Pound Cake

When you're wide awake, have a cake. No, don't!. Unless, you're one of the lucky 1% who does not pack it all in easily, don't have a cake when you're wide awake. Just trying out something which hopefully rhymes here. Known in the family as Kek Kuning, during her younger days, my mom used to sell this cake for Hari Raya (Eid). Like most sweets, I personally recommend that you eat this with unsweetened hot drink of coffee or tea. If you grew up in a cake eating family, you will enjoy this one. If you just starting to bake, it is not hard to make. Try it.

YOU NEED:
1 lb caster sugar
1 lb flour
12 oz butter (ie. One and half blocks of what's sold here)
10 eggs
6 teaspoonful of baking powder
2-3 tbls Vanilla essence

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat oven at 180-200 degrees or gas mark 4.
2. Grease & flour loaf tins. You need two bigs ones, or few small ones.
3. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter till light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. Fold in the flour one third at a time. Do not overmix.
6. Pour in the mixture in loaf tin. 2/3 full. The cake will rise.
7. Bake for 45 min to 1 hour. Or when inserting skewer, it comes clean.
8. Stand cake in tins for 10 min. before turning them out onto wired rack to cool completely.

TIPS:
This is a big recipe. You can make a smaller portion by cutting all ingredients in half. Methods and time to bake stays the same. And, if you don't have an electric mixer, when beating, mixing or stirring, always do it in one direction only. If you start clockwise, keep it clockwise. Else, your cake may come out bentat. Whatelse? If you must look inside, don't open the oven door for at least 20 minutes into the baking. It is within the first twenty that the baking powder will work its chemistry with the other ingredients. It needs uninterrupted heat.

Now, back to the starting point, I didnt sleep well last night, and apparently there was another worrying tremor in the region. Eventhough I was awake, I did not feel it. And non of my colleagues felt it. But, it happened. The latest shift had started in the same neighbourhood area of Sumatera, Indonesia. Some said, it's a new one. Some said, it's still one of the many aftershocks from last Dec 26th's Tsunami. Whatever it was, this time, it had caused a little bit of damage. Here, at the place where I am currently working, some 390 miles away from the epicenter, a small part of the office ceiling caved, affecting an aircond duct and couple of light bulbs. The tiles of the pantry of the floor where some our meetings are sometimes held, fell apart. Good news, walls are still intact and fortunately, we were not harmed.