spongey, jammy, creamy cake

I do like that song in The Sound of Music about tea and jam and bread. I've been singing it all day but my lyrics are slightly different when I do my Maria/Julie Andrews bit. 'Tea, a drink with sponge and jam' is far more apt when we are baking a Full-On Fattypuffs cake.

This is a classic Victoria Sponge filled with the bright red raspberry jam we made, and a good, thick layer of cream. Phoebe oversaw its creation as I have been getting ready for another week away from the computer.

We are staying in England so I have packed warm clothes for cold weather, cool clothes for warm weather, waterproofs, Crocs, books, and a huge quilt to hand-quilt which I've not be able to show on the blog as it's a commission. Suffice to say it's very colourful and very large and that, even after making it, I still love lime.

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I couldn't leave without saying just how much I enjoyed reading all your jam stories and thoughts and experiences and suggestions. Thanks so much for taking the time to write - your comments make the most wonderful jam narrative and one which I'm proud to have on my blog.

See you soon.

 

Comments

[Lin]

That cake! Gorgeous, I can just imagine biting into it! You are well prepared for our delightful climate!

[flutter]

um, ok yum.

[Korinthe]

Looks dee-lish.

The "fattypuffs" appellation reminded me -- we saw Ratatouille last weekend, and the ghostly Gusteau reminded me forcefully of your Fat Fairies. (Enjoyed it very much.)

[nancy L]

It just hit me! your writing makes my mouth water..talking about quilts or tarts. colors, flowers, toes and weather. you bring to mind another great writer MFK Fisher. I am SURE you have read her! If for some reason you haven't you will be in for a treat. my favorite story is the one where she describes warming tangerines on the radiator.. dropping them in the snow on her window ledge and then eating them . thankl you for your loveliness. can't wait for your book.

[Gigi]

OMG! I'm salivating. I hope it tasted as good as it looks!

[Beth]

Yum! And I would sing with you... Julie Andrews is one of my favorites!!!!!

[Petra]

Jane,
in one of your last posts (re-stored) you showed a photograph of a bock and the sleeves of a blue sweater were displayed. SInce looking at this photo I am obsessed with this blue color of your sweater- it looks like the ocean and is simply wonderful. Since I assume it is hand-knitted do you still remember the yarn you used? I know this is an odd request... but this blue is just too wonderful. As is you blog... so full of great colors....
enjoy the holidays ....

[Mary K. in Rockport]

Funny you should mention "The Sound of Music" today, as I'm sitting in the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont at this very minute on a weekend getaway. (Or as my husband calls it, "The Family Trap.") I've been coming up here since 1960, just before the musical made them internationally famous. In 1980 or 81, the original chalet burned totally to the ground and has been replaced with a much larger, more standard hotel, albeit with Tyroloean trimming. It's a very beautiful spot. You'd be amazed at how many of the guests here are fervidly religious in their belief in the myth of the Trapp Family as perpertrated by the American movie! If you want to know the true story, Maria von Trapp wrote an interesting book about her marriage and about how the family came to America, and to Vermont in particular. (Hmm, I wonder if there's a yarn store on the premises....)

[Zélia]

Yum!

[Connie W]

The movie I thought of when I read the comments on the Victoria sponge and the jams was "Calendar Girls" which is one of my favorite movies.

[narelle]

Your sponge looks absolutely scrumptious, however i'm not familiar with 'Fattypuffs'. Enjoy your week away.

[Jayne]

Looking forward to reading about your English break. Enjoy! Thanks for keeping me sane over the summer.

[Sarah]

Mmm! Makes me want to go home and bake a cake, just to bit into and have the cream splurge everywhere! I love reading about your baking exploits, inspirational :)

[Dorothy]

Mmmm. That cake looks like the perfect accompaniment to a nice bit of hot tea.

Hope you are enjoying your trip and the weather requires cool clothes for the daytime and warmish clothes for the night.

[Rowan]

The cake looks gorgeous and your list of stuff for a summer stay in England sounds just about right:)

[Joan]

Quilters out there may be interested in a piece in the Guardian by Germaine Greer on an exhibition of Edrica Huws quilts in Anglesey this month. The article is at:
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/visualart/story/0,,2147629,00.html
There is some footage of the quilts on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNAecCVlhKI

[Ann P]

Jane
Just saw a reference to your book in the Bookseller (I'm a librarian) and from there found your blog. Have had a wonderful time backtracking through your archive and feel inspired by your colours and crafts and home stuff - have you tried Kaffe's knitting patterns? My daughter once asked me to knit a huge jacket 'looking like Scottish hills and moorland'. Before you are overwhelmed by the thousands of extra readers who will join you soon please let me say thank you and good luck.

[Amber]

Just begging for a glimpse of the commission quilt. I fully understand that it may not be feasible at all, or that something would have to be blurred, or just a detail shot or... Currently undergoing a bit of a lime infatuation (color more than flavor, though I do love both) and your quilts are always such a joy to behold.

Enjoy your week away!

[blushing apples]

Hi, I like to mention your lovely & creative blog, may I also borrow some pictures? I have just discovered this blog and I'm addicted! Thanks :D

[Rani]

UGH! You've done it again. Now all I'll think about for days is this cake. Gah! I'm not a baker. I'll have to recruit a friend to make me something like this! YUM.

[Lyn Wymer]

I love the tablecloth!! I have a couple very similar that my Granny embroidered.

[cherry rolfe]

I have terribly sad memories of Aldeburgh, but I remember it as a place of peacefulness and beauty