COVID-19 Confessions - EASY ORANGE SPONGE CAKE WITH ORANGE CURD FILLING OR CRÈME PATISSERIE.

COVID-19 stumped even the writers of Horoscopes, who didn’t predict this devastating pandemic. No, as far as psychics go, we’re still in plain sailing. They’ve let us down miserably. My prediction for today. Cancerian. “Since Mercury is just about to turn retrograde, it’s best to keep things open-ended and be more careful with what you communicate; it’s better to keep things light and leave them open for now.” With this warning in mind, I won’t be spilling all the beans.

As COVID-19 drags on and we remain under semi-lockdown, I notice my mood darkening, yet I try to find moments of beauty, such as sunny days and snow-capped peaks, which help me stay connected to the world outside.

Baking, cooking, and trying new recipes were daily rituals. Jamie Oliver, Ottolenghi, and Delia Smith are my new best friends. I pummel bread dough, whip up meringues, soufflés, and sponge cakes; I take my frustrations out on beautiful ingredients, and I have even found myself talking aloud while chopping, grating, and stirring custards.

While walking around and around our property with my earphones on, I was transported by Laurie Lee’s Cider with Rosie, Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex, and South African author Jo-Anne Richards’s The Imagined Child. The laps around our property soon evaporated as I listened, and I managed to do a 20km walk on the last Sunday before we entered phase 3. The only witness to my loops was my neighbour’s broody son, who’d come out occasionally, staring morosely at me as he pulled on a cigarette. It took me three times around the “block” from his light-up and first drag to stubbing it out into the overflowing jam tin. I’m embarrassed to confess that, since walking’s permitted, I’ve only ventured out three times.

Just before lockdown, Butch bought a stand to set up a bike as a stationary exercise bike, which we regularly used with a spinning app. Unfortunately, it makes a hell of a din, and our neighbour complained. It woke him up at 5h30 (I can’t blame him for complaining). Our routines had to be adjusted! Butch has persevered and exercises religiously in the evenings after work. I don’t.

Writing stories has become my refuge during COVID-19. I completed three fiction courses with Jo-Anne Richards and Richard Beynon at https://allaboutwritingcourses.com/, which provided practical guidance I highly recommend to fellow writers.

After three months of writing fiction every day, being edited, and enduring the remarks and suggestions, all of which are valid and useful, I found myself emotionally drained and creatively burned out. It is hard work, and the more I learn, the less I know. I’ll take a break, and when I’ve recovered a measure of confidence, I’d like to get back to my novel.

COVID-19 presented creative thinkers with an opportunity to start a side hustle, reinvent we under extraordinary circumstances, and learn new skills, especially in technology. Zoom became a lifeline and an excellent way for us to communicate seamlessly with family and friends all over the world.

My parents, at 88, got hooked up, and now we have weekly chats. My mother, who has dementia, eagerly comes online to chat with all and sundry. The grandchildren enthral them with new ways of coping and their innovations during lockdown as summer approaches in Canada, France, and the USA. I have weekly chats with friends from all over the world. It’s great. https://zoom.us/

As we shut ourselves off from the world and locked ourselves up in our homes, panicking about an uncertain future, innovation stepped in. All around us, small businesses have become proactive. We now have weekly deliveries of fabulous, fresh, organic fruit, vegetables, oils, meat, and dairy products from the Groenstoor.

To join their mailing list, email [email protected]. Follow their Facebook page. (They now deliver countrywide too.) I ordered a delectable cake from Juanita Stanbridge, owner of Decadently Delicious Cakes & Food (WhatsApp 073 104 6545), and it was delivered to my doorstep.

On Mother’s Day, I surprised my parents with a delicious hot meal, a roast with all the bells and whistles. It was delivered to their door by Jo-Ann, owner of Karmenaadjie in Onrus, 071 683 6408. Home delivery for older people, our most vulnerable, is a lifesaver and a welcome treat.

We’ve treated ourselves to several deliveries of the best Fish ‘n Chips in Worcester from Mr Phil Food, 060 466 3998. The slap chips are a treat, and the portions are very generous indeed.

Restaurants are delivering, home bakers and cooks are tempting us with their creations, and it’s now even possible to order a famous chef’s box to warm anyone’s heart. Try The Test Kitchen, La Colombe, and Wolfgat’s Kobus van der Merwe. Fine dining at home has just got easier. I couldn’t ask for more.

Shopping malls and queues have made shopping a tedious errand. The allure of online shopping grows stronger every day. In the future, I will use all available alternatives. It’s convenient, cheaper, and time-saving to click. With a click, we can access an App for convenient shopping.

Home entertainment has never been more accessible, thanks to affordable platforms like Netflix, ShowMax, Amazon Prime, and Acorn TV. I have even been able to play the occasional bridge game on Bridgebase (https://www.bridgebase.com/v3/).  

We download music from Spotify, movies and books from Audible, and attend online learning courses. I subscribe to interactive yoga classes with Olivia Kroukam Yoga on WhatsApp at +27 82 927 4952

When the realisation dawned that our travel plans were thwarted, the impact of the lockdown became real. Not knowing when our borders will reopen shuts the door on planning a trip, which brings a sense of hopeless despair. We have always been fortunate to have a trip planned, be it long or short, far or near.

This state has motivated me to start reading travel books, and last week I picked up two by Lawrence Green in a second-hand bookshop. The knowledge that a book has a history and that someone else has read it before is comforting and what I need now.

But all is not lost; we’ve been very fortunate and did take the Honey Badger for a spin and a sleepover… I shall tell you about that later.

My COVID-19 diary ground to a halt a few weeks ago. I spent most of my days on writing assignments. I also found I was living in my head more and didn’t feel like recording anything. As time drags on and I realise, as I internalise more, I’ve become sad. I must make a deliberate effort to cheer up and get moving, which I do by cooking and creating in my kitchen. This is my COVID conundrum. On the one hand, this pandemic has unleashed a wave of inspiration, but on the other, a wave of despair too.

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Today’s recipe: All recipes are simple, with few ingredients; many are seasonal. Ingredients should be easy to source, and the recipes are tried and tested.

EASY ORANGE SPONGE CAKE WITH ORANGE CURD FILLING OR CRÈME PATISSERIE.

Although I love cake for tea, baking is not my forte. This easy recipe is flop-proof and can be baked and served within a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Grease two sponge cake tins and line them with greased baking paper. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and baking powder, holding the sieve high to aerate the flour. Add the remaining ingredients and beat thoroughly with an electric whisk until smooth (I use my Kenwood Chef). If the mixture is a little dry, add an extra 10 ml of orange juice.

Divide the mixture between the two prepared tins and bake for 30 minutes. Check whether the cakes are ready by lightly touching the centre; it should feel firmish. Loosen the cakes by sliding a palette knife around the edges. Remove the cake after a minute. Let them cool completely on a wire cake rack. Carefully peel away the baking paper.

Place the cake on a pretty cake plate, spoon the filling over, then smooth it. Place the second cake on top and dust with icing sugar.

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LOVELY ORANGE CURD

1. Combine the orange rind and sugar in a bowl.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the orange juice and eggs.
3. Pour this mixture over the sugar.
4. Add the butter
5. In a saucepan, bring 500ml water to just below boiling. To make a double boiler.
6. Place the egg and orange mixture over the simmering water and cook, stirring continuously, until thickened. The curd should not boil
7. Remove from the heat and cool completely.

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CRÈME PATISSIÈRE

1. Bring the milk and vanilla pod to a boil. Remove from the heat. Leave to stand and infuse.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy.
3. Gradually add the flour and cornflour.
4. Remove the vanilla pod from the warm milk.
5. Pour the milk into the egg mixture, beating continuously as you pour.
6. Return the custard to a clean saucepan and bring it to a slow boil over medium heat.
7. Stir all the time. Simmer for a few minutes.
8. Lumps may form but will go away once you add the cold butter.
9. Remove from the heat.
10. Add butter and beat until smooth.
11. Cool before using as a cake filling.

To serve with a pudding as a custard, reduce the cornflour to 15ml.

Use the egg whites for a Meringue or a topping on Sago pudding or Lemon Meringue pie.

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Stay safe. Mask up and keep your hands clean.