Homemade Cakes Make Heartwarming Presents.

Giving is almost better than receiving.

Back in South-Africa, Bob and I went through a phase of baking furiously every weekend. Yet we didn't eat these delectable creations. Oh, they were top notch but we baked so that we could give the cakes to our friends & family. Little surprise gifts!

We used to call it our " knock & drop ". We would put the still warm cake on a nice plate, cover it with a cloth and head off to someone's house. Even going down in the elevator caused a stir because the aromas wafting from this plate of heaven were too divine. After a few weeks of this, the elevator seemed to be very occupied all of a sudden on those Saturday afternoons...

When we had arrived at an unsuspecting friend or cousin, we just rang the doorbell. Once they opened we would say: " Hi, here is a little something for you to enjoy. We'll see you."
No, we didn't stay as every family has their own little special family time on a Saturday afternoon.

As the months progressed, those various doors were answered in nano-seconds and the empty plate was swapped for a full one in record time ! Somehow I heard happy stage whispers when the door opened; " Yippy, it's us today ".
All I can say is that when Bob and I eventually ran out of steam, several groans were heard around Maritzburg!!!

Anyway, yesterday I decided to make use of our plums in a different way. Plum cake. Oh, even if I say so myself, the aromas wafting out of the oven are well worth the effort of pitting 1.5 kgs of plums. Isn't it funny how once the flour, sugar & butter start their happy union in the oven, the aroma is recognized by everyone. Almost like the Pied Piper of childhood memories!

When it was time to take it out of the oven, both of us couldn't resist a piece. There must be a law of nature that states:Cakes fresh out the oven always taste the best. Once the tray had cooled down enough for transport, I drove to my parents.

When they saw me walking in with a bulky baking tray, their eyes lit up and I barely had time to put it down before they had a piece. In this case I stayed to have one too. All in all, a perfect Saturday afternoon.

Biggi

You can see why this recipe calls for 1.5 kgs of plums.

Look, we are not professionals but at least it looks decent...