Now the election is over, let get down to the serious stuff – the summer of sport calendar. So, straight to the point – here’s a recipe to bake some buns to go with the summer of sport. By the way, we call these small cakes ‘buns’ in Yorkshire!
Summer of sport buns
110g/4oz butter
110g/4oz sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp lemon extract or zest of 1 lemon
150g/6oz self raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
A little milk
Cream the butter and sugar, and add the lemon extract or lemon zest and beaten egg. Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture, using a little milk if necessary to give a dropping consistency. Half fill about 12 medium sized bun cases and bake in a moderate oven for 15–20 minutes. (350 F, Mark 4, 180 C).
Grandma Abson’s tip: Use a cake tester or skewer to check if the buns are cooked. It should come out clean with no trace of the mixture when you insert it and take it out.
When cool, scoop out the top of each bun with a teaspoon or a small knife and fill with lemon or plain Butter Cream. Replace the scooped-out sponge as a lid and decorate the top with a sporting trophy.
Or you might prefer …
Summer of sport chocolate buns
Ingredients and method as above but replace the lemon extract with vanilla extract and add 2 tbsps cocoa to the sifted flour.
Bunspiration – the sports behind the cakes
With so much sport to choose from, I’m channel hopping and working out my agenda for each day, to make sure I don’t miss anything. So, where does my armchair sport fanaticism come from?
Tennis
I’ve never really played tennis properly – sadly, there were no tennis courts near me when I was growing up, so it was just knocking a ball against a wall. But I always follow the Wimbledon Championships. It’s the swishing of the rackets and grunts and groans which never fail to captivate. I’ll be reaching for the strawberries and cream with a tennis bun at home – those prices are ‘Ow much?’
Football Euros
Who isn’t a football fan, especially if like me, you watched in black and white the fabulous World Cup final 1966, when those words of Kenneth Wolstenholme : ‘They think it’s all over – it is NOW!’ became imprinted on your brain? It was on that day that we first learnt how to cope with the spectacular highs and lows of following a team like England in a world tournament. I’m on the case with a football bun for the Euros.
Cycling Le Tour de France
I’ve never ridden a bike, except in France during my teenage years on the Yorkshire-Lille French exchange. I have to put up with the mockery of my French friends who just don’t get why I love to spend my afternoons (whenever I can) watching the Tour de France cyclists riding through the marvellous scenery of the French countryside. I even get the France map book out to follow the route and occasionally shout out ‘I’ve been there’. And if I miss out on the ‘live’ commentary, I’m desperate to watch the highlights on catch up!
Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics
I’ve always been an Olympics sports fan, since I ran in my interschool athletics 4 x 4 relay team at school, with borrowed and now long-lost spikes. These were from a neighbour who ran in a relay in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Like many others, I was very proud to be one of 70,000 volunteer ‘games makers’ in the London 2012 Olympics. We witnessed everything from sheer determination to dedication and most of all fun! As a thank you to my team at the aquatics centre, I baked an Olympic celebration orange cake like this Sunshine Cake. It certainly gave us a boost to complete our final shift.
And guess what, I’ll be adding to my Olympics experience this summer in Paris 2024 when I’ll be one of 45,000 ‘Volontaires’. There’ll be more to come about this – but in the meantime, it’s back to the Tour de France, and selecting the right bun!
