2020-04-01_Bake_from_Scratch

113 bake from scratch

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COOKBOOK AUTHOR JULIE JONES’S MOTHER TAUGHT HER TO BAKE. WHEN HER

MOTHER WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DEMENTIA, THE TWO BEGAN BAKING TOGETHER

AGAIN AS A FORM OF THERAPY. JULIE REMINISCES ON A SPECIAL CAKE RECIPE

THAT WILL ALWAYS REMAIN CLOSE TO HER HEART.

—Julie Jones

The Sweetest Memory

ILLUSTRATION BY KELLY REDDING

I have such fond memories of baking with my mum, stood upon a

stool, her oversize apron tied around my waist. We would often make a

Victoria sponge—with no fancy equipment, just a huge ceramic bowl

and an old wooden spoon, my mum instructing me to “beat really fast”

to prevent the batter from curdling. I remember my arm aching from

beating the batter. It’s such a simple cake, so nostalgic. We’d make the

cake our own by laying a big stencil over the top layer before dusting with

confectioners’ sugar to create a heart. The aroma in the kitchen as it

bakes, the delicious soft texture and sweet taste instantly take

me back to my childhood.

Later in our lives, this cake became so special to us

once more.

Eventually and tragically, my mum forgot

how to bake—she even forgot my name.

Dementia was gradually stealing her

memories. We continued to bake together,

even though she wouldn’t know what

my instructions meant, yet if a wooden

spoon was put into her hand, she would

automatically beat the batter I’d place before

her. When we baked, I had my real mum beside

me, not the vacant shell she had become.

Victoria sponge will always be such a special cake

and one I can never resist a slice of.