KIWI & LIME SORBET

Enter Sylvia Plath, the sad books, relapse, America; and I'm quite sure the cake days are soon over; but presentness is grace, or so I've heard, so just for now, enter the sorbets too.

NO-BAKE STRAWBERRY PIE

I am devouring an average of three and a half books per week, yet my writing fails me; what doesn't fail me, thankfully, is the baking (or non-baking rather); which results in summery tarts or pies or crostate to also be devoured merrily. Spoiler: they taste much better than paper.

ORANGE & SAFFRON BUNDT CAKE

I could sing a month-long fado song about all that's been going on these days, and I would be even whinier and more catastrophic and melancholic than the Portuguese I swear; and it would probably be something about being all stitched up and plastered and not leaving the sofa and can I go back to massive book shops in former fabric factories and where do I develop my slide film and does it have to be so hot in this country and can I have my bread and my peaches now and am I in Japan yet; but instead of depressing the duck out of everyone I thought I could make good use of pretty Bundt cake tins from a country of sardines, swallows and sailors; and some fancy saffron and huge juicy oranges; for a cake that's free-from everything so even I can have it and spare you all the whining too.

STRAWBERRY SHRUB

It might be a very English thing to do, to talk about the weather and carry on with your business as usual, for the joy of airlines and online accommodation marketplaces, when a few selected bearers of darkness come find you and knock at your door; but I'm working on it, and truth is I've only been here a couple of weeks; and in fact, just one week in this country where seasons are a thing and I've learned more about the weather and seasonal produce than in five years on an island of potatoes and plantain; and it turns out that strawberries are still in season in this one Italian region up North, and so one shopping expedition later, I find myself mixing syrups and vinegars like in a puerile version of a clandestine brewery in the prohibition era; and between country #25 and surgery and country #26, here's my new delicious fruity summery drink of choice.

CANDIED FRUIT BISCUITS

My perception of reality must have got packed by accident into a Wilson box last week, bubble-wrapped like my Vancouver mug, and my cake tins, and all the sugar sprinkles, as I woke up one morning to find myself in a tiny, sunny town by the foothills, with no going back. Until I get that delivered to me (after it's been taken to a very spontaneous trip to Venice; or Belarus, for what we know), I really won't have a clue on what to get used to first, whether it's the 30+ degrees or not being invisible or the nice food or cheap coffee; nor an alternative to being reverse-culture-shocked (why is the icing sugar sold in 100g envelopes only. Where's the imported Asian flour. Ooh look at the colourful candied peel), or making recipes up with random, yet pretty, and pretty delicious, baking ingredients. If I get my discernment back, I will let you know; either way, I have done great with the baking. The Italians approve.

RICE PUDDING CAKE

It all starts with rice pudding, a tiny flat and one lifelong ally, and it looks like that's how it ends too; and what's in-between, I wouldn't know how to spell out in words; but it's not all bleak; and there's the darkest London but a way out of it too; and the darkest night you'll ever see, but also night travellers, who have the heart of a lion and take your hand and walk with you morning-bound. And never mind all the books I should have written; the Book of London is one I will carry with me; but now I better go, and I've said it before but I'll say it again: bye.

CHOCOLATE & MARSHMALLOW PIZZA

I've been feeling like this: dessert pizza.

MACADAMIA MARZIPAN CHOCOLATES

Yet again, my head can't really cope with definitiveness too well; and it's overwhelmed by flashes from distant places in space, plus the past and the future (although I wouldn't know for sure, I had enough self-proclaimed witchcraft and wizardry, and cooking lessons, and bruises, for a lifetime), and I don't know if our nordic escapes will soon be a distant memory too, but here's to marzipan chocolate, best enjoyed in the 9pm sun in squatted military areas where cannabis trade is a thing; and to not being alone; and welfare pack lunches and mind-blowing banana eating techniques; to design museums and art galleries but also cake giving and post card shopping; and, please, to the hopefully several more escapes to come (to Disneyland too, with lucky rabbits), and if they don't have marzipan chocolate there it's fine, I'll bring along a Bonus Pig bag full of it.

ESPRESSO MINI CAKES

No adjective can describe the past four years more accurately than 'tiring', and still it isn't over just yet; so for the couple weeks to come (and for the roads left in both of our shoes): cakey coffee muffins, and I'll sleep when I'm dead.

HAWAIIAN WEDDING CAKE

In my head there’s a station where my thoughts depart to far-away places; and they go find a sun that shines fair and bright and a light breeze, and the clearest water, and if your dusty hands washed one another you would know what it feels like to be new; and I don’t know if it’s a quiet port town, or a land of pine forests and deserts, or a thousand mountains, or familiar foothills, or yet another Hawaiian dream with eyes open wide; but they may discover a place where they belong more than here; and if it’s a sweet fruity cake that takes them there then I hope it takes me too.

RAW LEMON SWISS ROLL

Cake roll happens because of promises made to sunny people on sunny days; and because the shape of things to come is looking very swirly to say the least; but also because if swirly things (or stomach ache, or car crashes, and car-crash shaped cake) ever come your way, you've got to be ready and turn them around as best as you can; and it may take some serious multi-tasking, and you may have to improvise or momentarily hide piles and piles of stuff in your wardrobe or interrupt your Preacher episode half way through and your NutriBullet will perhaps struggle; but if you try and you're lucky enough, you may end up staring in excitement at delicious citrusy creamy things, and these delicious citrusy creamy things may well make you sunny inside a little.

BLACK SESAME BUTTER MOCHI

I don’t think anyone out there will be surprised one bit to find me day-dreaming about trips to Hawaii and Japan instead of getting my shit together and out of this place once and for all; but in my defense, I’ve created these little squishy squares that combine the very essence of Hawaiian cake and Japanese treats all in one and they’re so rich and squidgy and flavoursome and if you ever find a way to stop shovelling them into your mouth, please let me know as I’m now at risk of rolling my way back home like a giant mochi ball they’re that good.

ALMOND & PISTACHIO BISCUITS

All that hasn’t happened in four years has suddenly decided to elbow its way to me and happen in the space of a month; and there’s a long long list of people and shoes and medications, boxes, bubble wrap, Texas dreams and Spanish Squads, trains and planes and places and faces; plans and plants and plantains; but never mind breathing, there’s got to be room for baking; and even though I myself will have to stick to whisky and Star Wars breakfast cereal (separately) to avoid death from stomach ache, I know how to make good use of the packs of almonds and pistachios lying in the still-stupidly-full kitchen cupboard (and that goes without mentioning the dinosaur cookie cutters, because you can always make good use of dinosaur cookie cutters): almond and pistachio biscuits; deep breath; go.

SWEET TOMATO SPELT MUFFINS

What was it that gave madness away, the pirate shoes or the wandering aimlessly amongst Egyptian mummies and hippo statuettes or the improvised escapes or the mindless frauds or the frozen cereal or the dragon fruit and turnip diet; but what is all but crazy, I swear, is returning to warm foothills, small towns; and breathing a sigh of relief; and making sweet tomato muffins, as tomatoes are fruits like any other, but sometimes you just very simply forget.

LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKE

Funnily enough all this started exactly one lemon cake ago; and one delicious bite after another, your tummy got fuller and fuller, and the next thing you'll be looking up on Google is 'can you eat so much that your stomach bursts'; and why would you even want to find out.
Yet, there's one big bottle of fancy Italian organic olive oil in your cupboard, and wouldn't it be silly not to whip up a cake with it; and it's so fluffy and citrusy and you really can't make your mind up on which version you like best.
Needless to say, decisions of such great importance require a fair amount of pondering; but the proof of the cake is in the eating, or so I've heard; and I'm thinking, some real tasty lemon cake is what you'll get, either way.

GLUTEN-FREE FAIRY BREAD

I do not recall ever granting mother nature permission to turn me into a (rather small) grown-up; please bear with me whilst I take a break from all this adult business for a minute and day-dream about making bread with my dad and secretly hope someone will take me to Disneyland for my birthday and eat, as one should, sprinkles on toast.

CAROB CHEESECAKE

Leaving the country seems to be very much in fashion this season; and if the individuals doing so had a pack of carob powder lying abandoned at the back of their kitchen cupboard, they too would be making this wonderful thing called, carob cheesecake.

FRUIT SUSHI

I feasted on Veda bread and potato farls and brown lemonade and vegan yellowman and several other Ulster delicacies to my heart’s content; and we’re good already for cherries, biscuits & marshmallows, and inferior potato cakes too (I greatly appreciate the effort, Tesco); and I found myself alone and smiley at Japanese punk gigs and film nights; so even though I’m back now and Peckham’d and sound, here’s dessert sushi, a sweet and sticky ode to Japan.

STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE CORN FLAKE SQUARES

An excessive amount of things that break around me, such as not one, not two, but three vintage mugs; and my camera; and the internet; and trains over bank holiday weekends; and my digestive system; plus a busy schedule of stressing, leave me slightly mentally & physically exhausted and therefore prone to wingin'; reason why, when you'll be reading this recipe for the ultimate 5-minute-to-make sweet marshmallowy treat, not only will I have inhaled the whole lot already, but I'll also be in the process of finding out whether or not I'm emotionally stable enough to be travelling on my own. Make them! You can thank me if I ever make it back sound.

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA LOAF CAKE

These days I sometimes feel like a little ghost, even though I’m not gone just yet; and I’ve been filling time with things I don’t mind, like Icelandic coffee, and English shoes, and Scottish pop bands, and Japanese cameras, for Irish adventures. I plan to add my art galleries too, especially those ones that stock American-style banana bread; but just in case all the above gets too expensive (plus Russia. Alaska. Disneyland. Outer space) and I really can’t spare that two pounds fifty for a slice: bakers gonna bake. Chocolate chip banana cake.