I have finally moved into my own flat. Sure, it still resembles a warehouse with boxes everywhere, but I am actually in, and the things that I really need have been unpacked. I found out the hard way that I am not built for hard manual labour, as today, my entire body feels as though it has been through a threshing machine because of the unpacking and lifting process. And the best part is - I am only half way there!! Oh well, it should be great for my arm strength.
One of the joys of moving into my new flat is getting to know the new oven. It is a gas oven, and is unlike anything I have used before (I am an electric oven kind of girl). It has a little red starter switch that you have to push in while you turn the dial and get the oven to light. The best part is that it doesn't have your usual temperature gauge - it has gas marks!! Thank God for Nigella - except for her frequent references to gas marks on her TV shows, and her handy temperature conversion table in How To Be A Domestic Goddess, I would have been up the creek without a paddle. Perhaps I have been sheltered, but I have never seen such a contraption before, and even armed with my library of Nigella knowledge, it took me a while to work out what was going on with the oven.
Having conquered the oven, I moved on to this week's Tuesday with Dorie challenge, hosted by Wendy of Pink Stripes. She chose Dorie's rum-drenched vanilla cakes. In my case, it is cake singular, as I halved the recipe - after all, 6 eggs and 215g of butter later, what would I do with 2 cakes?
Here is the finished product, cooling on a rack - rather handsome, don't you think?
The cake contains a dash of rum and is brushed with a rum syrup while still warm. Even then, I would hardly say my cake was rum "drenched", but it had a lovely moist texture inside and out as a result of the syrup and the cream content.
This cake was soft and delicious, and really didn't need anything more. However, I couldn't resist serving a slice warm with custard:
Thanks for hosting us this week, Wendy. If you would like the recipe, buy the book or visit Wendy's site on Tuesday, US time. To see what everyone else though of this cake, visit the TWD blogroll.
We used to have a gas oven back home and everything tasted much better. When I buy a new stove again I will certainly choose gas. Cake looks delish with custard.
ReplyDeletecustard would have been great with this. Mine was lime drenched and we loved it
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of an oven with gas marks...
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks lovely.
@ Nichi - I would have been totally lost without my obsessive Nigella-watching - I have never seen an oven like it before.
ReplyDeleteYum, cake and custard! And well done for baking in a new oven.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have run away screaming from your oven. More power to you! Your cake looks gorgeous. thanks for baking along with me this week!
ReplyDeleteJudging by your beautiful cake, I'd say you have that stove well in hand. Enjoy your new home!
ReplyDeleteThat oven sounds really difficult! I once lived in a house with an electric oven that had a button panel to push in order to operate the burners and the stove-I had used an electric oven all of my life and had never seen anything so archaic. I think Jamie Oliver might make references to the numbers on a gas stove.
ReplyDeleteYour cake turned out beautifully-what a wonderful way to celebrate your new flat!
Ooooh, the custard sounds lovely with the cake! A bonus to the gas oven - if it has a pilot light, it's a great place to proof bread! It's always just a bit warm.
ReplyDeleteThe custard on top makes it absolutely wicked.
ReplyDeleteI have two ovens, one electric and one gas. The gas oven is probably 30 -40 years old and it never gave us trouble. We did not buy it. Came with the house.
I have gone through too many newer ovens, since I have lived here.
Drenched with Rum? Sold!
ReplyDeleteCould even do a Brandy custard for the extra booze factor :)
I love rum cake!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck unpacking! I know what you mean, we went through it and it was like being put through the wringer!
ReplyDeleteCustard! That cake of yours looked perfect and then when that custard appeared, I think I swooned a bit...yum! Best wishes in your new apartment...how fun...take your time and enjoy the process. And the cake!
ReplyDeleteOh wow. . that pudding on top of the cake looks fabulous! I'm going to try this without the rum.
ReplyDeleteMoving is such a pain! I can't even imagine such a dramatic change in ovens...I think I would panic! Your cake looks great, a perfect treat to enjoy after unpacking a bunch of boxes!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way to warm your new house (and your new oven). I really love this kind of loaf cake - my favourite 'drenching' syrup is lemon.
ReplyDeleteMmmmmm rum and vanilla...I'm in!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could send some summer your way!
ReplyDeleteYour full cake looks wonderful, as does the slice with custard. I think you have conquered your new oven!
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks terrific! I couldn't resist having mine with some ice cream. Moving is so exhausting, you definitely deserve some cake for the manual labor.
ReplyDeleteI love the amount of custard you put on your slice! Some people hold back on toppings. Why?! Looks great!
ReplyDeleteIn that first picture, you can tell that this cake has an incredible texture.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a fabulous fourth of july weekend.
*kisses* HH
great cake for a new oven (even if you didn't have a new oven)
ReplyDeleteI always remember moving into a house with a gas oven as a child and my mum saying how great it was because you didn't have to preheat so we could bake when we wanted rather than a big baking session - I love gas esp on the hotplates - hope you learn to love it and good luck with the move
Oh wow, gas marks!! Something that I have glossed over in recipes for ever, but you just don't really see them in local recipes. Thank god for the internet with having to do conversions on the fly.
ReplyDeleteExcellent cake. I like the word 'drenched', it gives the impression of mega rumness, which is not a bad thing.
Looks like a delicious, dense, moist pound cake. I'm sure the custard made it even more delicious.
ReplyDeleteVanilla and rum - it doesn't get much better than that!
ReplyDeleteI give all my recipes with gas marks too - we all have different ovens! I grew up with a gas oven but now am very fond of my fan electric oven!
Congrats on the new apartment. I love gas hobs. Unfortunately our current apartment has an electric hob.
ReplyDeleteMMMmmmm, now that's just really beautiful and the custard. whoa! delish.
ReplyDeleteAmyRuth
We Americans and our electric ovens..... goodness, I would be sunk.