadn’t sunk and without being able to taste-test, appeared fluffy and a decent height.

On a roll, Mrs Betty suggested also baking a chocolate cake. Keeping to the Masterchef theme, Mum Goodwin’s chocolate cake was selected and mother and daughter set about creating a mixture that called for a shocking 1 ¼ cups of cocoa! Falling a little short, some Cadbury’s drinking chocolate was improvised to make up the extra ¼ cup (and I’m sure none were the wiser!)

This also went in and out of the oven without hiccups, and upon sampling a muffin sized version (later to become Minnie’s ears) was found to be richly tasty with a perfect crunch on the top. Being now well past midnight, it was time for bed for a big day ahead.

Grandma Betty’s 80^th birthday dawned a little cloudy, but this was hardly noticed, distracted by the anticipation of a special surprise planned for the afternoon - high tea at the Hotel Windsor.

A delectable selection of finger sandwiches, scones and of course tea cakes were devoured with much enthusiasm! In addition and much to Grandma Betty’s delight, a special birthday tea cake was also brought over. With stomachs full to bursting, we breezed home to Mrs Betty’s home-cooked birthday dinner and of course … more birthday cake!

The sponge, which had been decorated by Mish-Mash, looked absolutely delightful and tasted even better!

Feeling absolutely exhausted and having thoroughly overeaten, it was time to decorate Minnie. Aided by Mish-Mash now expertise at the vienna cream, I set about cutting the cake into Minnie. The muffin cakes worked perfectly as ears, while the cut-out for the nose easily fitted to become the chin.

The icing proved a challenge all round, being a little thick it didn’t stick to the cake easily. We also experienced some dramas in icing a levelled chocolate cake with white icing – cake crumbs got through the icing, resulting in Minnie with blackheads … lesson learned: either flip the cake over first, or perhaps let a thin layer of icing dry before adding the top layer…

Despite this, (and some laziness icing round the edges) Minnie was taking shape. Pink wafer biscuits were cut to shape to make her nose and tongue, while a liquorice strap (finally found in Burwood East Coles) was painstakingly cut into thin strips to make the mouth, chin line and my first attempt at eyelashes. Finally, pink jubes make the eyes, and a ribbon for her hair had Minnie complete … only to be demolished, blackheads and all by an eager RMIT ’83 graduate and fellow employees, who accepted the post-it-note-stuck-to-a-fork-stabbed-in-the-cake-and-left-in-the-mess-room invitation to ‘eat me’.


Betty x

PS. a bonus picture of my early days doing the Mickey Mouse march...

PPS. check out the hickory dickory clock post for a new pic x