The One with the Chunky Monkey Cake, the Roast Dinner and the Cleaning

The last couple of weeks have been particularly tough for various reasons. Worries about friends, family, my work, Granddad Ah Oh's work and Hubby's work have all come together like buses. Or Nanu's as the boy would say!


We're coming through it and soon I'll be able to tell you more but what I can say at the moment is that I've been surprised by my reaction to it all.


I've come over all house proud!


I've made a list of all the chores that need doing around the home. Nothing unusual about that. I love a list. But I've actually been doing them! 


Yesterday I swept floors, did the food shopping, threw out dead flowers and re-arranged the live ones, cleaned the kitchen cupboards, surfaces and sink, made a cake and cooked a roast dinner.


Here's the link for the recipe for Chunky Monkey Cake. 


http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/yummy-chunky-monkey-cake-ru289832.html


Because I don't think I've ever made a recipe I haven't fiddled with, I replaced three teaspoons of plain flour with cocoa. I only used three bananas, otherwise the mixture is too sloppy. I used milk chocolate chips and instead of walnuts I used dried apricots, but sometimes I use raisins or sultanas, I just didn't have any in because the boy had eaten them all! 

I have a cup of tea and a slice by my side as I type.


The boy helped me. Well in as much as he stood and watched as I explained each stirring, whisking, chopping, bowl scraping process and shouted "cake, cake, cake" at me assuming that it would magically appear like the shopkeeper in Mr Benn. It's very hard to get a 17 month old to understand it takes 45 minutes to cook at Gas mark 5!


After the boy had gone to bed I did roast chicken for mine and hubby's dinner with a very drinkable glass of Pinot Grigio  (or two!)

Bless hubby, after all that activity he washed up what the dishwasher wouldn't take.


I have no idea if this flurry of cleaning, tidying, cooking and general housewifery will last but I'm finding it all very strange.


For Christ sake I even did some ironing!


Things must be bad!

The One with All the Cakes

The boy has had his first taste of cake this week.


And it's been quite a week for cakes!


Monday saw a lovely walk in the park with a friend and her baby girl. We stopped at a cafe  for a cuppa and big slice of carrot cake. It was huge and came with whipped cream and chocolate sauce on the side ( a bit random that but never mind). Even I couldn't finish it! The boy woke up in his buggy, had his milk and then a few crumbs of cake fed from my fingers.


It was good!


After that we seem to have unleashed a monster!


Wednesday I made a lemon drizzle cake for a friend's birthday. He swears it was this cake that got him and his wife through a horrendous early night of feeding when their baby was first born and he has loved it ever since. I saved a bit for me to try (quality control you understand) so the boy had some of that for his afternoon snack too.


It was good!


Thursday we went to a NCT Halloween party for all the babies (at one point I resembled a pumpkin patch as I had three bubs clambering over me all dressed in their orange outfits). There was cake. Well it was a party! It was vanilla and sweet and very soft and yummy with thick icing and dolly mixtures adorning the top! 


He liked that one too!


Friday, and we visited the lemon cake friends where I was offered some with a cup of tea. By now the boy was recognising the afternoon pattern of plate and cup being presented to me and made a grab for the cake. So I let him have some again.


Well it was popular before so what can you do?


Saturday saw Nanny P's birthday. So I made my Mum a cake to celebrate. Victoria sponge, filled with strawberry jam and topped with chocolate frosting and shaved chocolate from a bar of milk and white.

You know the rest don't you....


Cake was licked greedily from my fingers and lips were smacked against the sweet crumbs left around his chops.


He had another little bit of it today!


Well we had left overs!


Now you understand it's only the soft, squashy cakey bit I'm giving him. I'm careful to not offer any filling, icing or frosting for fear I'd have to scrape him off the walls with hyperactive excitement.

I'm feeling a bit bad that I've let my 8 month old son have cake 6 days out of 7 this week but you see two things are true here.

One, I love making cakes. It soothes me. Even more so than eating them actually. Although that can have a calming effect given the right mood. If I need to have a think I go into the kitchen and I make a cake.


Two, the boy has a very sweet tooth.


So I can see the future six or seven years from now. He comes in from school with half a dozen mates:


"Any cake mum? We're all starving!"


And of course there will be. 


Let them eat cake I say!