Saturday, October 9, 2010

John Lennon's 70th Anniversary - Frosted Marmalade Cake


Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Lennon/McCartney


Today is the 70th anniversary of John Lennon's birth. Being a huge fan of the Beatles and John Lennon in particular, I could not let today go by without commemorating John's 70th anniversary.

I don't intend to recount highlights of John's career, which was so tragically cut short by a senseless act. However, I will say that although The Beatles broke up before I was born, and I was only a child when John died, the music of the Beatles and John's solo career has left an indelible mark on my life. I grew up with it, and consequently, it is part of the fabric of my life. No matter what my mood or state of mind, I can always find a Beatles song to match it perfectly.

My favourite Beatles songs written by John are Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and Dear Prudence. They both have an ethereal quality, a beautiful melody and great lyrics.

To mark John's 70th anniversary, I have made a frosted marmalade cake, from pp10-12 of Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries. You can also find the recipe online here at Margaret's Kitchen Delights. I have made this cake once before, and like last time, and as warned by Nigel, it sank in the middle a little. However, the cake tastes fabulous if you are a fan of marmalade, so it is worth making - it is a tangy, light, orange flavoured cake, with orange flavoured icing on top.


The sunken side is facing down in the photos!!

I was inspired to make this cake by the above-quoted opening lines of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

To decorate the cake, I piped the single word Imagine on top - being, of course, the title of one of John's best-known and loved songs from his solo career.

This cake is dedicated to the memory of John Lennon and to all Beatles fans.


12 comments:

Johanna GGG said...

I love your creativity with anniversaries - this seems such a british cake that it seems just right for celebrating a Beatles birthday.

Finla said...

The cake looks so so good.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Aww brilliant cake and very fitting. Your Imagine script is very nicely done!

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic tribute! Now I will be singing about marmalade skies in my head for the rest of the day!

Sarah @ For the Love of Food said...

This was a timely post for me as my sister just gave me a jar of her homemade marmalade. I'm not a huge fan of marmalade but I do like marmalade cake so I'll be trying this one out. Thanks.

Cakelaw said...

Saw this great Google logo doodle featuring John's self-portrait for the occasion:

http://www.bermanpost.com/2010/10/google-celebrates-john-lennons-70th.html

Unknown said...

What a lovely tribute cake. I saw the google logo, very sweet (but a little sad when I hear that song because of his early death).
Have a great weekend.
*kisses* HH

Anonymous said...

Wow! Can't believe it's 70th anniversary of John Lennon! Great cake to mark the day.

Amanda said...

Lovely idea of a cake for his anniversary - one can never have too much cake and I think he might appreciate the simplicity of it.
Thanks for sharing.

Tammy said...

great cake! I think I have made this recipe before. You;ve inspired me to get that book out as I havent used it in a while

The Caked Crusader said...

A cake tribute - love it! It's got to be the best kind of tribute there is!

Conor @ Hold the Beef said...

Remembrance never looked so good :)