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Recovery week

So this is me this week!

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As a matter of fact, in my Quo Vadis I wrote:
POSITIVE THOUGHTS
GOLDEN LIGHT
DO NOTHING
REST
And I wrote it across all the pages of the week.
I wrote that because last Friday I had some facial reconstruction surgery to repair some of the radiation damage.

Yup, it was unpleasant. Yup, it hurts. Yes it was a risk with the real possibility of dying tissue, but everything seems to have gone well and I’m Okay. <3 011 copy copy

Today my little note to myself says: “What would someone who loves themselves do?”

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Rest. Rest and more rest.
But today I also had to visit my plastic surgeon, so while I was up and about, I decided to bake myself a little treat.
Last week when I drove through Keremeos and stopped at the fruit and veggie stand, I bought a little pundit of apricots. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I should have known better because apricots so out of season very rarely taste very yummy. Actually, that’s my usual rule for all fruit and veg so no, I don’t know what I was thinking. Anyway, here I had these not so nice apricots at home.

My grandmother used to make a lovely fruity type coffee cake called a bublanina. Roughly translates to bubble cake. She made it every week and used all sorts of fruit in it. I decided to bake myself a bublanina as a treat (because right now I’m a poor baby so deserve fattening sugary treats…lol)

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I took out my grandmother’s cookbook and found the bublanina recipe.
Yes, a very well used page!
I wish you guys could read Czech recipes. The language is so friendly. It’s as though the directions include you instead of being directed at you. For example, a line of this recipe reads: “Our mixed sugar, eggs, lemon and vanilla, we cream them together for 30 minutes.” This is how we do it. Oh yes, by hand…with a wooden spoon! Actually, truth be told, in the Kitchen Aid.

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So I mixed up a little buttery, sugary dough, topped it with those apricots and a little sprinkling of blueberries, and popped it into the oven for 35 minutes.

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That’s incidentally the time it took for the lawn service to finish making a racket at my neighbour’s next door.

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Then I had a lovely, warm slice of my bublanina, and now it’s back to bed with me.

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Bubble cake adapted from my grandmother’s recipe to bring it out of the middle ages.

1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
2 large eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup yogourt
1 tbsp Grand Marnier (because, why not?)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
the tip of a knife worth of salt (seriously, that’s what it says)
what have you of fruit. I used a dozen apricots and a handful of blueberries. My grandmother’s best bublanina was always with cherries.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

– Mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
– Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between, add the Grand Marnier and vanilla.
– Sift in the flour and baking powder, and the salt, then mix well.
– Finally, add the yogourt to create a thick dough to support the fruit on top.

– Pour the batter into a greased and lined baking tin of some kind. I used 9-inch springform tart tin.

– Prepare the fruit: slice the apricots, stone the cherries, halve the strawberries, etc.

– Scatter the fruit into the top of the batter and press lightly.

– Bake for 35-40 minutes, grandmother’s book reads “until rosy”.

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Comments: 15

  • May 30, 2016
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    Rest seems to be the operative word for you Veronica. I’m sure that the treasured cake recipe was therapeutic! Thanks for sharing. Take care. 🙂

  • May 30, 2016
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    Gosh that looks so delicious! I miss your cooking and baking. Can’t wait to have an oven again when we come back to Vancouver. Also Morgan is just the prettiest kitty isn’t she? Love you! xoxo

  • May 31, 2016
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    Rest and feel better soon! Follow Morgan’s cue about how to laze about. Cats are experts in self-care!

  • May 31, 2016
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    rest is important not just to heal the surgery but to heal your soul .. xo

  • May 31, 2016
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    So important to regain your strength after surgery. Writing, journaling is a great healer, too. Your kitty will help in the process. They always know when something is just not right. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

  • May 31, 2016
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    Take care V. Be good to you 🙂 Sounds a wonderful cake, I’m going to try it! Thank you for including the recipe. Mxx

  • May 31, 2016
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    Rest and relaxation are in order…you have a lovely example to follow!
    The bubble cake looks delicious too…
    Take care

  • Catherine Llewellyn

    May 31, 2016
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    Hey thanks for telling me what a bubble cake is – they’re all eating it in a book I’m reading and I have been in the dark! – now I can visualise what’s going on much better 🙂 XX

  • PSC

    May 31, 2016
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    Rest and heal and enjoy that lovely cake! <3

  • June 1, 2016
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    Oh, that cake looks amazing! I’ll have to try it, and maybe I won’t wait until I need pampering. Do take care of yourself! Hugs.

  • June 1, 2016
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    Best to use kitty as an example and rest/heal. That cake looks so yummy, and I really like seeing the old cookbook and reading of your memory of your Grandmother.

  • Pondside

    June 2, 2016
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    I hope that you are beginning to feel a little better, and I’m glad to hear that you have come through the surgery well.
    The cake – it made me smile. I have had many slices of cakes that look just like that. In our 10 years in Germany our neighbours made that cake with every sort of fruit. My favourite was with plums. I can smell that cake, still.

  • June 2, 2016
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    Ooh, the bubble cake looks wonderful. Please rest up and take care of yourself! Best wishes!

  • June 3, 2016
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    Holey Moley, that looks amazing!! You can bake for me any day. I’m very glad that you baked for yourself, and gave yourself a loving peaceful day. It is so important!! Sending love and healing thoughts to you and your fuzzy kitty.

  • June 7, 2016
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    Thinking of you my friend .. Oh I do hope that you are feeling better and the healing has begun. So pleased you baked yourself this delicious treat. Love the sound of the recipe ? Take care lovely .. Gorge pics of Morgan

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