Coffee and walnut ... heaven on a plate and an urge for chintz.

Coffee and walnut ... heaven in a cake.

Which in my head was going to be Mary Berry-esq in presentation, with the exception of the doily as I'm living in a doily free zone.

Do people still use doilies?
I think the last time I used a doily was to make a paper angel in primary school.
Whatever happened to the humble doily?

A quick search on google brought up a recipe - I don't know why I bother with cookbooks anymore, as for every spur of the moment forage into baking, no matter what the impulse ingredient, Google will perform its magic at the press of a button.

A Mary Berry recipe, but a recipe missing the basics, like tin size.
''Serves 4'' 

Well, that's a very small cake indeed, and certainly not standard tin size
Are we supposed to be psychic???

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/coffee_and_walnut_cake_03763.pdf

So although I would recommend the cake, I'd disregard half the instructions and make them up.
I used one 7 inch tin for all the mixture, turned the temperature down and cooked for longer.
And doubled the coffee, which was double strength granules and not essence.
Then I halved the icing, sliced the cake in two and stacked it up.

Maybe not Mary Berry-esq in presentation, but it tastes good and is all mine :)


And while my cake presentation may be chintz free,  my chicken certainly isn't.

Or the mouse.

One whiff of sunshine and it's away with the tactile wool and tweed and in with the chintz.
Call me fickle but - oh my goodness - how much do I love Liberty Lawn???
No-one does chintz better than Liberty - the delicate florals, the retro paisleys - the fine thread count.

Spring has definitely arrived!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/180974262/a-floral-field-mouse-mouse-pin-cushion?ref=shop_home_active_4

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/181087212/polly-a-floral-chicken-doorstop-bookend?ref=listing-shop-header-2