Snowdrop Day at Doddington

For the past 3 years in mid-February, I have received an order for cakes for the tea room at Doddington Place Gardens.  I make all their cakes for them throughout the Easter to September season, so you might think that this is not particularly out of the ordinary.  But the order in February is always the most special, as it’s for their annual NGS Snowdrop Day.  After the busyness of Christmas and New Year there is always a bit of a lull and a quieter period of work, meaning that January and February can drag on a little bit, as I’m sure they do for many people.  But then the Snowdrop Day order arrives in my inbox as a small but undeniable herald of spring and brighter times to come.  Of course it’s nice to be baking again, as I don’t do as much of that in late autumn and over the festive season where my work turns more to buffets and drinks parties, but it’s the significance of the occasion of Snowdrop Day that I particularly love.  We may not be quite there yet, but spring is most definitely in the air!

For this year’s Snowdrop Day, I am making large amounts of my signature carrot cake, and then I am also doing chocolate cake, flapjacks and as the “Cake of the Day” I’m doing cherry and almond Bakewell – 2 layers of lovely light, almondy sponge, sandwiched together with black cherry conserve and topped with lemon glace icing and toasted flaked almonds.  Yum.

Carrot cake - this is the most popular cake at Doddington

Carrot cake – this is the most popular cake at Doddington

 

Snowdrop Day at Doddington Gallery