LAURA CARTLEDGE Life's Like That...Secret revealed '“ and it turned out to be a piece of cake for us all

Would you like to come to a secret meeting and eat cake? That was the question posed to me the other day.

I’ll be honest, it didn’t take me long to think of my answer.

Hundreds of Clandestine Cake Clubs happen across the country, and beyond.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With their mission statement being – bake, eat and talk about cake.

The secret element comes from not knowing the location until you get an email the day before.

By the time it arrived I was beyond excited.

Reading the list of Jubilee-themed cake goodness, which included a lemon chiffon cake with mousse filling and a ganache covering, it was all I could do not to drool on the keyboard.

But then I saw something which caused my mouth to dry up instantly, it said ‘Laura – cake to be confirmed’.

I gulped.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I thought I was just going as a guest, but no, I was down to bake.

Having seen what else was going to be on offer, I can’t say I was feeling confident.

My baking is normally done while wearing my dressing gown, half-asleep on a Saturday morning.

Needless to say I struggle to spell ganache, never mind make it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

To add to the challenge I only had half an hour to spare that evening.

This left me with only one option – it would have to be my trusty Victoria sponge.

Luckily, I told myself, it already sounds a bit royal.

So to make it fit the Jubilee theme I added a crown and called it a ‘Queen Elizabeth’ sponge.

Baking tin in one hand and directions in the other, I was as ready as I ever would be.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The sense of mystique made me wonder whether I should have worn a fake moustache.

I parked up and was relieved to spot a couple of other people clutching Tupperware and looking suspicious.

There were 11 cakes in total.

From battenburg with corgis on top to a sponge decorated with flowers and diamonds. I think I got a sugar rush just looking at them.

As we sliced and shared our creations, strangers became friends – united in a love of all things iced.

It was brilliant. And I took home much more than leftovers.