Let me first begin by explaining myself (tail between legs and head hung in shame.) For the last few months I have been experiencing what is commonly known as bakers block; a serious condition which I put down to a change in baking circumstances and an unfamiliar oven. Hopefully this is now coming to an end and I can resume my weekly baking blogs. Whilst I can report that I have still been baking cakes, I have been observing total radio silence. Those that have been baked shall remain anonymous, and sadly they met their sticky end without the documentation they deserved. For this, I apologise, and I ask you to join me in a two second silence to remember those who never made it onto the blog.
(Pause)
On a less sombre note, it's only 335 days till Christmas!
What better way to celebrate this uplifting fact than with mince pies. I confess that these mince pies were baked over the bakers block period, but lucky for them there is photographic evidence that they existed. There was I regret to say, another batch which did not make it out of the oven alive, due to red wine induced amnesia. Fortunately, these made an excellent coal substitute during the period over Christmas when I had no central heating.
The mince pies that survived were extremely yummy, and whilst I am not quite so dedicated as to make my own mincemeat, the pastry is my own. I favour putting a star on top instead of a complete lid. Not only does it look neater than when you get mincemeat juices escaping from the sides, it's also really quick to do.
In other news - if you thought the standard of my blog photography had improved, you're not wrong, and it's not me. I now have an official blog photographer who makes my cakes look as good as they taste. Prepare to be dazzled by scones in soft focus and pavlova in panorama.
In case you're wondering why I have a clip art picture of a mince pie, instead of the stunning photography I promised in my previous paragraph, I overlooked the fact that I am not in possesion of the photo. Please wait in anticipiecion while I contact my photographer about this matter. I thank you for your patience :)
