Manipulation Before Breakfast

I think we would all want to look like this while making pasta. Look at how neat the kitchen is, how spotless the dress and how non-tied-back-in-a-scrappy-bun the hair is. I think we all definitely would not mind.

But there are two problems with this which may have the slightest interference with your cooking:

1. You would need to have a huge fan constantly facing you so your hair can look ‘naturally’ blown back

2. Considering you are not actually looking at the pasta while putting it through, you will need to make sure your finger doesn’t go through with it

I’m just saying…

I’m just saying that the grass is not always greener on the other side (to quote my mum). We wish for lots of things but when you actually get down to the crux of it, truly I don’t think you would want it

My friends tell me I am a wrong century kid and should have grown up in the 1900s – love to cook things from scratch, enjoy old TV shows like ‘Cheers’ and ‘Family Ties’, love old horror flicks and the 70s-80s rock music. Plus I would have loved to experience being a hippie. I kid you not, I am serious
Yep, sounds like it right? I started to wish and daydream about it. But would I really be happier? Brick mobiles, black and white TV to fuzzy colour, no smartphones! How would I survive – most importantly no blogging? Hahahahaha – NO – I don’t think so!

Sometimes we need to just sit back, relax and enjoy what we have. See the positives in them rather than be pessimistic and say ‘but I don’t have this’ – when it comes down to it, you can live without that O.P.I nail polish – no matter how brilliant the shade

Putting things into perspective is the best way to go about it. Placing yourself in respect to the millions of people who have 100th of what you do. Perspective and happy singing. I mean just look at this guy grin and sing away

If anyone so Barbie’s Ken-like can do it, I think the world still has more than just a chance

Now I do not want you to get me completely wrong though either! I am not saying Hitler style ‘if you want things, you are evil!’ Please, I would be taking away humanity – I was talking about further appreciation for things you do have

But when you do wish for something, and realistically, you cannot have it at that moment, sometimes we need to have a wee bit o’ cleverness and a lil’ bit of manipulation to make it happen. It is possible for me to go back to the 1900s and enjoy that century.

I can:

• Look at my dad’s first ever mobile
• See photos of my parents and grandparents
• I can hear their stories
• I watch the old reruns on Go! Channel
• I try to find vintage lollies and bars at special sweet shops
• Do modern history in school

See, master of manipulating time much ?
Super easy too

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You know what I wished for today? I think the title and the photos are kind obvious but just in case – I was wishing for a nice big slice of Victoria Sponge Cake.

Fluffy, soft golden cake split and layered with heavenly whipped cream, generously topped with strawberry jam and rained on by strawberries. Heaven forbid if that came into my kitchen because the only thing that would have come out today would have been a very shiny plate,

But it was impossible for me to make it or buy it. Make it? Not enough butter (I know sacrilegious) but more importantly, not enough time. To buy it? It would require eating a whole cake since they rarely come in slices and shops use store bought whipped cream (sacrilegious again!)

What was I to do? Hehehehehe… I created this: Victoria Sponge [Pan] Cake [Tower]

“With all the goodness of a Victoria Sponge in 20 minutes” - I really should sell that

I kid you not, I could actually have served this good ol’ Queen Vic back in the day and she would not have noticed the difference – except for maybe the fact that cutting it is extremely messy

So how did I bring about my wished for Victoria Sponge in 20 minutes?

Step One: Make a batch of whipped cream – the simplest and most delicious recipe can be found here and tasted heavenly all on its own (take that you canned frostings!)

Sorry for the dark pic!

Step Two: Find your favourite plain batter pancake recipe and make a batch – if you make a full batch just eat the ones you don’t need, no hassle
I used this recipe from my favourite Exclusively Food. It is soft, fluffy and actually infallible. Simple like crazy and tastes superb, truly it is the way to go. The pancakes are super simple to shape as well – you cannot go wrong! Here are some tips and changes to them:

• Golden Rule: Never squish a pancake when frying – you take out the air and therefore the fluffiness
• Golden Rule #2: Let each pancake sit on a wire rack after making it opposed to a plate so there is no condensation making the bottom of the pancake soggy
• I started making them on medium heat then reduced it to medium low since the stove gets really too hot to make them on properly
• I add vanilla essence (1-2 tsp) into the actual recipe but subbed it with strawberry since I was serving them Queen Vic style

Step 3: Wash and dry a punnet of strawberries gently with a towel. Hull them (cut in half). Any leftovers are allowed to be consumed with cream. You know you want to

Step 4. Warm up approximately 1/2 – 3/4 cup strawberry jam slightly to make it more easy to spread (Mine took 15 seconds, 20 max)

Now we hit the big guns – ASSEMBLY! Pictorial Style (see the captions for any explanations)

So thick and fluffy…

Slather time…

A cloud of cream

Note: If these are not properly dried, their colours will run in the cream…

Smear the underside of the pancake placed on top with jam too before applying gently to the top

Another layer…

Layer the third part and then do not apply strawberry jam on top of the last one

Voila!

Et voila! Here you have an exquisite tower of fluffy, soft golden pancakes dripping with strawberries and strawberry jam and overflowing with spoonfuls of whipped cream. Sound familiar to you?

Oh that’s right, A Victoria Spongecake – looks like I got what I wished for didn’t I?

UPDATE: 20TH APRIL 2012 – Check out these cross section pics – you want them, you got them

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