Lime and Coconut Cake by Mich Turner

I enjoyed watching the recent series: Britain's Best Bakery, with presenters Mich Turner and Peter Sidwell.  So it is not surprising that I borrowed a book from the library called Fantastic Party Cakes by Mich Turner.....

Its contents give decorations galore, with loads of techniques, with sugar and icing covering a variety of base cakes.  For usual family fare, I would not usually make up cakes with so much sugar and butter in butter cream which I feel please the eye and are a little too sweet for my palate, but if needed I think I could rise to the challenge for a birthday cake or similar, and since there are a number of birthdays coming up, I shall get my thinking cap on.

Vicki has 'lent' me her mixer, and since it is years since my Kenwood went by 'hand luggage' by air half way across the world, I had to just try one bake....I made half the quantity given in the recipe and baked it in an 8 inch square cake tin, cut it and layered it.  The mixer would have worked better with twice the quantity...a small hand held mixer would have sufficient.

Things I have learnt from this bake:  Too sweet for our taste bubs,  I can make an oblong cake with nice proportions using an 8 inch square tin, which using just 100g butter, 100g sugar etc.  I need to practise my cutting techniques.  It looks much more elegant compared to a small round sponge cake.
I now have a nice oblong plate bought locally in Kenilworth, so will try more oblong cakes.