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Raspberry Butter Cake

A few months ago I started looking for some vintage homewares for props. I particularly wanted some old cooling racks, knives and a wooden handled wire sieve. Those things are either really hard to track down or ridiculously expensive to find in Sydney. (I'm still trying to source some of these items btw).

I finally found the perfect wire cooling rack online, but it was part of a set and when the set was broken down piece by piece the wire cooling rack was way too expensive. I threw caution to the wind and bought most of the set figuring the pieces were at the most decorative and hopefully functional as well.



The parcel arrived and I eagerly opened it. There was no warning on the site that the tins showed signs of rust so I was disappointed to find all the bakeware was substantially rusted and the star shaped tin was the most affected of the lot.  It was so pretty I thought I'd try baking something in it, just to see if it was still functional. I found a recipe for a raspberry pound cake in an old Donna Hay magazine and gave it a try.



It was a disaster. The mixture rose too high and when I tried to turn the cake out, one edge of the cake remained firmly attached to the pan. That cake went straight into the bin. I adapted an old Gretta Anna butter cake recipe and tried again. This time I oiled the tin like a crepe pan and left it for a week before using it again. I greased and regreased every corner of the tin and floured it as well as lining the base with non-stick paper. This time the cake turned out perfectly.



My experience has put me off buying any more vintage wares on the internet for the moment. Has anyone else been a bit disappointed with their internet purchases?

I hope you all had lovely weekends. Guess what I did? I bought some more Christmas presents! I'll be dropping back briefly on Wednesday as I have some mince pies to make for my last day at work for 2010 and no other night in which to get them done.

Until then,

Jillian
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4 comments

  1. Paul Fountain9:53 pm

    Hi Jillian,
    Beautiful pics as usual. It wasn't an internet purchase, but I bought a Touareg teapot in Morocco that is a great decorative piece but found out later that it had a tiny hole in the bottom after I was assured it was sound. I should have called the guys bluff and made him prove it. I could have got it cheaper :-). I'm not sure I would have used it all that much if it was watertight but I would prefer my decorative pieces to be functional as well.
    Having had some professional pastry chef experience, I can honestly say that I'd be wary of vintage and tins like that can be a bit tricky at the best of times as the points of the star will always dry out more quickly than the centre. I do have a vintage cast iron skillet that is still better for cooking steak than anything else I have.

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  2. Love the last 2 pics,just the right balance of it all...perfect!

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  3. Your photos are so elegant. I love them.

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  4. Thanks for all your lovely comments. I really do appreciate them,

    Jillian

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