"Having invited Helen and me to approach the table, and placed before each of us a cup of tea with one delicious but thin morsel of toast, she got up, unlocked a drawer, and taking from it a parcel wrapped in paper, disclosed presently to our eyes a good-sized seed-cake."
Thank heavens for Miss Temple and a small moment of cheer at Lowood - one of very few in Jane's existence there.
With food conspicuous by its absence most of the time in Jane Eyre, seed-cake it is for our virtual afternoon tea, and it's making its third appearance in 'Books and Cakes': we had it with Tom's Midnight Garden, and a long way back with The Mysteries of Glass, but though somewhat 'old-fashioned', it's a good cake and I'd recommend it. This time I used Delia's recipe sans almond topping as such frippery seemed out of keeping with the privations of Lowood, but I've run to a large pot of Lapsang to go with it, so please pull up a chair! We're talking about the book over here.
Lapsang - lovely and properly made in a pot too.
Posted by: Spade & Dagger | 25 April 2015 at 08:22 AM
Over the years I've made (and enjoyed eating) all kinds of cakes - but I've never, ever baked a seed cake! Perhaps this is the time to try one...
Posted by: Christine Harding | 25 April 2015 at 09:34 AM
I canme over from the book page - and I just knew it would be seed cake! I'm going to try making one with some freshly-picked seeds this summer. (Though I said that last year and never got round to it!)
Posted by: Mary | 25 April 2015 at 09:34 AM
It looks delicious.
Posted by: Anji | 26 April 2015 at 07:01 AM
Yes, do, Christine!
Posted by: Cornflower | 27 April 2015 at 11:19 AM
Good idea. My seeds had been around for a while, so I put them in the mortar and bashed them a bit to release the flavour.
Posted by: Cornflower | 27 April 2015 at 11:20 AM